The Pledge of the Sun
by dragomaster312
Summary: Blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family. A sailor moon fanfic with a special twist in it. I do not own Sailor Moon or it's characters. My OC was created by me. OC x Canon later
1. Prologue

T _his was another fan story I really wanted to get into. Just so we're clear this will be based on the main anime of Sailor Moon because I haven't seen Crystal yet. Also I do not own Sailor Moon or it's characters! Hope you guys like it!_

* * *

Once upon a time a long time ago, there was once a great kingdom. A kingdom that existed long before either you or I were ever born in a time called the Silver Millennium. This kingdom was special not because of it's prosperity nor because of how great it was. This kingdom was special because it existed on the moon henceforth giving the kingdom it's name. The Moon Kingdom. In this kingdom an event took place. An event that turned into calamity, but would begin our story.

It all began with a young girl standing on the balcony outside of the castle. She was young about in her teens, wore a beautiful white, regal, and flowing dress, and had long blonde hair tied in buns on top of her head. She was Princess Serenity the princess of the Moon Kingdom. As she stood outside, the princess stared wistfully upwards toward a certain planet that you and I know as Earth. Why was she staring up at it you ask? The reason was simple. Two reason actually. The first was because she was fascinated with Earth. The second was the biggest reason of all. The princess had fallen in love. Particularly with a prince from Earth named Endymion. There wasn't a single moment when he wasn't out of her thoughts.

On this night in particular, the princess was waiting for Endymion to come. The princess waited and she waited for her dashing young prince to come. Then she heard a voice.

"Princess Serenity!"

The princess looked down and there standing beside the fountain in the courtyard was Endymion himself.

"There you are Endymion," said Serenity. "I've been waiting for you."

"I am sorry that I came here so late for the ball my princess," said Endymion. "but I'm afraid that I have some dire news."

"What is it?" asked the princess.

"It's horrible. Most of my people have been brainwashed by Beryl, a woman who ended up being possessed by an evil energy being called Metalia," continued Endymion. "And now because of that, she's convinced the people of earth to attack the moon and take it over if they want to live even longer lives-"

Before Endymion could say anything more, he was interrupted.

"Halt! Who goes there!?"

Hearing the voice, Serenity and Endymion snapped their heads to the direction of the voice to find that three guards were there and their spears poised. The reason being was because that people from Earth like Endymion were forbidden from being on the moon.

"Don't worry! I'll see you at the ball!" Endymion called out as he ran off with the guards hot on his trail. All Princess Serenity could do was watch as her love disappeared from the corner trying to give the guards the slip.

"Please hurry back Endymion," she whispered. "And be careful."

"I wouldn't be worried," said a voice that came from behind her. "I'm sure that Endymion will be just fine."

Feeling a little startled, the princess turned around. There standing before her was a young man about Endymion's age. He was slightly taller than her, had short blonde hair and silver eyes, and was wearing a black tuxedo with gold trims and a cape. Serenity froze upon seeing this man.

"T-taiyou. It's you..." she said. "How long have your been standing there?"

"Long enough," Taiyou replied. "I also happened to overhear everything you two were talking about."

Serenity looked at the man with slight fear thinking that the man will go and tell her mother, but Taiyou looked at the princess his silver eyes filled with kindness.

"Fear not my princess," the man replied. "I have no intention of turning in Endymion. Especially since he's one of the most honorable men I've ever known. No matter how much the people of the moon and earth think otherwise."

Serenity sighed with relief. "Thank you Taiyou."

Taiyou smiled. "It is my pleasure princess. After all, I owe you and your mother quite a lot for taking me into your family. It is the very least I can do."

"You have no need to thank us," said Serenity. "The pleasure is all ours. So what brings you this way?"

"I was instructed to go see your mother," replied Taiyou. "Apparently she wanted to discuss some private affairs. She's at the ball as we speak."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. From the sound of things, it must be important. Since we're both going to the main ballroom anyway, why don't we go there together?"

"Of course."

In the ballroom the place was alive with sound music. People were dancing all around without a care in the world enjoying themselves and having a wonderful time. Taiyou and Serenity then came down the stairs entering the party with Taiyou now putting on a pair of masquerade glasses. Just then as they were coming, a young man came up to Serenity holding her hand.

"Excuse me my princess," he said. "Would you do me the honor?"

Taiyou looked at the man and knew who it was as did Serenity. She looked at Taiyou who nodded.

"Go right ahead princess," he said. "Enjoy yourself."

From there the two of them went their separate ways. Serenity went to dance with the mysterious young man while Taiyou walked around the ballroom searching for the queen.

* * *

Taiyou walked around the area searching for the Queen. He walked past various dancing couples looking around, but the Queen was nowhere to be seen.

"I wonder where her majesty could be?" he wondered. "Perhaps she's somewhere outside?"

"Excuse me. Sir Taiyou?"

Taiyou turned around where he heard the voice. Before him stood a young girl. She too was young if not older than the princess, wore a beautiful red strap dress, and had long flowing black hair that went past her hips. Taiyou also knew who this girl was as well.

"Princess Mars. How may I help you?" asked Taiyou giving the girl a small bow.

The girl responded by giving him a small curtsy. "Her majesty the queen has requested for me to escort you to her so you may speak with her."

"Wonderful," said Taiyou. "That certainly saves me the trouble of having to look for her. I appreciate it. And may I say that you're looking very beautiful tonight princess."

"You flatter me," the girl said smiling.

She then led Taiyou to through the dancing people until you both came to a door leading to another balcony.

"Her majesty is just past those doors," said the girl.

"Thank you very much for escorting me miss," said Taiyou.

And with that the young girl left. Taiyou then silently opened the door leading to the other balcony. There stood a young woman. She looked just like the princess, however her hair was a beautiful shade of moonlight white instead of blonde and her white dress also had a bow on top of it with a gold crescent brooch. She was Queen Serenity herself.

When she heard Taiyou enter, she turned around and gave him a graceful smile.

"Taiyou. You came," she said.

"Yes your majesty," replied Taiyou as he gave her a deep bow to show his respect. "I apologize if I came later than expected."

"Not at all," replied the queen. "I'm just glad you came. I have some things of great importance that I must talk to you about."

Taiyou rose his head. "What is it my queen?"

"As you're well aware, tensions are running high between us and the planet of Earth. It's gotten to a point where we might expect an attack."

Taiyou could see that Queen Serenity was serious. "Yes," he said. "I am aware. What would you propose we do your majesty?"

"For now, I am afraid that we must prepare for the worst," replied the queen. "Which is why I called you here. Taiyou. You have faithfully served my family for many years and I am grateful for that, but I'm afraid that I must impose on you a favor that only you can do."

"It's quite alright your majesty. I will gladly do anything that you ask," said Taiyou. "So if there's anything that you need from me, please name it and I shall do it gladly."

Queen Serenity smiled. "Thank you Taiyou. Your loyalty is deeply appreciated."

She paused and then turned to Taiyou wih a serious expression.

"As you're well aware not everything in this life lasts forever including people like you and I. It has been this way since the beginning of life," she said. "Even I will not be around forever to see my daughter take over in my place as Queen. Taiyou. You are aware that a war will soon break out between us and the people of Earth correct?

"Yes I am."

"Then I ask you to fulfill two duties for me as your queen. The first is to take command of the troops and lead the Sailor Guardians into battle and the second... is to please watch over and protect my daughter as well as all the other princesses in the solar system who serve us."

Taiyou stared at his queen and then kneeled before her on one knee.

"I will my queen. I swear on my honor as a guardian, I will do my best to protect your daughter as well as your people even if it costs me my own life. This I swear."

Queen Serenity was surprised, but that surprise was replaced with relief. "You have my gratitude Taiyou. I'd expect nothing less from the guardian of the sun as well as my trusted friend."

* * *

Back in the ballroom, Serenity and the mysterious man were now the center of attention as they danced gracefully along the floor. As they dance, it didn't take long for Serenity to figure out who this mysterious man was.

"Why are you wearing a mask?" she whispered to him.

"I'm sorry for my disguise," he said. "But a bitter war is about to break out any day or any moment between Earth and the Moon and I can't risk being seen here. Especially since that I will turn out to be your enemy."

"You?! My enemy?!" gasped Serenity.

Soon the two had finished their dance and the people around them applauded for such a spectacular performance. Later the two of them spoke privately outside. The mysterious man took off his mask revealing himself as Endymion.

"To continue from where I was saying before," he said. "Metalia being the being of evil energy and Beryl a sorceress, they're both working together so that they can conquer the moon. Unless something is done, everything in the Moon Kingdom, every person we know and love will be destroyed. Taiyou and I have decided that in order for this war to end, we must wipe out Metalia's evil power and that will put Beryl's plans to an end."

"Are you sure something like that can be done?" asked Serenity.

"Yes. Taiyou has the power of the sun on our side and that should be enough, but... I need your help Serenity," said Endymion as he held her hands lovingly with his own. "Will you believe in my me just as you always have been?"

"Yes," replied the princess.

"And... I also... want you to know how much you mean to me...my princess..."

"I know... And I feel the same way..."

"Serenity..."

"Endymion..."

The two lovers gazed into each other's eyes, then they shared a tender and loving kiss. As they kissed, a single tear trickled down the princess' cheek for she knew that the end was soon coming and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it.

* * *

Pretty soon after, the day that everyone feared had come. It came as quick as it started. The people of earth with Metalia and Queen Beryl leading the charge attacked the moon. The Moon Kingdom that was once a place of happiness and peace had now become consumed with the fires and destruction of war. Towers fell, homes were destroyed and the people panicked and ran for their lives, but they couldn't escape from the overwhelming power of Metalia. Taiyou and the other guardians fought bravely to protect the people and the moon, but even they were overwhelmed by the evil forces.

"BUBBLE SPRAY!"

"FIRE SOUL!"

"SUPREME THUNDER!"

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

The Sailor Guardians Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus all tried to attack Metalia at force by combining their attacks, but Metalia was far too powerful and shrugged off the attacks like they were nothing. Then Metalia retaliated by unleashing an attack of it's own. The Sailor were hit square on with the attack killing every single one of them instantly. As the battle raged on, Queen Beryl watched the battle go on her triumphant evil laugh echoing throughout the area.

"From this way forward, the moon and the earth belong to the mighty Queen Beryl!" she shrieked with delight. "Continue my forces! Destroy and kill everyone in your path and spare no one who is willing to oppose us!"

She then raised her staff and called out to Melatila who ominously stood over everything laughing evilly.

"Queen Metalia! My loyal servants! As of this moment, our Dark Kingdom has now become reality!"

Meanwhile Princess Serenity was watching the destruction worry written on her face. She was all alone without anyone to protect her. She wanted to help, but she was powerless to fight. Then suddenly in a bright flash light, Queen Beryl appeared before her causing her to gasp in fear.

"So... you're Princess Serenity the daughter of the Queen," she said her eyes filled with malice and hate. "Then you must die as well! Say goodbye to that pretty face of yours!"

She gunned straight towards the princess her nails sharpening and extending. Princess Serenity let out a scream of fear expecting the blow, but then suddenly something shot out and pierced Beryl right on her hand stopping her from attacking Serenity. Beryl looked to see what had pierced her and saw that it was nothing more but a simple rose.

"What's this?" she questioned.

Then a pair of voices rang out seeming to have come from either side of them.

"Stop right there Beryl!"

"Now that we have your attention, we will not let you harm the princess!"

"Taiyou! Endymion!"

Sure enough, both men that Beryl recognized leapt out of the darkness both standing in front of the princess shielding her from Beryl. Both of the men were wearing their respective armor and were ready to fight the evil queen. Beryl was surprised and confused to see the two of them.

"Why are you two protecting that girl? Endymion you're the prince of Earth," said Beryl. "If you were to marry me, you could become the king of Earth and the Moon! As for you Taiyou, you have no ties with the princess nor the Moon Kingdom what so ever. What loyalty could you possibly have for the moon?"

"My loyalty is with the princess and Endymion," said Taiyou. "Not that someone like you would understand, but I owe a great deal to them as well as everyone in the Moon Kingdom and I'll gladly fight for them! Even against an evil bitter creature like you!"

"How dare you?! No one speaks to me that way!

Taiyou then reached for his hip and drew his sword and lunged at Beryl ready to fight for Endymion and Serenity. With a fierce cry, he slashed at the woman hoping to at least hit her, but Beryl blocked the attack using her staff. Taiyou repeatedly slashed and attacked Beryl hoping to at least get a hit in, but Beryl kept blocking. Sparks flew as the sound of metal clanged between their weapons. Soon the two of them entered in lock with their weapons both trying to overpower the other.

"You're not bad Taiyou. I'll give you that, but your power doesn't even begin to compare to mine!"

She pushed Taiyou away and launched a powerful attack in the form of black lightning. The lightning hit Taiyou making him scream in agony and made fall to the ground.

"Oh no! Taiyou!" cried Serenity.

"Stop this Beryl!" cried Endymion hoping to reason with her. "Can't you see that Metalia has consumed you with her evil energy!? Please! Break free and come to your senses!"

"Silence you fool! If you won't become my king then I will kill you all!"

Suddenly, Metalia who was still rampaging unleashed a blast of energy that struck the palace. The force of it caused Endymion to be pulled into the air away from the princess. The princess seeing this ran straight for him.

"No! Endymion!" she cried.

"No princess! Don't! yelled Taiyou who was struggling to get up from the recent attack.

"Stay away!" yelled Endymion.

The princess didn't listen. All she cared about was her beloved. She leaped into the air the wind from the destruction carrying her as if it was responding to her feeling. The two of them reached out to each other desperate not wanting to be apart. Then just as both of their hands were about to touch, Metalia unleashed another powerful blast of power aimed directly at Endymion and Serenity. Endymion and the princess screamed in agony as the power shocked both of their bodies to their core and then they bodies went limp and lifeless. Both the princess of the moon and the prince of the earth were now dead. Taiyou's eyes were wide with horror and despair for what he just witnessed.

"NOOOOO!"

Then Queen Serenity with her cat guardians Luna and Artemis arrived when they saw this horrible sight, their faces were stricken with horror and grief.

"Serenity!" cried her mother.

"No... she's gone..." wept Luna. "She's really dead..."

"Yes! The twit of a Moon Princess is dead!" laughed Queen Beryl triumphantly.

"BERYL!"

A scream of rage made Beryl turn her head and she saw something that caught her by surprise. Taiyou had charged straight at Beryl and was now right on top of her. His body was emitting in a golden light and his sword was enveloped in a white glow. His silver eyes were filled with tears but at the same time were filled with anger. He swung down his sword with all of his strength hoping to kill the queen in a single blow. The queen quickly raised her staff in time to block it, but Taiyou's anger was so great that it gave him incredible strength. His sword broke right through her staff and slashed Beryl on her right arm. Beryl howled in pain as blood gushed out from her wound. Metalia sensing that Beryl was in trouble unleashed another blast of energy. Taiyou immediately jumped out of the way to avoid the blast, but the force of it sent him flying landing right by the queen, Luna, and Artemis. The three then rushed to his side.

"Damn it... that fool was able to wound me?!" snarled Beryl. "I'll kill him!"

"No! Taiyou! Are you alright?" cried Queen Serenity.

"I'm... I'm sorry your majesty..." said Taiyou. "I... I failed you... I couldn't save your daughter... I... I let her die..."

His eyes overflowed with tears as the rage he once felt were now being replaced with sorrow and regret. Queen Serenity also had tears streaming down her face, but she quickly collected herself. Now was not the time for crying.

"No..." she said. "I won't let it end this way... I won't!"

She reached in her brooch and took out her most powerful weapon. The Silver Crystal. She also got out the crescent moon stick. Then she attached the Silver Crystal to the moon stick. The moment Luna, Artemis, and Taiyou saw this, they knew what the queen was about to do.

"No you majesty! You mustn't use the Silver Crystal!" cried Taiyou. "It's too risky!"

"He's right!" said Luna. "If you use the full power of it, your body won't be able to take it!"

"There's no other way," replied the queen as she raised the Moon Stick above her head. "Besides my life doesn't matter. Not when the Earth and the Moon as well as all the lives that were lost are at stake. MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

The Crystal on the Moon Stick erupted in a powerful pink light shining throughout the area. Then before Beryl and Metalia could react, they along with the army of Earth all disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was now nothing, but silence. Not a soul could be heard. Not even the bodies of Endymion and Princess Serenity could be seen.

"What... what just happened?" murmured Taiyou as he looked at the now silent battlefield. "Beryl... The armies... Even Endymion and the princess... They all disappeared..."

"Queen Serenity!"

Luna's voice caused Taiyou to turn his attention back towards Queen Serenity who was now lying on a collapsed pillar. She looked pale and weak from exhaustion.

"Your majesty!" cried Taiyou as he rushed to her side along with Luna and Artemis. "What... what did you do? What happened to the enemy? What happened to Endymion and the princess?"

"I... I sealed them all inside the Silver Crystal," said Queen Serenity weakly. "Taiyou... Luna... Artemis... I need the three of you to listen to me very carefully."

"Yes?!" the three of them answered.

"The Silver Crystal is a very powerful object," said the queen. "If it's used by someone with a pure heart, it can make peace and miracles. However if it is used by someone with a dark one, it can be a terrible and frightening weapon."

Then the queen suddenly winced in pain and her breathing became more shallow.

"Please Serenity don't talk anymore!" said Luna. "Save your strength!"

"Unfortunately I can't," said Queen Serenity. "Even with the Silver Crystal, I used up almost all of my strength to seal away Metalia. Not only that, there's no telling when Metalia will return."

"You mean she's still alive?!" asked Artemis.

"Yes which is why... I'm entrusting this to you Artemis and to you as well Luna," said the Queen as she held up the Moon Stick. "In the future... if Metalia does arise again, entrust this to my daughter so she can use it to bring peace. Only those with royal blood can use it."

"Yes," nodded Luna and Artemis.

"And Taiyou... my dear friend," said the queen. "Come here please..."

Taiyou stepped forwards and held his dying queen's head his eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry my queen," he wept. "I failed you... I failed as a guardian... and I failed as a warrior..."

The queen held Taiyou's face and lifted it up towards her and she wiped away a tear from his eye.

"Please don't blame yourself my friend," she said. "You have fought bravely... and I'm proud of you for that. Listen carefully Taiyou. For this might be the last time that you will remember this."

She paused impressively as Taiyou held on to her hand.

"I am going to be sending you and all the other people of the moon including the Sailor Guardians into the future on Earth so you all can live happy lives," said the queen. "Because of this you will forget everything about living here and being the guardian of the sun. However your memories will return in time. I just want to ask you one last thing before I die. Will you heed my last request?"

"Yes my queen," said Taiyou.

"I know that I've asked you this time and time again, but it's of great importance that you fulfill this mission," said the queen sounding weaker than she was before. "Please... as your queen... please protect my daughter and all the Sailor Guardians and princesses in the Solar System."

Taiyou lightly squeezed Serenity's hand trying his best to suppress his tears, but he couldn't. However he spoke bravely looking his queen right in her eyes.

"I will! I swear... I swear that I will protect them! I'll make sure I will! I promise as guardian of the sun!"

The queen smiled. "Thank you. I'm truly grateful."

Then she held up her hand and the silver crystal that was in it began to float into the air. As it floated upwards, it began to glow and from it the bodies of every person from the moon who perished floated along with it heading toward Earth. The Sailor Guardians, Endymion, and even Princess Serenity were among those few.

"Princess Serenity, sailor guardians... as well as all my other loyal subjects and friends," said Queen Serenity. "May all of your future lives on Earth be filled with happiness, love, and hope. That is my last wish. Goodbye... and may you all live in peace."

The queen took her last breath and went silent. Queen Serenity had now died.

"Queen Serenity!" cried Luna, Artemis, and Taiyou.

Then Luna and Artemis were suddenly were put in capsules put into a deep sleep and Taiyou was in a bubble made from the light of the silver crystal in a deep sleep as well. The three of them floated up and followed the other souls that were sent to earth.

And so... our story begins...

* * *

 _I know it seemed predictable, but I hoped you liked it! Feel free to give me any comments, reviews, or tips!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	2. Chapter 1

_I'll just say it right now, this is based on the anime of Sailor Moon. I wanted to try to see what it would look like as an episode so sorry if it's not your thing. Also it's kinda long so sorry about that! Anyhoo enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 ** _RING RING RING RING!_**

The alarm clock rang out signaling that it was time to start another day. Under the covers of the bed someone shuffled underneath them. Eventually a hand came out from under the covers and reached around until it touched the clock. The hand then slammed on the clock pushing the button shutting off the alarm. A young boy sat up from the covers. His hair was a matted mess of short blond hair and his bright blue eyes were half open letting out a yawn while stretching his arms.

"Well then... time to start another day," he said sleepily.

He got out of bed and stretched one more time. Then he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, took a shower, and got dressed for school. After that he went into another room where another person was sleeping soundly. It was a young girl with long blonde hair tied in buns on her head.

"Hey Usagi. It's time for you to get up," the boy said gently patting her.

Usagi mumbled in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. The boy then shook her a little more.

"Come on Usagi. It's time for you to wake up. If you don't you'll be late for school," the boy said.

"I'll be up in a sec..." mumbled Usagi turning to her side. "Just give me ten more minutes Harusuke."

The boy named Harusuke sighed pinching his nose. He was just about to try again when a little boy came into the doorway.

"Hey Harusuke. I'd stop trying if I was you," said the boy. "You're just gonna make yourself late if you keep trying to wake her up."

"But Shingo that wouldn't be right," said Harusuke. "Besides I'm only trying to help her. I don't want her to be late."

"All right then. How about this? I'll wake up Usagi for you and that way you can just head for school without worrying being late," proposed Shingo.

"You do that for me? Thank you Shingo," said Harsuke. "That's pretty nice of you."

"Anytime. Now you better hurry up. Don't wanna be late," said Shingo.

"All right then. I'll be off," said Harusuke as he left Usagi's room. "Make sure Usagi's up OK?"

"Sure thing," said Shingo giving him a thumbs up.

And with that Harusuke went downstairs to get ready to leave. As he left Shingo turned to Usagi and shut the door to her room.

"Sorry Harusuke," he thought to himself. "There's no hope for that girl being on time. I had to send you away so that you wouldn't get dragged to her level. Besides she has it coming. It's her own fault."

* * *

Meanwhile Harusuke was making his way to the Juuban Public Middle School where he and Usagi attended. As he approached the grounds he was greeted by a couple of the students.

"Good morning Harusuke!"

"Good morning. How are you?"

"How you doing Harusuke?"

"Very well thank you."

Then Harusuke looked at the watch around his wrist. The current time was a quarter past eight.

"Oh man. School starts in about fifteen minutes," he thought. "I better hurry and get to class. Don't want Ms. Haruna getting angry."

He quickly sprinted towards the building making his way inside and turning his sprint into a brisk walk. As he walked down the halls a crowd of students were standing in front of a large bulletin board. Harusuke knew what it was which made him stop his brisk walking.

"Those are the results from the last practice exam," he thought. "I still got time before the bell rings. Let's see how I did."

He scanned the board trying to find his name on it hoping he was high in the rankings. He soon found his name in the tenth place position.

"All right!" he said fist pumping. "All the studying paid off."

"Looks like someone's in a good mood today."

Harusuke turned to the voice and a young boy came up to him. He had brown hair and wore large glasses with swirls in the lenses.

"Hello Umino," said Harusuke. "Yes. I am. I got tenth place in the last practice exam."

"That's pretty good," said Umino. "You beat me by my a couple points. I got thirteenth. How do you do it Harusuke?"

"I study hard that's all. Just keep on studying and you'll get there Umino," said Harusuke. "Now then we better get to class. Ms. Haruna will be here any minute and the bells about to ring."

"Oh yeah. Don't wanna be tardy."

The two walked into the classroom and quickly took their seats. It was nearly time for the bell to ring. Harusuke looked around for a certain bun-headed girl, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"It would seem that Usagi is going to be late again," he thought. "I suppose Shingo only sent me away because he thought that Usagi would drag me down."

"Hey Harusuke."

A girl's voice made Harusuke turn his attention towards her. She had reddish-brown hair in a bow and had blue eyes.

"Oh hello Naru," said Harusuke. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh nothing's wrong," said Naru. "I was just wondering if you've seen Usagi, but I think it's obvious that she's late again."

"I'm sorry Naru. I tried to get her up, but Shingo told me to go ahead and head for school anyway," said Harusuke. "I feel kinda bad now."

"It's OK Harusuke. It's not your fault. Besides it's Usagi's fault that she's like this not yours," said Naru.

"I suppose so but still."

Then the bell began to ring signaling that school was now in session and the teacher Ms. Haruna entered the classroom.

"Rise!"

Everyone stood up from their seats.

"Bow."

Everyone bowed.

"Sit!"

Everyone sat down. Then Ms. Haruna began taking roll. As she did, she happened to see Usagi's seat which was as usual empty.

"So I take it that Ms. Tsukino is late again?" she asked.

No one answered. Then there was the sound of running footsteps in the hall. Everyone knew who that was. Harusuke looked at his watch counting the seconds.

"Three... two... one," he said.

At the moment he said one, Usagi came bursting into the room panting like she ran a marathon.

"Sorry... I'm..." panted Usagi desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Late?" finished Ms. Haruna giving Usagi a stern glare. "Ms. Tsukino. How many times must you be late for you to stop being late?!"

"Eep! I'm sorry Ms. Haruna! Please forgive me!" cried Usagi.

"Save your excuses Miss Tsukino," said Ms. Haruna. "As punishment for being late again, go stand in the hall."

"But Ms. Haruna-"

"No buts! Go!"

All Usagi could do was do as she was told and went outside of the classroom into the hall. Harusuke felt sorry for her.

"Oh dear. Poor Usagi," he said to himself. "Maybe I should have tried to wake her up again."

Ms. Haruna then turned to the class. "All right class. Before we begin today's lesson, I would like to hand back your test scores from the last exam. When I call you name come up to the desk to receive your test."

And so Ms. Haruna passed back the graded test papers to the students. Soon Harusuke had received his test back. His had a ninety percent on it.

"Very well done Mr. Tsukino," said Ms. Haruna. "You studied very hard didn't you?"

"Yes I have. Thank you Ms. Haruna," said Harusuke.

Harusuke was heading back to his seat feeling very pleased with himself, but then he heard Ms. Haruna get up from her desk. He turned to see that she walking out towards the hallway.

* * *

Outside of the classroom in the hall, Usagi stood there feeling miserable.

"Aww man. This is the worst," she complained. "It's not my fault I was late this time. How could she make a fragile girl like me stand in the hallway like this?

Then Usagi's stomach let out a deep grumble.

"To make things worse I'm hungry too," she grumped. "I just had to skip breakfast because I was so late."

Then she had an idea. She looked to the left and then to the right. When she made sure that no one was looking, Usagi dug in her bag and took out her bento.

"Well what better to make up for breakfast than right now?" she said cheerfully clicking her chopsticks. "Time to dig in."

"Ms. Tsukino!"

Usagi suddenly jumped and turned beside her to see that Ms. Haruna was standing in front of her with her hands on her hips.

"Oh no. Busted again," she thought.

"Just what are you doing eating in the hallway before lunch period!?" cried Ms. Haruna. "Doing these kinds of things along with your attitude are the reasons why you're failing!"

And to prove her point, Ms. Haruna showed Usagi's test score which had a thirty percent on it. Anyone could plainly see that that was a terrible grade. Seeing the grade made Usagi's eyes wide with shock.

"Wah! A thirty percent?!"

"That's right!" said Ms. Haruna sternly. "You had better step it up if you want to be a good student! Otherwise you're gonna end up flunking!"

* * *

Later during the lunch period, Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru sat by the flower bed. Usagi sat on the wall with her head on her legs with her arms draping looking like her entire life was over.

"Oh Usagi I can't believe you did that," said Naru. "You shouldn't be eating lunch before the lunch period."

"Yeah. Not to mention that you should learn a little self control," added Harusuke.

"Naru, Harusuke you my best friend and my brother. You both know I don't have that kind of self control," complained Usagi. "Besides I'm a growing girl. I can't help it."

Naru sighed and Harusuke pinched the bridge of his nose. Sure enough, Umino came walking up to the trio the last person Usagi wanted to see.

"Hey Usagi. How'd you do on that test?" he asked.

"Ugh Umino please don't.." mumbled Usagi.

"Umino now's not a good time. Can't you see that she's upset?" scolded Naru. "Not that she's failed any worse than usual."

Usagi grew sadder still from Naru's words.

"Hey Naru. You're making things worse too!" said Harusuke.

"Ah! Sorry Usagi! I didn't mean it!" apologized Naru.

"Aw don't feel bad Usagi. It's just a test. If it makes you feel any better I slacked off a little on my test too," said Umino. "So I ended up getting a ninety five."

Umino then showed off his test score. When Usagi saw it, she felt even worse than before.

"Way to kick the dog while it's down Umino," said Harusuke flatly.

Naru then changed the subject to try and get Usagi's mind off of the test score.

"Hey! I almost forgot! Did you hear the latest? Sailor V appeared again the other night," she said.

Usagi hearing the mention of Sailor V brightened up a little. "Sailor V?" she asked with curiosity.

"Oh yeah. She caught a jewel thief this time around!" continued Naru.

"I think I heard about that on the news the other day," said Harusuke. "That's Sailor V for you."

"Yeah!" said Usagi. She then paused and then asked feeling confused. "Who's Sailor V?"

" _What?!_ " said Naru and Harusuke together feeling baffled. "Where have you been?! And don't act impressed if you don't know who we're talking about!"

"Allow me to explain Usagi," said Umino. "Sailor V is a costumed crime fighter in a sailor uniform who's been fighting all sorts of evil in this town! It's been the talk of the town!" He then paused making sure that no one was around and then spoke low so only Usagi could hear. "Word on the street is that she's a part of some kind of special police investigation unit."

"There's someone really like that out there?" wondered Usagi. "It sounds like something from a spy movie."

"That may be so, but I can totally understand though. Gems and jewels are so beautiful," agreed Naru. "I can understand why someone would want to steal some of it."

"I can totally agree!" said Usagi dreamily. "I would love to have a diamond ring."

"I'd love a pair of ruby earrings!"

"Ooh! Me too! A pair of sparkly ruby earrings too!"

As Usagi and Naru went on talking about jewelry, they completely forgot about talking about Sailor V. They even forgot about Harusuke and Umino.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered!" said Naru excitedly. "There's a sale going on at our jewelry store that's been going on since yesterday! You wanna come and check it out?"

Usagi's eyes shone with excitement. "Of course I do!"

"Great! There'll be rings and other stuff that even we will be able to buy! We'll go there after school. Sound good?"

"Really! I'm so there! I'll be there for sure! Harusuke! Will you go with me as my escort?"

Harusuke was about to protest, but then he reconsidered. This was a good way to get Usagi's mind off of the test. Even though she had to face the music sooner or later, it was better than seeing her sad.

"All right then," he said. "I'll go."

"Yay! I can't wait till after school!" said Usagi.

Then the three of them walked away leaving Umino completely alone.

"Oh brother..." he muttered. "I'll never understand girls at all. They're complete shopaholics."

* * *

In a location unknown by anyone or anything below the surface of the Artic, an evil castle stood. In the throne room, a certain evil queen sat on her throne circling her hands around a black crystal ball which was floating in front of her having been reawakened from her reincarnation along with her followers.

"Have you all made any progress in finding the Silver Crystal yet?" she asked her followers.

"No," they all replied in a ghostly voice.

"I see," said Beryl. "As you know, our great ruler Metalia needs a massive amount of energy. So until we find the Silver Crystal, we have to get by using the energy found within humans."

Then a voice was heard.

"Queen Beryl?"

Then a bright pale blue flame appearing in front of Queen Beryl. The flames eventually revealed took form and revealed a young man. He had short blonde hair with blue eyes, wore a grey uniform with red trims and wore maroon brown shoes.

"Please allow that honor for one of your most trusted generals of the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite," the man said. "I already have a plan in place. As we speak my monster Morga is preparing to gather energy for our ruler."

"Very well. I'll leave it up to you Jadeite," said Queen Beryl. "Now go."

"Yes my queen. I will not fail you," said Jadeite as he disappeared from the throne room.

* * *

Back in the real world in the Juuban shopping district, Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke had just arrived at Naru's mom's jewelry store. When they got there, they were surprised to see that the store was completely packed and crowded. Girls young and old looked all around at the various jewels trying them out and having a good time.

"Oh wow. They're sure are a lot of people here," said Usagi.

"Yeah. I'll say," said Harusuke. "Naru has your family's store always been this busy?"

"No. Nothing like this," said Naru. "I don't remember it being this crazy."

Then they saw a young woman who looked a little similar to Naru walking around speaking through a megaphone.

"Thank you all for coming to our store today!" she called. "Please feel free to try on anything and if you want it, buy it!"

"Wow. Mom's really thing into this," said Naru blinking.

"Maybe she's trying to sound business oriented or something," said Usagi shrugging.

"I guess so," said Harusuke as he looked around the women admiring the jewelry.

He walked towards a case and was just about to take a look at the jewels when a fat woman dressed in pink suddenly appeared right in front of him.

"Back off boy! This jewels are mine!" she barked.

"Whoa! Take it easy!" said Harusuke. "Sheesh. What's your deal?"

He walked away going back to Usagi and Naru.

"What was that all about?" he wondered. "That girl's got a few screws loose along with every other girl in here."

Then Naru, Usagi, and Harusuke walked up to Naru's Mom.

"Hey Mom," said Naru.

"Oh Naru how are you my dear?" said her mom sweetly. "I'm glad you're here."

"I brought a couple of friends from school," said Naru. "This is Usagi and her brother Harusuke."

"Hi Naru's Mom," said Usagi.

"Hello Ms. Osaka," said Harusuke.

"Oh. How nice of you two to come," said Naru's Mom. "I apologize if it's a bit crowded, but please feel free to take your time to look around. And because you two are Naru's friend, I'll give you two a big discount."

"You really mean it?! All right!" said Usagi excitedly.

"Now hold on," said Harusuke raising his hand. "I don't think you should be giving me a discount ma'am. I don't even have any interest in jewels."

"Now I wouldn't be to sure about that," said Naru's Mom. "I'm sure a boy like yourself deserves some jewelry. I even have some jewels for strong men like you."

"But-"

"Come on Harusuke!" interrupted Usagi. "Let's at least check out some jewels! You might even find one you'll like. Pretty please?"

Usagi gave Harusuke a begging face as if she was a puppy begging for a treat. Harusuke sighed. "Oh all right. I suppose it can't hurt."

"Splendid!" said Naru's Mom.

They all went to a case and Naru's Mom took out a beautiful diamond ring in a dark purple box.

"This ring is perfect for someone who loves diamonds," she said. "It normally costs five hundred thousand yen."

"Five hundred thousand?" breathed Usagi. "That's expensive."

"Yes, but I can give this to you for the low price of thirty thousand yen," said Naru's Mom.

Naru, Usagi, and Harusuke eyes went wide in surprise. "Five hundred thousand for thirty thousand?!"

The moment they screamed those words, everyone in the store stopped what they're doing and looking at the three. Then the woman who Harusuke had run into zipped right up to the counter bumping the three off their feet. Then every single girl who was in the store came up to the counter too trying to buy the diamond themselves. The three managed to get out of the crowd by the skin of their teeth grateful that they didn't get trampled on.

"Geez," said Harusuke brushing off his uniform. "Note to self: Never come between a woman and jewelry."

"I know right," said Naru gasping for breath. "This is crazy."

"But you gotta admit it, it's a good deal," said Usagi. "I really want it."

"Well... you can always ask your dad," suggested Naru.

"She can't exactly do that Naru," said Harusuke. "Remember her English test?"

"Oh yeah. Right."

"And I spent all my allowance too," said Usagi. "Unless a certain brother of mine is willing-"

"Don't even bother Usagi," interrupted Harusuke. "Even if I wanted to help pay for the ring, one there's no way I could get it with a savage crowd like that and I spent all of my allowance too."

Usagi's face drooped sadly.

"Oh well. There's always next time," said Naru.

"In any case, we better get going Naru," said Harusuke. "Me and Usai will see you tomorrow OK?"

"All right then," said Naru. "See you later. Good luck Usagi."

Then Harusuke and Usagi stepped out of the jewelry store.

* * *

Unknown to any of them at the time, something was going in the works courtesy of Jadeite. He and along with his monster Morga who had now taken the disguise of Naru's mother had taken over the store and had enchanted the jewels to drain the greed and energy of the all the girls there slowly. As the energy was being drained, it was sent to Jadeite in the form of a glowing ball of light. Jadeite smiled evilly.

"What foolish humans," he said as the ball of energy rested just above his hand. "Little do they know that the energy from their selfish greed is being collected for our great ruler. Queen Beryl will be pleased. Continue Morga. Keep collecting more energy."

"With pleasure Master Jadeite," the imposter said evilly as she continued to sell all of her jewels.

* * *

As they walked back home, Usagi was back to being in a depressed mood. Harusuke wanted to help.

"It'll be OK Usagi," he said. "Try to chin up."

"Oh Harusuke. If only I had studied a little more," she sighed. Then she suddenly crumpled up the paper into a ball. "I hate you stupid dumb test!" She then threw over her shoulder and stomped away.

"Hey! Don't do that!" cried Harusuke trying to chase after her.

Then they both heard a voice from behind them. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing things bun-head!"

Harusuke and Usagi turned to see a casually dressed man with black hair and sunglasses picking up the crumpled test that Usagi threw.

"Oh! I'm sorry-" Usagi began to say, but then the man had now smoothed out Usagi's test and looked at it making her yelp in shock. The man took one look at her test and even he was urked by what he saw.

"Thirty percent? Looks to me that you need to study a little more bun-head," he man said.

Harusuke couldn't help but snicker a little and Usagi blushed bright red from the insult.

"Well that's none of your business!" she snapped as she snatched back her test and marched away, but not before making a face by pulling her eye lid and sticking out her tongue at him.

Harusuke then went up to the man and bowed politely. "Sorry about my sister's rudeness sir," he said. "It won't happen again." After that he caught up with Usagi.

"Usagi that wasn't necessary you know," he said. "You didn't have to be rude."

"But he started it!" complained Usagi. "He's the one that called be bun-head! That stupid jerk with his purple pleated pants!"

"Well he wouldn't have had to if you hadn't thrown your test at him like that," said Harusuke flatly. "Honestly. You could be a little more mature."

"I don't need to with a weirdo like him," grumped Usagi.

As they resumed their walking, they happened to pass by the arcade called the Game Center Crown. Here was where Harusuke and Usagi went whenever they had free time on their hands. Usagi saw a poster that caught her eye. It was a poster with Sailor V. Her outfit comprised of a navy's sailor uniform. It had a red bow, a blue scarf and skirt, white gloves with yellow trims, and blue high heels.

"Hey Harusuke. Look at this. They already made a Sailor V game!"

"I guess they did," said Harusuke. "I mean after all Sailor V is a pretty popular superhero. It's only natural that she'd get her own video game."

Usagi then gazed dreamily at the poster. "If only I could be like Sailor V," she sighed. "It must nice being a superhero."

"Yeah I get you," agreed Harusuke. "It would be awesome to be superhero, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. If I know superheroes, they have it just as rough as you and I do if not more."

"Yeah I know, but still. At least when you're a superhero you don't have to worry about failing a test," said Usagi sadly as she looked at her test.

"I know," said Harusuke patting her shoulder.

Usagi then began to cry like a baby. "Harusuke! I don't wanna show this to my parents!" she sobbed.

Harusuke then patted her head trying to soothe her feelings. "It's OK Usagi. It's OK. Don't cry."

Usagi dried her tears still sniffling and she and Harusuke then resumed walking home.

Unknown to either of them, someone was watching from the shadows from behind a sign. A black cat with red eyes and a yellow crescent mark on her forehead stepped out from the sign and watched Usagi and Harusuke walk away.

"At last... I found you Usagi Tsukino and you as well Harusuke Tsukino," the cat said.

* * *

Soon enough, Harusuke and Usagi made it home.

"We're home!" they announced.

Their mother then came to the door wearing an apron and holding a spatula. She was Ikuko Tsukino. Usagi's and Harusuke's mother.

"Welcome back you two. You're both late today," she said.

"Sorry about that Mom," said Harusuke. "Me and Usagi hung out with Naru today."

"Oh by the way," said Ikuko. "I ran into Umino today. He was telling me that you both got your test scores back. He told me that he got a ninety five."

 _"What?!"_ Usagi yelped trying to keep her surprise hidden. "That's... awesome... good for him..."

"Well looks like her goose is cooked," said Harusuke under his breath.

"So how did you two do?" asked Ikuko.

Usagi gulped sweating a little while Harusuke showed his test to Ikuko.

"Here you go Mom," he said. "I managed to get a ninety, but I don't think it's not that special."

"Of course it is Harusuke," said Ikuko patting his head. "Good job." She then turned to Usagi. "And how did you do Usagi?"

"Um... uh...well... actually...you see..." stammered Usagi sounding like a broken record.

"May I see it?" asked Ikuko holding out her hand.

Usagi seeing that there was no way of avoiding the inevitable reluctantly handed her test to her Mom. Harusuke quickly took a step to the side out of the way bracing himself for the impending explosion.

"Here it comes... she's gonna blow..."

Ikuko took one look at it and then the sweet face she had once had was immediately replaced with anger.

"Uuuuussssaaaaaagiiiii!"

"Y-yes?" Usagi stepped back timidly.

"Stop bringing home grades like this!" Ikuko yelled. "Go outside and think about what you've done as punishment!"

And before Usagi had a chance to react, Ikuko had pushed out of the house slamming the door and locking it. Usagi fell flat on her bottom and bursting into tears flung herself at the door.

"Mom! Let me in!" she wailed.

"I don't want to hear it!" yelled Ikuko inside.

Then Shingo came home. When he saw Usagi at the door, he gave her a kick on the making her yelp in pain.

"What do you think you're doing stupid Usagi?" he mocked as he walked past her. "You're in the way. I wonder what huge dumb mistake you made that got you kick out for this time? Man what a useless sister. Sure which I had a better one. At least that's as good as Harusuke."

"How dare you talk to me that way!? I'm your sister!" Usagi snapped.

Shingo using a key unlocked the door. Before Usagi could even ask where he got the key, he made a face at her sticking out his tongue. This made Usagi even madder.

"That's it! Now you're gonna get! Sailor V kick!"

Usagi stood up and was aiming to kick Shingo, but he quickly slammed the door making Usagi kick the door instead.

"Yeeeeeooooooo!" wailed Usagi as she once again burst into tears. "Mom! Come on! Let m in!"

Back inside the house, Harusuke was now feeling more sorry than ever for Usagi.

"You know that wasn't very nice Shingo," he scolded.

"Oh come on Harusuke. She had it coming," said Shingo as he walked to his room. "That's what she gets for being such an dummy."

Harusuke glared at Shingo's back before walking away. Then he turned to his Mom Ikuko.

"And Mom... don't you think that this is a bit harsh?" he asked.

"Oh don't worry so much about it Harusuke," said Ikuko. "Besides everything I do is out of love and I'm just giving Usagi a dose of tough love so she doesn't fail the next time around."

"If you say so Mom," said Harusuke.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the jewelry store, it was still loaded with people. Everyone was still loving the sale, but then the mood soon changed. The enchanted jewels had finally taken their toll on the girls who had the jewels and now all the girls fell to the floor one by one weak from having their energy taken.

The only one who wasn't being affected because she didn't have one herself was Naru. All she could do was watch feeling confused as well as scared.

"What is this?" wondered Naru. "Everyone seems to be getting sick for some reason. Mom do you know what's happening?"

Naru's mother didn't reply. The only response she gave was a sinister laugh that wasn't hers. "Yes... this should be enough energy for now..." she said to herself.

"Mom... what are you talking about?" asked Naru nervously slightly trembling in fear. "You're not making sense...and you're freaking me out."

Once again she didn't reply. She then slowly turned towards her and Naru gasped in horror clasping her hands over her mouth. Her mother had a look on her face that she had never seen in her entire life. Pure unadulterated evil.

* * *

Meanwhile back in his room Harusuke had finished doing his homework and was now lounging around in his room laying on his bed. As he lied on there, he couldn't help but think about what had happened at the jewelry store.

"Man... I never thought I would almost get trampled on at a place like that," he thought. "Everyone sure was acting strange."

Then he thought about Usagi. He still felt sorry for her especially after the recent "punishment" their Mom gave her and the bad day she was having.

"I wonder how Usagi's doing?" he thought. "She must still be feeling quite miserable." He then sat up. "I'll go check on her to see how she's doing. If she's still feeling bad, I can at least cheer her up a little."

He got up from his bed and headed for Usagi's room. Little does he know what's in store for him and Usagi on this day.

* * *

After a while Ikuko had finally let Usagi back into the house and she had now plopped on her bed lying down.

"Thank goodness she finally let me back in," she said to herself. "I didn't think it was possible, but I'm exhausted after all that. Mom didn't have to get that upset especially if it was over grades."

She turned to her side letting out a small yawn. "I don't feel doing my homework now, so I'll just take a quick nap."

She closed her eyes and after a few minutes she was dozing off happily. Just then the window in her room opened and a mysterious figure entered the room walking on her bed. The window then slammed shut making Usagi open her eyes. She slowly sat up and there in front of her was a cat. She was black with ruby red eyes and a yellow crescent moon mark on her forehead.

"Yah! You're that cat with the bald spot!" she said almost screaming.

"Hey! This isn't a bald spot," the cat said. "Talk about rude."

Usagi stared at the feline. Then she jumped off the bed hiding trying to hide herself behind it staring at the cat with wide eyes.

"Y-y-you can talk?!" she stammered. "How is that possible?! Cats can't talk!"

Then there was a knock on the door and then Harusuke entered.

"Hey Usagi. I wanted to stop by and check on you after your..." He then trailed off upon seeing Usagi and the cat. "What the... Usagi where did that cat come from and how were you able to get it in the house without anyone noticing?"

"Harusuke! Listen! I know this sounds crazy, but that cat over there just talked to me!" said Uagi pointing at the cat.

Harusuke stared at cat and then at Usagi. Then he walked over to her and placed a hand on her forehead. Usagi then brushed his hand away.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" she demanded.

"Just making sure you don't have a fever from standing outside of the house for too long," said Harusuke.

"But I'm serious! That cat really did talk!"

"Suuuure it did," said Harusuke skeptically. He then went over to the cat and looked at her right in her eyes. "All right Mr. Kitty cat. Go on and say something."

"First of all I'm a woman," said the cat. "Secondly please don't call me that. You're being more ruder than she is right now."

Harusuke stared at the cat. Then he immediately jumped to his feet backing into the wall. "Holy crap! That freaking cat just spoke to me!"

"You see?! I told you so!" said Usagi.

The cat then cleared it's throat. "Usagi, Harusuke, my name is Luna and I've been looking for you two for quite a while now."

The two stared at the cat in silence not daring to interrupt her.

"However first things first, I really must thank you Usagi for saving me from those kids earlier today," continued the cat.

"Usagi saved you? When did this happen?" asked Harusuke.

"It happened this morning actually," said Luna. "I was being bulled by those kids. They even put a bandage on my head blocking my ability to talk and using my sensory powers. To be honest I thought I was a goner, but Usagi drove them off. Not to mention it was because of her I was able to find you two."

There a long pause then Usagi put her head down seeming like she was hiding from Luna. "Good night," she said.

"Hey! What are you doing? This isn't some kind of dream you know!" frowned Luna as she placed her paws on Usagi's head trying to shake her. "Come on Usagi! Stop playing around! Harusuke help me out here."

"Sorry Luna or whatever your name is," said Harusuke. "I think that Usagi's thinking that this is some kind of dream. I personally am feeling the exact same way she does."

"You both don't believe me huh? All right then," said Luna. "Then I'll prove to you both it's not a dream!"

Her crescent moon mark began to glow and then she jumped into the air performing a back-flip making a small trail of light go behind her. The trail she made swirled around and then in a flash of light two objects appeared. One was a small golden brooch and the other was a golden bracelet.

"Think of it as a gift from me just for the two you," said Luna.

Usagi looked up and opened one eye. Then when she saw the brooch her eyes sparkled in delight. "Oh wow! Just for me? Thank you so much!" she said.

Harusuke picked up the watch and inspected it. "Wow. What a strange looking watch." He then put on the watch around his wrist.

"Now listen you two," continued Luna. "I need you both to listen to me very carefully Strange things are happening here and..."

Then Luna stopped talking. Harusuke was giving her his upmost attention. Usagi however was looking at herself at the mirror putting on the brooch on the bow of her school uniform.

"Uh...Usagi...?" said Harusuke trying to get her attention.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?! said Luna.

Usagi wasn't. She continued to look at herself in the mirror seeing how good the brooch looked on her. Luna then went over the mirror and stood in front of it getting Usagi's attention finally.

"As I was saying, strange things are happening here in this town due to a powerful and dangerous enemy appearing and even the police can't do anything to stop it," explained Luna. "You two are the only things that can put a stop to this enemy."

She paused impressively.

"Harusuke. Usagi. You two have been chosen to be guardians undertake two missions. The first is to protect this world from the evil forces and the second is to find all the other guardians and the princess."

"Oh wow! That sounds so cool!" said Usagi. "Just like Sailor V!"

Luna looked Usagi deadpanning. "You still don't believe me at all do you?"

"Well... can you really blame her? I'm still having a hard time believing this myself," said Harusuke. "It sounds like something from an anime or something."

"Oh no! I believe her! I do! I do!" said Usagi shaking her head in denial.

"Terrific," deadpanned Luna not convinced. "All right then. You two repeat the words I'm about to say. Usagi you're first. Say _Moon Prism Power, Make up!"_

"OK!" said Usagi. "MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi  
_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Harusuk's jaw dropped to the floor and Usagi saw herself in the mirror. Both of them were deeply surprised as to what had just happened.

"Usagi... you... you transformed!" cried Harusuke.

"N-no way!" cried Usagi as she looked at herself close to freaking out. "What the heck is this?! What is going on!? Someone tell me what's going on here?!"

Luna ignoring Usagi's outburst then turned to Harusuke.

"All right Harusuke. Now you. Your words are a little different from Usagi's. You have to say Solar Guardian Power, Flare up!"

"Um...OK," said Harusuke doubtfully.

He raised his hand and was about to transform when he hesitated.

"Is something the matter?" asked Luna.

"Just one thing I gotta ask," said Harusuke. "I'm not gonna be transforming into or girl or anything like that will I?"

Luna nearly fell off the dresser in surprise. "No! Of course not! Where on earth did you get that idea?!" she cried.

"Well me and Usagi have seen a lot of shows and some of them have characters that have that kinda thing happen to them and..." began Harusuke.

"Just do it already!" snapped Luna.

"All right, all right, all right! Geez!" said Harusuke. "SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER, FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's watch begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.  
_

* * *

Now it was Usagi's turn to have her jaw drop.

"No... No way! Harusuke's transformed too?!" she cried.

"Whoa..." said Harusuke. "I really did transform! I don't know if I should be freaked out or impressed by this."

"This is crazy!" said Usagi. "Will someone tell me what is going on?! Why are we transformed like this?!"

Just then Usagi and Harusuke both heard a voice seeming to have come from miles away.

"Someone please help me!" it said. "Somebody please help me! Help! No! Mom! Please stop it!"

Usagi and Harusuke knew who that was immediately.

"Usagi did you hear that?" asked Harusuke.

"Yeah. It sounded like Naru!" said Usagi. "Just what the heck is going on?"

"Now do you two finally believe me?" Luna asked challenging the two.

"Well... I still don't know what's going on, but Naru seems to be in deep trouble," admitted Usagi.

"Yeah and it sounded like the big trouble variety," said Harusuke.

"She is," said Luna. "Usagi you have become Sailor Moon and Harusuke you have become Solaris The Guardian of the Sun. Now the two of you need to hurry and rescue your friend before it's too late!"

"Who? Us?" asked Usagi and Harusuke.

They looked at each other still puzzled as to what was going on, but then they both nodded to each other ready to save Naru.

* * *

Back at the jewelry store, Naru was in the clutches of her imposter of a mom. She had a firm hold of Naru's neck threatening to suffocate her to death. Naru tried to break free, but she couldn't

"St-stop it Mom," she choked out trying to reason with her. "I... can't breathe..."

The imposter chuckled evilly. "I'm not your mother you stupid naive little girl."

And to prove it, she revealed her true form as Morga. She skin darkened and began thin almost showing bone. A unknown shape of a scar appeared on her forehead and her eyes became yellow with black scleras. Naru upon seeing this unsightly transformation gasped in shock and horror.

"I locked your pathetic mother in the basement and when I'm done killing you, she'll be next on my list!" hissed Morga. "And then I'll send you both to the underworld!"

She tightened her grip harder and Naru lost consciousness. It seemed that she was going to die right then and there, but then...

"Stop right there you ugly beast!"

"And get away from Naru too!"

A pair of voices stopped Morga causing her to turn her head all the way around. She saw two figures standing in front of the sliding doors.

"And who the hell are you two?"

Usagi and Harusuke or rather Sailor Moon and Solaris hesitated not sure how to respond, but then Sailor Moon stepped forward.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the Moon I'll punish you!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior! I am Solaris! And by the power of the sun, with my rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Solaris and Sailor what?" growled Morga unimpressed as she turned her body around till it matched her head. "Are those catchphrases supposed to scare me? Arise those who have given your energy to our great ruler! Arise and attack those two foolish brats!"

The women who had fallen unconscious due to Morga's enchanted jewelry suddenly came to life. They stared at the two heroes and walked towards them like they were zombies ready to rip them to shreds. Sailor Moon stepped back in fear her confidence disappearing.

"Oh no... now what are supposed to do?" she whimpered.

"Sailor Moon! Get ready!" said Solaris stepping in front of her. "We have no choice but to fight!"

The fat lady in pink then lunged at them first. Solaris and Sailor Moon immediately got out of the way to avoid being tackled to the ground. More customers came after them and the two continued to dodge. A girl with a iron swung at it hard at Solaris, but he ducked out of the way just in time and knocked the iron away from the victim. Another girl came at Sailor Moon with a broken glass bottle. She managed to avoid it just in the nick of time, but she ended up hitting the wall resulting cutting her knee. The cut wasn't that serious, but when Sailor Moon saw it she began to panic.

"Oh no! I'm bleeding!" she cried. "This is really bad!"

"Sailor Moon what are you doing!?" Luna said suddenly appearing behind her. "You have to fight back and defeat that monster! Solaris can't do it on his own!"

"But... but I can't!" squeaked Sailor Moon trembling slightly in fear and her eyes welling up in tears. "I don't wanna fight! I'm too scared! I wanna go home!"

Morga cackled evilly seeing Sailor Moon cowering in fear. Thinking that this was the perfect time to strike, she gunned for Sailor Moon. Solaris seeing this rushed towards her.

"Sailor Moon! No you don't!" he yelled. "You're not laying a finger on her!"

Then suddenly a possessed girl grabbed a hold of Solaris' leg stopping him. Then two more grabbed a hold of his arms. Solaris tried to break free, but the girls held him in place preventing him.

"Damn it! Let go of me!" he yelled as he struggled.

Morga seeing as Solaris wasn't in the way stretched her arm extending her sharp nails aiming right for Sailor Moon. "Time to finish you off you sniveling brat!" she shrieked.

"Sailor Moon! Get out of there!" yelled Solaris.

Sailor Moon seeing this coming shut her eyes letting out a terrified scream, but suddenly something like an arrow shot out scratching Morga's arm stopping her. Sailor Moon opened her eyes and before her feet was a red rose sticking from the ground.

"Who did that?!" demanded Morga.

She along with Solaris and Sailor Moon looked up above and saw someone on the windowsill. It was a young man wearing a tuxedo with a black cape lined with red billowing in the wind. with a black top hat on his head and white masquerade glasses.

"I am known as Tuxedo Mask," the man said. He turned to Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon. Crying isn't going solve your problems. You must face them head on in order to defeat this evil creature!"

"Yeah... but... I can't help it..." whimpered Sailor Moon.

Right then and there she began to cry, but as she did the hair pieces in her hair began to glow and her crying became a supersonic wave. The waves were so loud and so strong that the entire area shook and all the women fell unconscious including the ones that were holding Solaris setting him free.

"Stop that hideous crying!" shrieked Morga covering her ears trying to block the sound.

"Solaris! Use your Solar Binding to hold that monster place now!" cried Luna.

"Um! Right!"

Solaris clenched his hand into a fist making it glow in a bright light. He brought it back and thrusted it forward. "SOLAR BINDING!"

A bright light shone out from his hand and split into two wrapping around Morga like a lasso. Morga struggled to try and break free, but the light held her in place.

"Sailor Moon! Now's your chance!" Luna yelled. "Take off your tiara and throw it while yelling 'Moon Tiara Action'!"

"But why do I have to do that?" sniffed Sailor Moon. "What's gonna happen?!"

"Just hurry up and do it!" yelled Luna. "Solaris can't hold Morga much longer so just do it!"

Sailor Moon quickly stopped crying and plucked up courage. She then did what Luna told her. She took off her tiara and it transformed into a glowing white disc of energy. She took careful aim and...

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She threw the disc with all her strength. The disc zipped through the air heading straight for Morga. Morga let out a scream of anguish and horror before the disc sliced right through her causing an explosion of moon dust. Morga then dissolved turning into nothing, but a pile of dust. Solaris and Sailor Moon stared at the pile of dist until it disappeared into thin air.

"Whoa... did... we do that?" whispered Sailor Moon.

"We did," said Solaris. "But... you landed the finishing blow. Well done Sailor Moon."

"Solaris is right. You both did well."

Solaris and Sailor Moon then turned to Tuxedo Mask who was still standing on the windowsill smiling proudly.

"This will be a night that I won't soon forget," he continued.

And with a whip of his cape, he was gone. Then Luna came up to the two heroes.

"He was right. Well done Solaris. And you too Sailor Moon," she said.

"Yeah. It was a little scary, but we did do great," said Solaris. "Didn't we Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Moon wasn't paying attention. She eyes had hearts in them as she stared out of the window were Tuxedo Mask was.

"He is so cute!" she said dreamily.

Solaris could only sigh and pinch his nose.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the dark realm, the energy that Jadeite had been collection had now disappeared with violent burst.

"What is this?!" he said with shock. "Morga's been defeated?! The fool..."

* * *

The very next day at school, the school was abuzz with gossip and rumors.

"You won't believe this, but I had an incredible dream last night!" said Naru. "Two superheroes named Sailor Moon and Solaris saved us from some hideous monster."

"Are you kidding? Me too!" said a girl.

"So did I!" said another girl.

"Oh wow! Talk about weird!" said Naru. "What do you think Usagi? Isn't that weird?"

Usagi didn't reply. She was face down on her desk taking a nap.

"Hey! Usagi are you even listening?!" asked Naru.

Usagi opened a sleepy eye. "Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep here. I"m very tired..."

"Hmph! Well then maybe your brother would be more interested in this," huffed Naru. "Hey Harusuke don't you think..."

Naru then trailed off for Harusuke was sleeping as well which surprised her.

"Harusuke!? You too? I'd expect this from Usagi, but..."

Harusuke yawned. "Sorry Naru, but me and Usagi are kinda tired so please keep it down for a bit?"

Both he and Usagi then let out yawns and then went back to sleep.

* * *

 _If you liked what you read, or if you have a tip you wanna give me, don't be afraid to leave a review!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	3. Chapter 2

It was late in the evening, in the middle of the Juban District, in a alleyway by the bakery, various young girls and some men stood in line gathering around a single man. He was elderly for his age and was also a skilled fortune teller. People came from all over just to see him. The line was so long that it extended past the bakery itself. A young man in particular was standing in line wearing large overcoat with a black hat and sunglasses. He was of course Jadeite, but nobody knew this yet. Just then two women came behind the man and saw the line.

"Oh no! Look how long the line is!" one said.

"Well that's to be expected!" said the other. "I mean after all the guy is the best! He's even been on TV a couple times too!"

"Yeah. I heard that he can tell you your fortune and he'll be dead on about it too," said the first.

Jadeite who happened to overhear them scoffed under his breath.

"Foolish humans," he thought as he stepped out of the line and walked away.

* * *

In the dark dimension where where the dark castle stood, Queen Beryl sat on her throne in front of her followers. She had just now received the news that her followers had not yet found what she was looking for.

"What? You all still have not yet found the Legendary Silver Crystal?"

"No..." her followers replied all speaking in one like a ghostly wail.

"Then you must hurry and search harder!" said Beryl. "The great ruler is in need of large amounts of energy and it doesn't like to be kept waiting. Is that understood?"

"Yes," said her followers as they all disappeared to resume the search.

Just then Jadeite appeared.

"Jadeite it's you."

"Yes my queen," said Jadeite as he bowed before her.

"I'm sure you must have heard that the Legendary Silver Crystal has not been found yet," said Beryl. "So I want you to focus on harvesting the energy from the humans instead."

"Yes my queen," said Jadeite. "And rest assured that I already have a plan in mind and have already taken care of that..."

"Good," said Beryl. "Now go. Gather as much energy as you can and don't fail."

"Yes my queen," said Jadeite.

* * *

In the real world at the Tsukino residence, Usagi was still in bed sleeping peacefully. Then her alarm clock which was in the shape of a cartoonish chicken began cheep signaling that it was time for her to wake up. However Usagi turned to her side and ignored it. Then Luna came up next to her by her bed.

"Time to wake up Usagi!" she said trying to wake her.

Usagi in a sleepy mumble turned to her side again pulling her blankets over her head wanting to stay asleep, but Luna would not have it.

"Oh no you don't," she said. "You're not gonna fall back asleep that easily."

She then jumped up and land on top of Usagi's sleeping body right on her chest. Now wide awake, Usagi uncovered her head from the blankets looking a bit red and having the wind knocked out of her.

"I...can't breathe..." she croaked.

"How do you expect to get anywhere in our mission like that?!" said Luna. "Now get up already."

"All right, all right," said Usagi as she sat up from the bed, grabbed her clock, and turned off the alarm. "I'm up already."

"Atta girl," said Luna happy that she was able to get Usagi up.

Then Usagi's eyes widened, her face slightly paled, and she let out a startled scream. For when she looked at the clock which had the time of 8:20. Which meant that she had once again woke up late.

"It's already at eight!" she cried. "Luna! Why didn't you or Harusuke wake me up earlier?! Now I'm late for school!"

"Well Harusuke and me tried, but you still wouldn't-" Luna began to say trying to explain, but Usagi had leaped off her bed and dashed out of the room slamming the door behind her. After a few moments of silence, Luna couldn't help but let out an aggravated sigh.

* * *

At the school, Harusuke sat in the classroom deep into his thoughts staring at the bracelet he now wore on his hand. He thoughts were everywhere, but they were mostly filled with what had happened the other night when he and Usagi had become Sailor Moon and Solaris to defeat Morga.

"I still can't get over it," he thought to himself. "One minute me and Usagi were just normal kids and then the next minute a talking cat named Luna comes along and turns us into superheroes. No matter how many times I think about it, it still sounds like some kind of dream. Only this dream is real. It also kinda makes me wonder. Will that be all for me and Usagi or will there be other battles we have to fight?"

He looked over at Usagi's and saw that it was once again empty.

"And speaking of Usagi, it looks like she's late again as usual," he thought as he let out a sigh.

Then Ms. Haruna came in and started taking roll. As she did a certain someone quietly entered the classroom and crawled on the floor towards her desk (below the eye level of Haruna) trying to be sneaky. However she could be seen by everyone in the class including Ms. Haruna. It wasn't long till Umino spoke up having to have just now spotted Usagi on the floor.

"Well hello and good morning to you Usagi!" he said cheerfully.

Usagi froze from surprise and Ms. Haruna took one look at Usagi and pointed towards the door.

"Usagi Tsukino! Once again you go straight into the hallway!" she said.

All Harusuke could do was sigh and pinch his nose. "Oh Usagi..."

* * *

Usagi was once again standing in the hallway again. However this time she had an unexpected someone standing with her. Umino to be exact.

"So... how come you're out here with me?" asked Usagi.

Umino blushed and her scratched the back of his head like he was embarrassed.

"Well... uh...you see... it's kinda difficult for me to explain," he said.

Usagi gave Umino a strange look and then she took a step away from him.

"He's such a weirdo," she mumbled to herself.

* * *

A little later Umino had called out Naru during lunch out by the tree near the courtyard. Naru ran as fast as could until she saw Umino leaning by a tree. She then went up to him.

"Hey Umino! I'm here!" she said. "What did you want to talk to me about that was so important?"

Umino said nothing. Then his cheeks turned bright red as he spoke. "I wanna go out on a date with Usagi!" he said. "Date her and also trade diaries with her, and also talk to her parents about our future together!"

Naru stared at Umino. Then she burst out laughing. "There is no way that's gonna happen!"

Umino let out a wail of despair as he sank to his knees as Naru continued to laugh wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think that it'll work between you two if you come and ask her straight out like that," said Naru as she collected herself.

"You're right!" said Umino as he straightened up. "Maybe I should go for the stealthy approach and then attack her from behind!"

"Please don't do that," said Naru giving Umino a strange look. "Now if you want my opinion, I say that you should go to a fortuneteller what you should do."

Umino looked at Naru and smiled. "If that's the case then I already have the answer!" he said. He dug into his pocket and then pulled out a strange pink device with a small screen. He pushed a button and a small picture of himself as Usagi appeared on the screen. "This "fortune telling game" I have was based on an idea I had," he explained. "According to this, Usagi and I are supposed to get married in the future and like happily ever after!"

"That's not what I meant!" snapped Naru her face bright red with annoyance. "I'm saying that you should go see a real fortuneteller!"

"Oh.. I see," said Umino putting his game back into his pocket.

"Actually now that I think about it, I think a house of fortune just opened up in the Juban District," said Naru. "I heard that they're really good and telling fortunes, so why don't you give them try?"

"Yeah! I think I will!" said Umino. "Thanks Naru!"

* * *

Later that day, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home after a rough day at school. For Usagi that is. So Harusuke decided that he'd take Usagi to see the fortuneteller that everyone had been talking about as a way of cheering her up before the two of them went home.

"Man... what a day," said Usagi. "I hate it when Ms. Haruna sent me out into the hallway like that."

"Well she wouldn't have had to if you hadn't gone and try to sneak into the classroom," pointed out Harusuke.

Usagi pouted. "Come on Harusuke! You don't need to rub it in. And here I was thinking that you were being a good brother by taking me to this fortuneteller."

Harusuke chuckled. "Come on Usagi. Don't be like that. Besides look on the bright side, maybe you'll get some good luck when you have your fortune read."

"Yeah! You're right!" said Usagi smiling. "Maybe I will! Let's hurry up and get there already! I hope the line won't be too long!"

They then passed the alley and expecting to find it with an abnormally long line, but there was no one to be seen.

"That's odd," said Harusuke. "I'm pretty sure it was somewhere around here."

Then Usagi looked down at the alley and there sat an old man with a table reading a book.

"Hey Harusuke look," said Usagi pointing to the old man. "Is that him?"

Harusuke looked. "I don't know," he said. "But it couldn't hurt to ask him. Let's find out."

The two then walked up to the man who greeted them warmly with a kind a friendly smile.

"Excuse me sir," said Usagi. "Is this the place where people have their fortune read?"

"That's correct," said the man.

"Really? That's odd," said Harsuke. "Isn't there supposed to be a long line of people? We've heard this place was really popular."

The old man chuckled. "Yes. You're right. However I have competition now."

He then pointed behind Harusuke and Usagi causing the two of them to turn around. A few feet away from them in another building was a large gaudy sign with flashing colors that said "House of Fortune."

"What the heck...? That's downright flashy," said Harusuke.

"What on earth is that place?" asked Usagi.

"Well as the name suggests, it's newest place for reading your fortunes; The House of Fortune," said the old man.

Usagi and Harusuke looked back at the old man.

"What? You mean to tell us that that place does fortune telling too?" asked Usagi.

"Yes," said the old man now looking a bit sad. "Everyone is over there because... well it's new."

Feeling a little sorry for the man and wanting to cheer him up, Harusuke and Usagi held out their palms causing the man to look up at them.

"Well not us," said Harusuke. "If you don't mind..."

"We would like you to read our fortunes please," finished Usagi.

The old man smiled. "Why of course," said the old man. "And thank you."

The old man then took a magnifying glass and looked very carefully at Usagi's palm first. After a few seconds he spoke.

"I can tell there's a boy that likes you," he said. "And it's someone that you see all the time."

"Really?!" squealed Usagi feeling excited. "That's great!"

The old man then looked at Harusuke's palm. He thoughtfully hummed as he looked at his palm carefully. Then he spoke again.

"As for you young man, you will have a fateful encounter with a girl," he said.

"Really?" asked Harusuke.

"Yes," continued the old man. "She will be a total stranger to you at first, but as time passes you both will grow close and will become lovers."

"Oh wow! That's great Harusuke!" said Usagi. "I wonder who the lucky girl is?"

* * *

While Harusuke and Usagi were having their fortune read, Umino just so happened to pass by them and walk into the House of Fortune taking Naru's advice. He hoping to get his fortune read about his future with Usagi. When he got inside, he looked around and was amazed. The place had mysterious paintings and had dim lighting giving the place an otherworldly vibe. He soon came to a table where a young woman sat before him.

"Hello there young one," she said. "Have you come to have your fortune read?"

"Y-yes ma'am," said Umino as he sat down on the table in front of her. "I wanna know about a certain girl. I wanna ask if she wants to go out with me... but I don't think I have the guts."

"Do not worry," said the woman. "Your question will soon have an answer as I look into your future."

She shuffled a deck of tarot cards and then placed twelve of them face down in a circle around the table. She then placed one more card right in the center of the table in the middle of the circle. She then blew gently on the cards causing them to stand up right for a few seconds and then they flipped over revealing their other sides.

"Now... look deep into my eyes," she said in an ominous tone.

Umino did as he was told and he couldn't help but be hypnotized by the woman's eyes as they stared right into his. The card in the middle then began to glow in an eerie light and start to float into the air.

"You are now a charming servant of the devil," the woman said to Umino. "Whatever little thing you want to do pops into your head, you will do it without any fear in your heart.

"I understand completely," said Umino in a dull and strange monotone. "I can do whatever I want to."

The card then floated around like it was alive and then slipped itself inside of Umino's uniform. The woman chuckled having to have succeeded in obtaining another puppet for her to control.

"Very soon I will begin collecting the energy for you master Jadeite," she said. "He is sure to be most pleased."

She then smiled sinisterly as she chuckled even more in the darkness.

* * *

After they had their fortunes read, Usagi and Harusuke were walking on their way home both of them thinking about what the old man had told them.

"Oh wow! Can you believe it Harusuke?! Both of us are gonna have lovers in our futures!" said Usagi excitedly.

"Well... nothing's for certain yet," said Harusuke. "But I feel you. It is pretty exciting isn't it?"

"A boy I see all the time likes me? I wonder if it could be him?" said Usagi giggling a little.

"Umino?" asked Harusuke trying to take a guess. "I mean after all you do see him everyday."

Usagi grin quickly changed into a disgusted frown. "Of course not! I'm thinking about Motoki Harusuke!"

"You mean the guy who runs the Game Center?"

"Yes him! In fact, I'm gonna go see him right now! ooh! I wonder if he'll be happy to see me?"

"Now hold on Usagi," said Harusuke. "We're supposed to go straight home after we got our fortunes read."

"Oh come on Harusuke. It won't be that long," said Usagi. "Now come on! Time's a wasting!"

And Usagi dashed away leaving Harusuke trailing behind her. Soon they reached the Game Center, but was open however Motoki was now where to be seen.

"Aww... he's not here," said Usagi disappointed.

"That's alright," said Harusuke. "We can just come back tomorrow and-"

"Hey, Usagi! Harsuke!"

Harusuke looked up and Usagi blushed and almost jumped in surprise. There standing before them was the very person Usagi wanted to see.

"Hey there you two," said Motoki. "I was just about to start work. Talk about perfect timing."

"Hi Motoki," said Usagi and Harusuke.

"Hey I thought you guys should know, the newest Sailor V game just came in," said Motoki. "How would you two like to be the first ones to play it?"

"Yeah!" said Usagi as she followed Motoki inside. Harusuke sighed as he followed them in pursuit.

Usagi was soon playing the new Sailor V game with Harusuke and Motoki watching her. She hands busily went back and forth as she controlled Sailor V in the game. She was doing fine at first, but then the game got more and more difficult and she soon lost after life after life until she was on her last one. It seemed that she was going to beat the monsters, but then one of them got the upper hand and it was Game Over.

"Shoot!" said Usagi and she lightly pounded her fists.

"Pretty difficult isn't it?" asked Motoki.

"It sure is," replied Usagi.

"Here. Let me show you a few tricks," said Harusuke as he pulled up a seat next to Usagi. He then inserted a coin to get the game started.

"You don't have to do that Motoki," said Harusuke. "I could have give you a coin to use."

"It's all right. It's on me," said Motoki. "Now watch very closely OK Usagi?"

"Um... OK," said Usagi.

As Motoki went on to explain how to beat the game, Usagi felt her face redden and her heart began to beat like a drum.

"Oh wow... my heart is beating like crazy, but I feel like I'm in heaven," Usagi thought.

Harusuke who was watching this play out could see how Usagi looked when she was sitting with Motoki.

"Well what do you know. Guess she's got a crush on him after all," he thought. "Well I guess that shouldn't surprise me. She was acting the same way when she saw Tuxedo Mask the other day. Must be some kind of phase or something."

Just then, Harusuke happened to look away from the Motoki and Usagi to find that an unexpected visitor had appeared next to him sitting on the game console. A certain black cat to be exact. When Harusuke saw her, he couldn't help but let out a startled yelp causing Usagi and Motoki to stop focusing on the game. Usagi couldn't help but frown at Luna for ruining the mood they both had.

"Luna? What are you doing here?"

"Luna? Is that the name of your cat Usagi?" asked Motoki. "Hm. Now that I think about it, she's been around here quite a lot lately. Is she some kind of stray?"

Luna glared at Motoki insulted for being called a stray. Then he leaped out and then grabbed a hold of Usagi's sleeve by her teeth.

"Hey! Luna what are you doing?! Get off of me!" she cried as she tried to shake her off of her arm, but she refused to let go.

"I think she's trying to tell us that we should get home," said Harusuke. "It is getting a little late."

"All right, all right, we're coming," said Usagi. "We'll head home already."

At the sound of her words, Luna finally let go and Usagi picked up her schoolbag.

"Well then, we'll see you later Motoki," said Harusuke. "We're gonna head home now."

"You sure you want to?" asked Motoki. "Usagi hasn't finished her game."

"Don't worry. I'll come back later," said Usagi. "See ya!"

"I'll be waiting," said Motoki. "You know... you always seem to brighten up my day every time I see you Usagi."

Usagi couldn't help but let out a happy squeal under her breath. She turned around and gave Motoki a happy smile and then she along with Harsuke and Luna left the arcade. Usagi then looked down at Luna glaring.

"Nice going Luna! We had a perfectly good mood going on in there you know!" she said.

"Weren't you two were supposed to have gone straight home after school?" asked Luna.

"That's what I've been trying to tell her," said Harusuke.

"Well... yeah... technically I was supposed to," said Usagi hesitantly.

"As long as you understand you two," said Luna. "After all you two have a mission of the upmost importance to fulfill."

"Yes Luna we know," said Harusuke. "Right Usagi?"

Harusuke then noticed that Usagi wasn't there. He then saw her running in the other direction of where they came from.

"Hey! Usagi! Come back!" he cried

"Where are you going!?" called Luna.

"I'm going back to that fortuneteller again, so I can ask him about my future with Motoki!" Usagi called back.

She soon came back to the alley way where the fortuneteller was, but when Usagi looked in the alley she saw that it was completely empty. The fortuneteller was nowhere to be seen. Harusuke and Luna soon caught up with her.

"Oh no. I'm too late," said Usagi.

"It looks like he's gone home for the day," said Harusuke.

Then Usagi turned around and saw the House of Fortune. An idea flew into her brain.

"Hey Harusuke! Let's go there," she said pointing to it.

"Now wait just a minute Usagi," said Harusuke. "We should heading home instead! Besides, you can just wait for that guy who did our fortune's tomorrow."

"But Harusuke! I wanna know right away," said Usagi. Then she had another idea. She then started to take off her shoe, but left her foot inside it.

"Usagi what are you up to?" asked Luna.

"I'm going to decide my own fortune to decide where to go," said Usagi. "Since we don't have coins, I'm gonna use my shoe. Heads, I go to the old man from before. Tails, I go to the House of Fortune."

"Usagi! Wait a minute! Don't-"

Harusuke tried to stop her, but it was too late. Usagi kicked her leg up sending her show flying high into the air. It flew in a beautiful arc until gravity brought the shoe down landing perfectly on top of a young boy's head. The same young boy who Usagi and Harusuke had encountered before.

"OW!" he yelled as he took the shoe off of his head. He turned around and walked up to them looking very cross. Particularly at Usagi. "Watch where you're throwing things bun-head!" he said.

"Is that all you can say?!" snapped Usagi.

"OK then. How about this then: why don't you try acting like more like a lady for a change?" said the young boy.

"Now, now. Take it easy two," said Harusuke coming in between them trying to calm them down.

The two gazed grimly at each other before Usagi snatched her shoe back and the young boy walked away. Usagi grumpily put her show back on her foot and stomped away heading towards home, but not before blowing a razzberry at his back.

"That lousy stupid jerk!" she grumbled. "Now he's got me in a rotten mood! Who's does that jerk think he is?!"

All Luna and Harusuke could do was shrug their shoulders as they followed Usagi home. At least she was now walking home like they wanted. Pretty soon they were just about getting close to home. Just then a familiar voice called out them.

"Hey Usagi, Harusuke!"

Usagi and Harusuke turned around and there was their father Kenji Tsukino carrying a couple bags of groceries.

"Oh hey Dad," said Harusuke. "What brings you around here? Doing some shopping?"

"Yeah. I managed to get off work early for a change and I decided to get a couple things for your mother," said Kenji.

"Well that's really sweet of you Dad," said Usagi.

"Of course," smiled Kenji. "I mean after all your mom works very hard to take care of all of us. It's the very least I can do. By the way, what are the two of you doing out so late? Come on, let's get home. We don't want your mother getting worried."

"Sure thing Dad."

Then the three of them walked home together with Luna walking close to them. It was then that Kenji had noticed Luna.

"Hey you two, what's with the cat?" he asked. "It looks to me that it's trying to follow us home."

"Oh don't worry about that Dad," said Harusuke. "That cat's a really good friend of ours."

"Yeah. A really good friend," added Usagi.

"Well OK then," said Kenji. "I guess that's OK. Although I do find it slightly strange."

Luna let out a small humph having been insulted a second time as the four of them walked home.

* * *

The very next day, Usagi and Harusuke all arrived at school the same as usual. Only this time Usagi actually managed to get herself up for once and walked with Harusuke to school. The two were at their lockers switching their shoes with their walking ones in the building. Just then Naru came up to them.

"Hey there you guys," she said.

"Good morning Naru. What's up?" asked Harusuke.

"There's actually something that I wanted to ask you two," said Naru.

"What is it?" asked Usagi.

"Has Umino said anything to you lately?" asked Naru. "Particularly you Usagi?"

"Not really," said Usagi shaking your head. "Why? What do you mean? About what?"

Naru grinned. "That he likes you. But not the like as a friend, I mean the 'likes' likes you."

"What?!" cried Usagi her hair jumping a little in surprise.

"Well now," said Harusuke a smile working it's way to his lips. "This is a surprise. Guess that fortune teller we ran into the other day was spot on after all."

"Harusuke! Don't joke about that!" said Usagi. "Naru are you sure? It has to be someone else."

"Of course I'm sure," said Naru. "Umino really likes you, but the guy's so shy he couldn't bring himself to tell you and-"

"Hey there Usagi. How about we go on a date together?"

Suddenly a voice came from beside them causing the three to turn their attention towards it. There stood Umino however he was completely different than usual. His usual school outfit was replaced with a light blue suit with pink undershirt and a green tie. He also for some reason looked more confident than usual. Needless to say Naru, Usagi, and Harusuke were surprised to see him.

"What in the world... Is that you Umino?" murmured Harusuke taken aback a little.

"What's happened to you?" asked Usagi.

"Umino, you can't come to school out of uniform like that," said Naru. "Ms. Haruna is gonna get upset."

"Who cares?" scoffed Umino as he walked up to Usagi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Usagi, let's get going and have some fun."

"What? Going where exactly?" asked Usagi nervously.

"Wow. Someone's got a little overconfident all of a sudden," said Naru.

"Overconfident or pushy?" muttered Harusuke.

Then Ms. Haruna arrived and just as Naru said, when she saw Umino's suit she was upset.

"Umino! What in the world is with that outfit are you wearing?!" she said in shock and anger.

Umino smirked as he took out a biscuit of sorts and put it into his mouth eating it. Then he walked past Ms. Haruna ignoring her which made her even more mad.

"Are you listening to me?! Is this some kind of joke?!"

Umino stopped and then did the unthinkable of someone of his nature. He reached over towards her skirt and flipped it upwards exposing her underwear in front of Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke.

"That was a joke," said Umino as he sauntered away laughing rudely.

Ms. Haruna stood there stunned as to what had just happened as did Harusuke, Usagi, and Naru. Then Ms. Haruna burst into tears wailing like a child. "I'll never live this down! There's no way that someone will marry me now!" she sobbed.

In the middle of class things were no better. Umino was laughing rudely and loudly as he was reading a manga not paying attention to Ms. Haruna at all. Ms. Haruna tried her best to ignore Umino, but considering that he exposed her underwear before she quickly reached a breaking point. She was so cross that the stick of chalk she held her hand broke in two and her face went red with anger.

"Umino that's quite enough!"

She then walked towards his desk hoping to teach him a lesson or two when suddenly she fell over. The reason being was that another student named Yuji had stuck out his leg causing Ms. Haruna to trip. Ms. Haruna glared at him.

"Just what do you think you're doing Yuji?!" she said.

"I think you need to learn to speak more quietly in class teacher," said Yuji with a snarky smirk.

"What did you say?!"

A little later Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke met up to discuss Umino's and apparently Yuji's recent behavior at the corner of the courtyard. Naru then explained to them that they haven't been acting like this ever since that they came from the House of Fortune.

"And you're sure that's where Umino went after you talked to him?" asked Harusuke.

"Yeah. I told him all about it," said Naru. "And I think that Yuji went over there as well."

"Well one thing's for sure," said Usagi. "Umino's definitely taken a turn for the crazy. I think I liked him better as a weirdo. Not to mention Yuji. All this stuff that they're doing is bound to get them suspended. Or worse."

"Well let's just hope that things don't get that far," said Harusuke.

But Harusuke's hopes would end up being in vain. Right then, a sound of broken glass being smashed causing the three to turn their heads towards the direction of the sound. Sure enough there was Umino with four other boys each one holding rocks in their hands standing in front of a window to a teacher's with fresh hole that was in it.

"Guess I spoke too soon," said Harusuke.

"Hey! Just what do you think you kids are doing?!" he exclaimed as he opened the broken window. "You kids are in a lot of trouble!"

Umino then picked up another rock and then threw at the teacher who hastily shut the window making the stone break another hole in it.

"Screw you! You think an incompetent teacher like you can act so big and boss us around? Guess again!" said Umino. "You're not as smart as you think old man!"

"Yeah! Let's teach em a lesson!" said another boy.

Then five of them then all started throwing stones at the windows causing glass to sprinkle everywhere and all the while the boys laughed not having the slightest care in the world.

However what everyone else didn't know was that the reason for their sudden behavior was due to the woman from the House of Fortune. In truth, she was another one of Jadeite's solders like Morga. She had placed enchanted cards inside of them causing them to be put under her and all the while draining their energy. She was in fact standing out of the school at this time draining their energy and sending it to Jadeite.

"Yes... yes..." she said smiling. "Keep on wreaking havoc! Keep causing trouble!"

Meanwhile in the dark dimension Jadeite had just received the energy that his monster had drained from Umino and the others and he was pleased.

"Ah. The rebellious energy of youth," he thought. "What a way to get the most powerful energy from out great ruler. Keep going Balm. Keep draining them dry as they cause more trouble!"

Harusuke, Naru, and Usagi couldn't stand by and watch this anymore. This was going to far even for them. They immediately ran up Umino and his gang.

"Umino! Stop it!" cried Usagi.

"Just what do you think you're doing!?" demanded Naru.

"This has gone way too far!" said Harusuke. "You could really hurt someone like that!"

Umino paid no attention to Harusuke and Naru. He did however look at Usagi. "Hey there Usagi," he said giving her a twisted smile that was not like him in a tone that was trying to be sauve.

Usagi immediately cringed. "Stop saying my name like that!"

She tried to take a step back, but Umino suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"How about a kiss?" asked Umino as he grew close to Usagi's face making her just inches away from him. Usagi's eyes went wide with shock as did Naru and Harusuke's. Umino grew close and was about to kiss her, but then Harusuke came between them and pushed Umino away.

"Back off Umino!" he snapped sounding very angry. "Now you've really gone too far! Even for yourself! I'm not gonna let some guy like you kiss my sister like that!"

"What's your problem Harusuke?!" Umino snapped glaring at the boy. "You think you're hot stuff just because you're her brother? Well personally I'm getting sick and tired of you always thinking you're better than me. I think it's time that someone put you in your place!"

Umino and the boys then surround Harusuke ready to gang up on him. It seemed that a fight was about to break out, but then suddenly Usagi not wanting to take it anymore suddenly burst into tears letting out a loud wail.

"I can't stand you like this Umino!" she wailed. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

She sobs were so loud that everyone around her covered their ears. Even Harusuke and Naru had to cover theirs.

"C-come on you guys," said Umino clearly put off from Usagi's crying. "Let's get out of here."

And with that Umino and his gang walked away. Leaving a crying Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru by themselves.

"Usagi! It's OK!" called Naru putting a hand on her shoulder. "They're gone now."

Usagi immediately stopped crying and then went back to normal letting out a sigh of relief. "Phew. I feel better now."

Naru let out a sigh of annoyance while Harusuke stared dumbly at his sister in surprise.

* * *

Later after school, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home thinking about the events that transpired with Umino and the others.

"Usagi. Not that I'm complaining or nothing, but did you cry like that just to save me?" asked Harusuke.

"Well..." said Usagi thoughtfully. "I don't know. I just cried. Although I didn't want you to get into a fight especially with those odds."

"I know," said Harusuke. "You're right about that, but I will say that Umino overstepped a boundary back there. I mean he did try to kiss you."

"I know. Not to mention that he and his little gang were throwing rocks at the teacher and other stuff," said Usagi. "I wonder what's causing him to act that way."

"Perhaps maybe I can explain," said a voice.

Usagi and Harusuke looked up to find Luna sitting on a wall looking down at them.

"Oh Luna. I take it you know what's going on?" asked Harusuke.

"Indeed," said Luna. "I happened by the school and saw those boys. I sensed a really dark energy coming from them."

"Dark energy?"

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other. They immediately knew what Luna was getting at when she said those words.

"So... that means..." began Usagi.

"Yes. I'm afraid that some bad guys are stirring up trouble again," said Luna.

"You mean like with what happened at Naru's store?" asked Harusuke.

"If that's true then that means Umino and the others are being controlled or something?" asked Usagi.

"Exactly," said Luna.

Usagi then suddenly remembered what Naru had told her and Harusuke back at school. "If that's the case then the House of Fortune had something to do with it."

"How do you figure?" asked Luna.

"We just talked to Naru today," explained Usagi. "She told us how Umino's been acting weird every since he came from that place."

"And it's not just him. I bet some of the other boys went into there too," added Harusuke.

"Good work you two. I'm impressed," said Luna.

"Thanks! You can reward me with more magic items like the brooch you gave me?" said Usagi as she held out her hand expecting a reward of sorts.

"Nice try," Luna sweatdropped as she ran off down the block. "Now come on! Let's go!"

"Right!"

Soon enough, they were back in the Juban district again hiding in an alley beside the House of Fortune.

"All right you two. It's time to transform again," said Luna.

"Um... do we have to? I mean are we gonna have to fight again?" asked Usagi nervously.

"Of course you do!" said Luna sharply. "If you don't who knows what the enemy plans to do with your friends."

"I agree," said Harusuke. "I know this will be our second time doing this Usagi and I'm a little nervous too, but we gotta do this. We're the only ones who can save Umino and the others. Don't worry. I'll be right there with you."

Usagi was still a little nervous, but she felt a little more confident thanks to Harusuke's words. She raised up her hand and was about to transform, but then she paused. Then she knocked her head smiling sheepishly.

"Um... I kinda forgot what I'm supposed to say. What were the words again?"

Luna sighed. "It's Moon Prism Power Make Up."

"Right," said Usagi. "I'm ready now."

"Then let's do it," said Harusuke holding up his hand with his bracelet.

Then they both said their respective words to transform.

"MOON PRISM POWER! MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER! FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Inside of the House of Fortune, all of the controlled boys including Umino were gathered inside with Balm.

"You all have done well my loyal servants," she said. "Now go out and tear up the rest of this town! Do it for our great ruler!"

"Sounds like fun!"

"Let's do it!"

The boys smiled evilly and were about to leave to do what the woman told them, but then...

"You know what's worse than forcing people to be rude and damaging things that aren't theirs?" asked a feminine voice. "Forcing those people to think of nothing for other people's feelings, that's what."

"Especially if you're forcing the person to do something that he or she might regret or not want to do!" said a male voice.

Balm as well as the boys snapped their heads towards the direction of the voices which were coming from the doors.

"Who's there?!" demanded Balm.

The doors immediately burst open revealing the very two in question.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice!"

"I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm Solaris!"

"And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I"ll scorch you!"

Balm was surprised and confused from their speeches, but then she fired an array of what appeared to be tarot cards at them. Sailor Moon and Harusuke dodged them just in time.

"Hey! You could have hit my face with those things!" snapped Sailor Moon.

"That's because she was trying to hit you in the face!" said Luna who was behind the door watching the fight. "Get it together Sailor Moon!"

"Yeah. The enemy isn't gonna give you a warning when they attack," said Solaris flatly.

Balm then revealed her true monster form. She became a sickly green color, her eyes turned yellow, and her hair turned black and alive.

"Go get them!" she commanded to her mind slaven army.

At her command, the boys surrounded her turned green and had glowing yellow eyes like she did.

"Oh no! Not again!" cried Sailor Moon as they advanced towards her and Solaris.

"I can take them on!" said Solaris as he stood bravely in front of her ready to fend off the boys.

"No Solaris don't!" said Sailor Moon. "They may be puppets, but they're still innocent! You can't hurt them!"

"But we just can't sit here and do nothing either," said Solaris. "If we don't do something soon, they'll be right on top of us!"

The boys crowded closer and closer to Sailor Moon and Solaris. Then just as Solaris was about to try and attack to fend them off without hurting them, a red rose shot out and hit Balm right on her face blinding her. Balm shrieked in agony and at the same time the boys suddenly were frozen dead in their tracks.

"Damn it!" she growled as she rubbed her eyes. "Who else dares get in my way?!"

"That would be me."

Sure enough, there standing by the door was the man in the tuxedo from the other night. Sailor Moon and Solaris recognized him immediately. Sailor Moon especially.

"It's Tuxedo Mask!" she said with hearts in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" asked Solaris.

"Just helping out," he replied. "Remember to not give up no matter how hard or difficult it is."

"Okay!" said Sailor Moon adoringly.

Tuxedo Mask smiled. "See you around," he said as he disappeared from behind the door. "Until we meet again."

"Goodbye and thank you Tuxedo Mask!" said Sailor Moon still having a lovestruck look in her eyes.

Then Balm seeing Sailor Moon distracted went on the attack her hair growing large and turning into tendril like hands.

"Sailor Moon! Incoming!" yelled Solaris.

Sailor Moon hearing the warning was able to jump out of the way just in time as Balm's tendrils clawed the floor in front of her.

"Oh man! That was close!" she said with relief.

"Sailor Moon! Use your tiara!" cried Luna.

Balm attacked again using her hair tendrils. Sailor Moon then leaped out of the way just in time to dodge again as the tendrils pierced the wall behind her, but ended up on the floor due to loss of balance. Balm turned towards her and closed in for the kill, but then Solaris jumped in between.

"Not so fast you foul creature!" he yelled. "SOLAR BINDING!"

A beam of light burst out from his hand and wrapped around Balm closing around her and trapping her.

"Now Sailor Moon! Finish the job!" said Solaris.

"Right! Thank you Solaris!" replied Sailor Moon as she took off her tiara as it transformed into a white glowing disk once again. She took aim and flung it right at Balm. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The disc flew straight at Balm and pierced right through her center. Balm howled in pain as the attack slowly turned her body into a pile of ashes. Soon enough Balm was destroyed and the pile of ashes disappeared. The cards that she used to control the boys also disappeared along with her returning them to normal.

"All right! We did it!" cheered Sailor Moon.

"Yeah! We did didn't we?" said Solaris. "We showed that monster a thing or two!"

Then seeing that Umino and the others back to themselves regaining conscious, the two heroes along with Luna left the room as soon as they could disappearing into the night.

* * *

The next day, Naru explained everything that Umino did the other day and needless to say he was mortified.

"WHAT?! I lifted up Ms. Haruna's skirt?! Seriously?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yup. And not only that, but you demanded a kiss from Usagi, almost picked a fight with Harusuke, and broke a window in one of the teacher's offices."

Umino's face went pale from the shock and depression as he turned around and walked away.

"Hey Umino wait. Where are you going?" asked Naru.

"Home," replied Umino miserably. "All that's left for me there at school is possibly expulsion and misery."

"Good morning Umino."

"Feeling a little better today?"

Umino then looked up to find that Harusuke and Usagi had appeared before him causing him to jump in surprise letting out a shriek. He then immediately bowed before them in remorse.

"Usagi! Harusuke! I am so sorry!" he said. "Please forgive me!"

"It's OK," said Usagi. "No need to apologize."

"Yeah. Don't worry about it," said Harusuke. "As long as you're sorry about it, there's no reason why you shouldn't worry."

"Yeah. You're right. I shouldn't be all worried about it," said Umino feeling a little better. "After all, Usagi always picks herself back up when she fails on a test right? I should more like her."

And with that, Umino walked off towards the school feeling much better while Usagi felt a little insulted.

"That jerk! Does he have any idea what I go through when that happens!?" she grumped.

Harusuke chuckled. "Well at least he's cheered up a bit," he said as he walked ahead of her. "Now come on. We're gonna be late for class."

"Oh right! Coming!" said Usagi as she went after Harusuke as they prepared to go into another day at school in their lives as undercover superheroes.

* * *

 _If you liked what you read and feel free to leave a fav, a PM, or a review!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	4. Chapter 3

In the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite found himself once again kneeling before Queen Beryl giving her an update of his next mission.

"Jadeite. How are we getting along with the collection of human energy for our great ruler?" she asked.

"Everything is going just as planned Queen Beryl," said Jadeite. "But if you could give me just a little bit more time, our success will surely be assured."

"I see. And are you positive your plan will work this time?" asked Queen Beryl raising a brow.

"Yes. We have had some... inference in the past," said Jadeite. "But this time I will be working with Flau and I feel confident that the result will not disappoint you."

Queen Beryl paused thinking it over, but then she decided. "Very well Jadeite. But keep in mind that this solely rests on your shoulders. Move forward and do not fail me this time."

"Yes my queen," acknowledged Jadeite as he gave Queen Beryl a bow before disappearing to try and accomplish his next mission.

* * *

It was the middle of the night in the town of Juuban. Most of it's residents were fast asleep except for a couple who were wide awake. Usagi sat on the floor hugging a pillow in her arms listening to the radio on top of her desk.

" 'All my old diaries are full of thoughts of you... and now I fill my diaries with memories of the past. I want to see you again even if it's just one more time... So I can tell you how I really feel deep inside my heart.' That last letter came from pen name "Haruna the Dreamer" who lives in Juuban."

The moment Usagi heard the name Haruna, she nearly fell over in surprise.

"Haruna?! No way! That's the same name as the teacher!" she said. Then she shook her head. "Nah it can't be her. It just couldn't be. Teachers like her never have boyfriends. Not to mention that she's way too old to be writing that kind of stuff."

"This program and currently accepting love letter submissions from all listeners," continued the announcer. "If your letter is chosen to be read on the radio, you'll receive a lovely flower brooch that is said to bring you love. And with that, that's all for tonight's Midnight Zero. Brought to you by FM Ten to help you find your love. Be sure to tune in tomorrow. This is J. Daito saying... goodnight."

"Oh wow..." sighed Usagi as she got up and sat on her bed. "I wish that I could win one of those flower brooches."

As the radio transmission ended, Luna and Harusuke entered the room.

"Hey Usagi. What are you doing up?" asked Luna.

"Yeah. Don't you know that you should be asleep by now?" asked Harusuke sleepily rubbing his eyes.

Usagi didn't pay attention to either of them. She was busy in her own thoughts thinking about how to win one of the flower brooches she heard about on the radio.

"Now that I think about it... I don't think I've actually written a love letter before," she muttered putting a finger to her chin.

"Usagi."

"Not to mention I should figure out who I should write it too..."

"Usagi."

"Maybe I write one to Motoki..."

"USAGI!

Usagi jumped after Luna and Harusuke had finally got her attention. "What?! What is it you two?!" she yelped.

"We've been trying to get your attention for a while now sis," said Harusuke. "You should be in bed instead of staying up like this."

"Harusuke's right," said Luna. "If you don't get to sleep, you're gonna end up waking up late for school again. You don't have the time to be staying up listening to these midnight radio shows. Especially since you're a guardian who was chosen for a special mission. When are you going to get it?"

Usagi puffed her cheeks letting out a huff. "All right, all right already. I get it." she said as she climbed into bed slipping under the covers. "Time for bed."

Luna sighed. "Honestly... I do not understand that girl."

"Well she is a normal teenager Luna," said Harusuke. "If I was in her shoes, I'd probably be doing the same thing." Then he let out a small yawn as he left Usagi's room. "Anyway, I'm gonna get some sleep. Night Luna."

"Good night Harusuke," said Luna as she jumped onto the bed with Usagi and then went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kenji was reading the latest newspaper while Ikuko made breakfast. The headline on the paper said: A NEW MODERN DISEASE?! MYSTERIOUS SLEEPING SICKNESS OUTBREAK.

"How odd," said Kenji as he read over the article. "A sleeping sickness where you don't ever wake up. I wouldn't mind catching that so I can get some sleep for a change."

"Don't say that," scolded Ikuko who had set Kenji's breakfast on the table. "Need I remind you that we're counting on you to work hard and feed the rest of this family."

"Uh... I was just kidding honey," said Kenji sweatdropping. "If I was asleep then I wouldn't be able to eat all of your delicious meals."

Ikuko scolding face quickly changed into a smile. "Oh Kenji. You're such a kidder," she said as she fed him a piece of toast which Kenji accepted.

Then suddenly Usagi's voice caused the two to jump in surprise.

"Oh no! I'm totally gonna be late again!"

"Oh. I didn't know Usagi was still home," said Kenji with the toast in his mouth.

Ikuko then clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh no... I forgot to wake up Usagi." she said.

Suddenly before Ikuko and Kenji had a chance to react, Usagi had dashed down the stairs, came into the kitchen to grab a piece of toast and then dashed towards the front door."

"Good morning! Good bye!" Usagi said hurriedly as she dashed out the front door running as fast as her legs could carry her leaving her parents completely dumbfounded.

* * *

Soon enough, Usagi had made to the school just in time before the gates were closed. She ran into the building and after climbing up some stairs and running through the halls, she managed to make it into the classroom before Ms. Haruna.

"Phew! I made it just in time!" she gasped.

"Hey Usagi you made it," said Haruske. "I'm impressed. You managed to make it before Ms. Haruna showed up."

"I... know..." said Usagi trying to catch her breath. "I... got lucky..."

"Honestly," said Haruske as he handed Usagi a bottled water. "Here. Drink this and take a seat. You could use a breather after all that running. Ms. Haruna will be here any minute."

"Thanks Harusuke..." said Usagi. "You're... a good brother."

She then greedily gulped down the water and sat in her seat. After she had caught her breath, Usagi waited for Ms. Haruna along with her classmates. About half an hour had passed, but Ms. Haruna was nowhere to be seen.

"That's strange," said Harusuke. "Ms. Haruna should have shown up by now."

"Hey Naru. You do you know where Ms. Haruna is?" asked Usagi.

"I don't really know," said Naru. "No one knows."

"I must admit, this is highly unusual for Ms. Haruna," said Umino adjusting his glasses. "She's never usually this late which makes this quite peculiar."

Just then the door opened and Ms. Haruna finally walked into the classroom. She looked very tired, so much so that she had small bags under her eyes. She staggered towards her desk dropping a couple of her books as she did. Then her foot hit the side of the desk causing her to stumble. She almost fell over but managed to catch herself by grabbing the desk. She straightened up looking at the class with a serious expression. Then it changed to a lazy one as she let out a lazy groan causing some of the students to face fault. Even Harusuke and Usagi were a little baffled to Ms. Haruna's behavior. She grabbed the attendance book and opened it looking it over trying to keep her eyes open.

"Ok... I guess I better take attendance..." she said sleepily. "Anyone not present... raise your hand now..."

Her eyes grew heavy causing her to drop the attendance book causing Usagi to notice something on Haruna's left chest. There pinned on her shirt was a strange purple flower.

"On second thought... let's make this a free period," said Ms. Haruna sounding more sleepy than before her looking to be on the brink of closing. "Feel free to study whatever you want... I... just feel... so sleepy..."

As she tried to stay awake, the flower she was wearing began to glow as it drained the energy out of Ms. Haruna. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer and hardly having any energy, Ms. Haruna let out a yawn and using her arms as a pillow, she put her head down and fell sound asleep snoring. Needless to say everyone in the classroom either couldn't believe their eyes or were just confused as to what was going on.

"What in the world..." murmured Harusuke.

"This is so weird," said Umino. He turned to Usagi and Harusuke. "Do either of you guys know what's happened with Ms. Haruna?"

"You're asking us? How should we know?" shrugged Usagi. She then smiled. "But one thing's for sure; I totally lucked out today!"

* * *

Meanwhile Luna was walking on the sidewalk in the middle of town. She was feeling very irritated with Usagi as of late.

"Honestly! I don't know what is the matter with that girl," she said to herself. "It's gotten to a point where I don't know how much longer I can take this! Seriously! I keep telling her time and time again, but Usagi doesn't listen to me at all! Why can't she be more like Harusuke? He at least listens to me! I bet her teacher's scolding her right now for being late. It was certainly serve her right."

Just then a service door opened next to her and Luna found herself looking up at Motoki. Luna immediately let out a yowl of shock before regaining her composure and meowing trying to sound like a normal cat.

"I really really hope he didn't hear me talking just now!" she prayed to herself.

"Oh. So we meet again kitty," smiled Motoki as he bent down on his knee and petted Luna on her head. "But I guess you're not with Usagi or Harusuke today huh? I guess those two must still be at school right now. In the meantime, how about I get you some milk? Wait right there OK?"

And then Motoki went inside the Game Center to see if there was any milk for Luna. Luna's eyes sparkled with admiration for Motoki's understanding and kindness.

"I guess he doesn't suspect. I had better be more careful," she said to herself. "Although I wish that Usagi could learn to be this kind and understanding like Motoki is once and a while."

Just then as Luna waited for Motoki to return, an ambulance with sirens blaring came shooting by her causing her to watch as it drove by.

"I wonder what's going on?" she wondered to herself as the ambulance disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Sure enough, the ambulance had arrived at the school the paramedics taking away Ms. Haruna on a stretcher who had not woken up since she had fell asleep in the classroom. Usagi, Harusuke, and their classmates watched as Ms. Haruna was carried outside of the school and into the ambulance.

"Oh man. I sure hope Ms. Haruna is OK," said Usagi. "I wonder if it's exhaustion. If it is, the life of a teacher must be hard."

"Who can say Usagi," said Harusuke. "The paramedics couldn't even wake her up no matter how hard they tried."

"You know that reminds me," said Naru. "I heard someone talk about some kind of illness that's been going around causing people to fall asleep and not waking up again."

"I heard about that," said Melvin. "It was even in the papers just this morning."

"No way, you're kidding," said Harusuke.

"So you get to spend your entire life asleep?" asked Usagi before turning her head out the window. "Man... I'm jealous..."

Harusuke, Umino, and Naru looked at Usagi deeply shocked. "You can't be serious! Why would you be jealous?!" the three exclaimed.

"Because you get to spend your whole life dreaming," said Usagi smiling. "Just imagine how much would that be."

"Usagi... you can't be serious..." deadpanned Harusuke.

"Of course I am," said Usagi. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Harusuke, Naru, and Umino could only sigh as the ambulance drove away from the school enroute to the hospital.

* * *

In the radio station in another part of town, a man came into the manager's office carrying a box that was filled with dozens of letters slamming it front of him.

"Sir! Look at all of these letters! They're all addressed to this "Midnight Zero" station!" he said.

The manager sighed as he inspected the letters. "Not this again. How in the world could there be such a response to a program that doesn't exist?"

"What do you think we should do with them?" asked the man.

"Just throw them away," said the manager. "I have no need for them."

"Whatever you say boss," shrugged the man.

He was about to take the box to throw the letters away when a young woman walked in. She was wearing a black skirt with green jacket with a aqua marine bow and had short brunette hair and had the same flower that Ms. Haruna was wearing before.

"I can take care of those letters for you if you want," she said.

The manager then grinned at the young woman. "You will? Thanks so much," he said. "What a team player."

"It's no problem," said the woman as she took the letters. "Just doing you a favor."

* * *

It was now after school and Harusuke, Usagi, and Naru were walking home together through town. As they walked, Naru and Usagi were discussing Midnight Zero sharing a common interest in it.

"Wow Naru. I didn't know you listen to Midnight Zero too," said Usagi.

"Who hasn't?" smiled Naru. "I even sent them a bunch of love letters too."

"Seriously?! Who do you write them too?" asked Usagi. "I mean do you have a crush or a boyfriend?"

"Not really. I just make up future boyfriends," said Naru. "It's just for fun anyway so it doesn't matter."

"Oh yeah... what a good idea," said Usagi. "Why didn't I think of that? I can make up a future boyfriend with whoever I want... Wow..."

As Usagi and Naru continued to chat about making up future boyfriends, Harusuke could only shake his head.

"Seriously. Sometimes I don't understand what girls think sometimes," he thought to himself. "I know they're girls, but still..."

Then Usagi not pay attention to where she was going, bumped into somebody causing her to fall flat on her butt on the ground. She instinctively got back up on her feet and began bowing repeatedly while apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention! Please forgive me!" she said.

However in her haste of apologizing, she didn't realize until she looked up that she was bowing in front of a telephone pole. Not only that, but she heard someone laughing at her which turned out to be the casually dressed boy with the black hair and the very person she bumped into.

"How very polite of you to apologize to a telephone pole," he snickered. "I know that walking and talking at the same time is hard for you bun-head, but you really should pay attention to where you're going."

"What did you just say?!" Usagi growled in annoyance her right eye twitching slightly in anger.

The casually dressed boy then walked past chuckling as he went by.

"Well that was pretty rude," said Harusuke. "And here you were trying to be polite Usagi."

Usagi glared daggers at the boy's back as he walked away. Naru however seemed to be smitten with the boy.

"Hey Usagi. Harusuke. Do you two know who that boy is?" she asked blushing. "Cause he is downright gorgeous!"

"Wrong! There's nothing gorgeous about him!" snapped Usagi as she began flailing her arms in anger. "That stupid mock turtle necked jerk! One of these days he's so gonna pay!"

"And off she goes ladies and gents," said Harusuke sighing. "Seriously. Why can't those two ever get along?"

* * *

After they arrived at home, both Usagi and Harusuke went to their respective rooms. Harusuke was working on his homework while Usagi decided to get started on writing a love letter so she could get it read on Midnight Zero.

"All right! Here we go!" said Usagi she slapped a writing pad on the table and pumped herself up by slapping her cheeks and doing some stretched. "I gotta concentrate! Gonna write this love letter!"

Luna who was sitting on Usagi's bed only looked at her with confusion. "You know Usagi, writing a love letter is pretty pointless unless you give it to the person directly and if you have some in mind to give the love letter to," she said.

"Do not talk to me right now!" snapped Usagi. "You're gonna break my concentration!"

Usagi was then deep in thought trying to come up what to write for her love letter. She thought and she thought and she thought, but she couldn't come up with any ideas. Eventually she plopped her head on the table unable to come up with anything.

"It's no use," she moaned. "I can't think of of a single sentence or anything to say... It's no wonder I failed in creative writing."

"I... really don't think that's the problem," deadpanned Luna.

Then an idea flew into Usagi's head. "I got it! I'll go see J. Daito from Midnight Zero! Maybe he can give me some advice about how to write a good love letter!"

"What?!" exclaimed Luna. "Just a minute Usagi! It's getting close to evening and there's no way your parents are going to let you go out so late!"

"You're right," said Usagi. "Which is why I'm gonna bring Harusuke along! Come on Luna! Let's go!"

"Usagi! Wait a minute!"

Before Luna could try to object any further, Usagi was already out the door heading for Harusuke's room.

* * *

"I still can't believe we're doing this," said Harusuke sighing as he and Usagi along with Luna were walking to the radio station. "We're going to some radio building all because you want to get some advice on how to write a love letter?"

"Yup!" said Usagi grinning. "I figured since J Daito read love letters all the time, I figured that he would know what to do when writing one. Which is why we're going to the FM No. 10 radio station."

"Whatever you say Usagi," said Harusuke. "I still think that this idea of yours is pretty crazy."

Soon enough they arrived at the radio station. When they got there, they were greeted by a guard who was standing by the gate.

"Can I help you kids with something?" he asked.

"Yup. We're here to see J Daito from Midnight Zero," said Usagi.

The guard was puzzled. "J Daito? Midnight Zero? I've never heard of those things," he said.

Now Usagi was puzzled. "What? But this is the FM No. 10 radio station isn't it? "

"Yes," said the guard.

"Then surely you must have heard of Midnight Zero because this is the station that it was on," said Usagi.

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of it," said the guard. "We don't do a program called Midnight Zero and we never have."

"Are you sure?" asked Usagi.

"Yes I'm sure. Now why don't you kids go home?" said the guard. "Move it along now."

Having no choice, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna turned around and headed back home.

"Now that was weird," said Usagi. "I was sure that this was station Midnight Zero was on."

"You sure that you didn't make a mistake or something Usagi?" asked Luna. "Maybe you heard it on another station."

"I doubt that," said Usagi. "I know I had the right station and I can prove it. If you stay up with me tonight, I can show you. and Harusuke can even stay up with me."

"Now Usagi," said Harusuke. "You know we both have school tomorrow. We can't just be staying up all night just to listen to some show. We'll end up oversleeping."

"Oh come on Harusuke pweeease?" begged Usagi giving him a begging look.

Harusuke then sighed. "Oh all right. But only for tonight."

As they walked back home, Harusuke couldn't help but look back towards the building feeling suspicious about it.

"I wonder what's going on here?" he thought as he along with Usagi and Luna walked home.

* * *

Later that night, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna stayed up in Usagi's room waiting for the clock to strike midnight. The minutes went by until finally with a chime, Usagi's clock struck midnight causing the three to turn their heads toward the radio on Usagi's table. Sure enough, J Daito's voice came floating through the radio.

"Good evening... it's time for Midnight Zero..."

"Well what do you know," said Harusuke. "I guess it was on the right station."

"See? I told you so," said Usagi. "That doofus guard probably flat-out lied to us!"

"It's still kinda strange though," said Luna as she unfurled a newspaper on Usagi's bed and took a quick skim through it. Then she noticed something. "Harusuke. Usagi. Take a look at this."

"What is it Luna?" asked Harusuke.

"According to the schedule in the paper," said Luna. "FM Ten is supposed to be airing a different program right now."

"Let me see," said Harusuke as he took the paper and read it for himself. He read over the schedule and he saw that Luna was right. "Hey. You're right Luna. For some reason this program is supposed to be on. Not Midnight Zero."

"Well it must have been some mistake," said Usagi. "I mean we're hearing it right now aren't we?"

"Our first love letter this evening is from Naru who lives in Juuban," said J Daito.

The three then snapped her heads in attention towards the radio upon hearing that.

"No way! Naru!" cried Usagi.

"I guess she got her letter read after all," said Harusuke. "It's still pretty surprising."

* * *

The next day at school, it was the same as usual in class but Harusuke was still thinking about last night.

"I'm still feeling a little worried about the other night," he thought to himself. "I wonder why that guard claimed to know nothing about Midnight Zero? Not to mention that it didn't say anything about it in schedule. Somethings going here, but I don't know what."

Just then he heard the door open and in stepped in Naru. She walked to her desk and as soon as she sat down, she found herself surround by Usagi and a couple of other girls.

"Hey Naru! I heard you got your letter read on Midnight Zero!" said a girl excitedly. "Is it true?"

"Of course it's true," said Usagi. "I heard it being read last night."

"That's so cool!" said another girl. "Did you get the flower brooch they you?"

"Take a look!" Naru grinned as she pulled out a small packed box from her bag. "I just got it this morning!"

"Hurry up and open it Naru!" said Usagi. "We wanna see it!"

"Okay!" said Naru as she tore open the box and took out the brooch.

The girls oohed and awed as the brooch shone in the light. Usagi and Harusuke saw the brooch and their eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey! That's the exact same brooch that Ms. Haruna was wearing before!" said Usagi.

"Seriously?!" asked Naru and the girls.

"Then that means that Ms. Haruna must have been "Haruna in love" from the day before," said the first girl. "Who would have thought?"

"Go on and put it on," said the second girl. "Let's see how good it looks on you."

Naru then pinned the brooch on her shirt. "Wow... it looks so cute on me," she said.

Then suddenly Naru felt her eyes start to get heavy and she was starting to get very tired.

"Huh... that's weird..." she said trying to keep her eyes open. "I'm... starting to feel very sleepy..."

"Naru? What is it?" asked Usagi. "What's the matter?"

Then Naru closed her eyes and fell asleep sitting on her chair. Usagi and the others tried to wake her up, but Naru stayed asleep.

Harusuke having to have seen everything immediately remembered Ms. Haruna from the other day in class. He remembered how tired she looked and how she was wearing the brooch that Naru received. Then he remembered the strange illness he heard about and then Midnight Zero. He then started putting two and two together.

"Wait a minute..." he thought. "Midnight Zero gives those brooches to those who get their letter read on the radio and then after that... as soon as they put them on they fall asleep... no... it couldn't be!"

Then as Usagi continued to try and wake up Naru, she happened to get too close to Naru's brooch. Sure enough she felt her eyelids grow heavy and then she too fell asleep flopping on the floor.

"Oh no! Usagi too?!" cried a female student. "Somebody call this nurse!"

Harusuke the rushed to his sister's side trying to wake her up by shaking her. "Usagi! Wake up! Usagi!"

But it was no use. Usagi wouldn't wake up.

"There's no doubt about it," Harusuke thought. "It's gotta be the enemy! They're using those brooches to drain people's energy! I gotta go tell Luna about this!" He then turned to the girls. "Help me get these two to the nurse's office! You guys carry Naru while I carry Usagi!"

"OK," said the girls as the both lifted up Naru each one slinging an arm over their shoulders.

Harusuke on the hand gently lifted up Usagi the bridal way in his arms and then he along with the two girls rushed Usagi and Naru to the nurse.

* * *

 _Usagi was now dreaming. She was soaring across the starry filled sky with a full moon shining brightly. As she flew around her eyes fell upon someone who made her heart skip a beat. There in front of her standing on a cloud was Tuxedo Mask. Wanting to talk him about something Usagi floated over to him._

 _"Tuxedo Mask... are you... by any chance... my future boyfriend?" she asked timidly._

 _"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I actually said it," she said to herself giddily_ ** _._**

 _Tuxedo Mask smiled. "With pleasure Usagi my darling..." he said._

 _Usagi then shrieked with joy unable to contain it. "Oh yay! I'm so happy!" she whooped. Then a thought struck her. "By the way Tuxedo Mask, since your my future boyfriend and stuff, do you mind if I see your face?"_

 _"Of course my darling," said Tuxedo Mask. ""I'll show you anything you want."_

 _He reached for his glasses and he seemed to take them off in slow motion. Usagi blushed and waited in anticipation. Just as when she was about to see his face..._

* * *

"USAGIIII!"

Luna yelled right in Usagi's ear causing her to wake up with a fright. She was so startled that she practically leapt out the bed five feet in the air before crashing down on the bed. Harusuke who was by her bedside, immediately gave his sister a big hug.

"Usagi! You're OK!" he said with relief. "Thank goodness!"

"Wha? What happened?" asked Usagi. "What's going on?" Then she saw Naru. "Oh no! And why is Naru here?! Is she OK?"

"She's fine," said Harusuke. "But just like Ms. Haruna, she's fast asleep and won't wake up."

"Harusuke figured it out a while ago," said Luna. "It seems that our enemy has taken over the radio station."

"They're using Midnight Zero as a means to drain people's energy using those flower brooches," explained Harusuke. "That's probably the cause for that sleeping sickness we've heard about."

"Which is why I think it's time for us investigate this," said Luna. "We must go over to that radio station and shut down our enemy's plans."

Usagi nodded. "Yeah. I agree."

* * *

Meanwhile in the radio station and sure enough, J Daito or rather Jadeite was collecting the energy he had recently drained from Naru and Usagi in the form of a little ball of light. The young woman that helped with the letters from before was there with him.

"We've gathered a considerable amount of energy," she said. "Your experiment appears to be an success."

"I know Flau," said Jadeite chuckling darkly. "Who would have guessed that the hearts of girls in love had so much bountiful energy? And all we had to do was out them to sleep with a spell placed on the flower brooches and then while they sleep we drain their dreams of love. I must admit, your tool that you created is the real success here."

"Thank you Jadeite," said Flau.

"Now then... I believe it's about time we get ready for Midnight Zero," said Jadeite. "Or should I say our next victim."

* * *

It was now late at night as Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna arrived at the radio station. However the same security guard was standing by the entrance keeping an eye out. Upon seeing him, the three hid behind the corner so that he wouldn't see him.

"What'll we do now guys?" asked Usagi. "If we just walk in, he'll just stop us again."

"You're right about that," said Harusuke. "We need a way to slip past him without noticing."

"Don't worry about that," said Luna winking. "Leave that to me."

She then took a great leap back-flipping as a trail of light behind her as she flipped. The light then swirled around and then something appeared falling to the ground. It had the appearance of a pink pen with a gold ring around it's middle and on top was another gold ring with small red jewels and a large jewel on top giving it the appearance of a crown.

"Whoa! What is that?!" asked Usagi in amazement. "It looks like a cute little pen."

"Just a little something to help you," said Luna. "A new item of power if you will."

"What does it do?" asked Harusuke.

"It allows Usagi to change her appearance into people from all sorts of jobs," explained Luna.

"I get it," said Harusuke. "Usagi can use that to disguise herself as one of the people who works here."

"Awesome!" said Usagi excitedly. "So what do I have to do?"

"You just have to say Moon Power and then say what you want to look like," said Luna.

"Wait... what about me?" asked Harusuke. "Shouldn't I get some kind of disguise too?"

"Well... I was thinking that Usagi could disguise herself as an announcer and you could go in as yourself as her student. Or something like that," said Luna.

Harusuke sweatdropped. "Why do I feel like I got the short end of the stick?"

"All right then!" said Usagi. "I get the feeling I'm gonna like this pen. Here goes nothing."

She then held it above her head. "MOON POWER! Turn me into a gorgeous news announcer!"

In a bright flash of light, Usagi transformed. When then light dimmed down, Harusuke's eyes went wide. Usagi had turned into a young woman with short hair that went to her neck, a dark red pencil skirt with a dark pink blazer, white heel pumps, and a pair of black sunglasses that hung from her blazer.

"Oh wow! I did it!" cheered Usagi. "It really worked!"

"Whoa... you look great Usagi," said Harusuke. "I don't even recognize you."

Luna however looked a little worried. "Usagi I'm happy for you, but don't you think adding the gorgeous thing is a bit much? I mean are you gonna be able to walk in those pumps?"

"Don't worry I'll be fine," said Usagi putting on her sunglasses. "Now come on you two. Let's go."

She then walked towards the gate walking flirtatiously. Luna and Harusuke were a little impressed.

"You know... she just might be able to pull this off," said Luna.

"I know," said Harusuke. "She's really getting into it."

At that moment when Usagi took a step, she felt her pump slip from underneath her. She tried to stay standing, but she couldn't and end up falling flat on her back. Harusuke and Luna sighed.

"Spoke too soon."

* * *

Inside of the radio station, the three made their way around trying to find where the enemy could be hiding. Then suddenly they happened to look in one of the broadcast rooms. Inside was Flau and in the control room and Jadeite in the other room starting the broadcast. Usagi couldn't help but ogle at the sight of Jadeite.

"That's him!" she squealed. "That's J Daito! He looks so cute!"

"Usagi would you stop ogling at the guy?" said Harusuke. "That's the enemy who's running this whole Midnight Zero!

"Aww. Are you sure?" whined Usagi pouting.

"Yes! Harusuke's right!" said Luna. "Look!"

Then they saw the other people in the room. All of them were fast asleep or knocked out cold.

"This confirms it!" said Luna urgently. "That guy's taken over the show! We gotta stop him!"

"All right!" said Usagi now sounding determined. "Let's go!"

She opened the door and she along with Harusuke in tow and burst right into the room. Flau who was still wearing her human disguise was surprised to see the two.

"What the... what the heck are you doing?! We're on the air!" she said.

"Shut it lady!" snapped Usagi as she marched right past her, entered the room Jadeite was in, and sat in front of Jadeite with the microphone in front of her. "We interrupt this program to bring you some breaking news," she said. "The flower brooches that are being sent out to all the listeners of Midnight Zero are extremely dangerous! If you receive one make sure that you don't touch it!"

"That's a lie!" exclaimed Jadeite. "Be quiet! Now!"

But Usagi continued. "Think about it people! Love letters are absolutely meaningless unless you give them directly to the person you love and writing to! Stop dreaming!"

"Hey! That's what I just told her!" said Luna indignantly.

"Just let it go Luna," said Harusuke. "At least she takes your advice to heart when she needs to."

Jadeite scowled at Usagi upset that his plans had been revealed to everyone who was listening. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Then Flau burst through the window shattering it completely and transformed into her true form. She grew a few more feet and her skin turned purple. Her hair was now longer pointing upwards and she now wore nothing, but a teal green toga.

"You won't get away with this!" she shrieked as she unleash a blast of dark energy from her mouth. The blast made a giant explosion that rocked the room. Usagi managed to get out of the room along with Harusuke and Luna, but the monster was hot on their trail unleashing another blast right behind them. The three managed to dodge the blast again, but the explosion was so powerful that it sent them flying.

"Hurry up you two!" yelled Luna and they flew into the air. "Sailor Moon and Solaris would be pretty good right about now!"

Usagi and Harusuke nodded and then transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Flau and Jadeite stepped out from the smoke from the recent blast to find themselves face to face with Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"How dare you trample on the innocent hearts of young girls in love!" said Solaris.

"That is definitely crossing the line you," added Sailor Moon. "And this isn't a crosswalk!"

Luna and Solaris looked at Sailor Moon like she had said what her favorite flavor of fish was.

"You could have just left out the crosswalk part you know," said Luna.

Sailor moon laughed sheepishly before turning back to Jadeite and Flau. "Anyway, I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice Solaris!" he said.

"And in the name of the moon..."

"And in the name of the sun by my blinding rays..."

"We'll punish you!"

"We'll scorch you!"

"Well, well. So you're the two brats that keeps getting in our way," said Jadeite smirking. "It's about time we meet face to face like this."

"And you must be the leader of all those monsters you keep sending," said Sailor Moon.

"That's right," said Jadeite as he introduced himself. "My name is Jadeite."

"Nice to meet you Jadeite," said Solaris. "Too bad we don't have the luxury of introductions."

"I agree," said Jadeite. "Which is why I'll have Flau here keep you company." He turned to Flau. "Get them!"

"Prepare yourselves Sailor Moon and Solaris!" yelled Flau. "You're both mine!"

She then went on the attack unleashing a volley of energy beams from her mouth at Solaris and Sailor Moon. All the two of them could do is dodge at the beams rocked the entire studio. Solaris tried to go after Jadeite who was standing there watching, but Flau barred his way with another blast causing Solaris to dodge just in time.

"Man! At this rate we won't last much longer!" he said.

"What should we do?!" asked Sailor Moon.

"Up there!" said Luna pointing to a hole on the ceiling leading to the roof outside. "Go to the roof! Quickly!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris jumped out of through the hole making it to the roof.

"You won't escape me!" cried Flau as she jumped up after them in hot pursuit.

When they made it outside, Flau blast them again with her mouth beams causing the two to keep dodging her attacks.

"This is where you'll both die!" she yelled as she kept on blasting them.

"Man! She sure is persistent!" yelped Sailor Moon as a blast narrow missed her hip.

"No kidding!" said Solaris as he ducked dodging another. "But we can't keep dodging her like this!"

"Come on you two! Attack!" cried Luna. "Sailor Moon! Use your Moon Tiara Action!"

Sailor Moon immediately did what Luna said and then launched her tiara which transformed into a glowing white disk.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The disk flew straight at Flau, but Flau moved out of the way dodging the attack easily.

"Where were you aiming little girl?" mocked Flau. "You missed me!"

"Oh yeah!? How about this?!" cried Sailor Moon and she brought back her hand towards her.

Then suddenly the disc changed direction and came back towards Flau like a boomerang. Before Flau had a chance to react, the disc slammed right into her abdominal region cutting her right in half and reducing her to dust. Solaris and Luna were amazed while Jadeite growled under his breath having to have another one of his monsters defeated.

"Whoa... how did you do that Sailor Moon?!" asked Solaris.

"I don't know," said Sailor Moon shrugging as the disc came back to her hovering in her hand. "I guess it was just instinct." Then she looked at Jadeite. "Now it's your turn!"

Jadeite smirked. "So you wish to try and fight me now?" he asked. "Go ahead and try your luck."

"Fine then! If that's what you want!" said Sailor Moon as she flung her disc at Jadeite. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The disc zipped through the air heading right for Jadeite, but then Jadeite raised his hand releasing a strange power and stopped Sailor Moon's tiara right in it's tracks making it fall harmlessly to the ground.

Sailor Moon and Solaris were in shock.

"No way! He was able to stop it!" cried Sailor Moon. "That's not fair!"

"Let me have a go!" said Solaris as came running at Jadeite and unleashed his attack too. "SOLAR BINDING!"

Solaris unleashed a stream of light at Jadeite hoping to trap him, but again by raising his hand Jadeite stopped the attack and moved his hand making the Solar Binding go in another direction.

"No way! My Solar Binding didn't work!" said Solaris with shock.

"Is that really the best you two can do?" mocked Jadeite. "How pathetic."

Sailor Moon puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Why you...!" she growled as she came running at Jadeite lifting her leg hoping to kick him.

Jadeite simply stood there and raised his hand again. This time making what seemed to be a barrier of sorts making Sailor Moon bounce off of it and sending her flat on her face to the ground.

"Sailor Moon! Are you OK?!" cried Solaris.

"Owie... That hurt!" responded Sailor Moon.

Wanting to take revenge, Solaris went on the attack running straight toward Jadeite. This time Jadeite didn't do anything. He stood there and waited till Solaris was close enough. Then Solaris threw a punch aimed right for his face, but Jadeite tilted his head dodging the punch with ease. Solaris tried again with another punch, but once again Jadeite dodged. Then when Solaris tried punching him one more time, Jadeite took advantage by dodging the blow and then placing his hand right at Solaris' mid section and then released a force of energy sending Solaris flying till hit the wall beside where Sailor Moon was lying. Solaris cried out in pain as he hit the wall and fell flat on the ground.

"Oh no! Solaris!" cried Luna.

"Are you OK?! Say something!" said Sailor Moon as she rushed to Solaris' aid.

As she looked at Solaris checking to see if he was OK, Jadeite slowly began walking towards Sailor Moon like a tiger stalking his prey. Sailor Moon now started to feel a little scared as Jadeite grew closer and closer having no idea what to do. Then just when it seemed that Jadeite was going to finish the job, a rose shot out from out of nowhere just barely missing Jadeite's foot causing him to step back. Taking it as a sign to retreat, Jadeite jumped up and disappeared into a black vortex leaving the scene.

Sailor Moon watched him leave and then looked back at the rose and she immediately knew who it was that threw it. Sure enough, she looked up on the roof and saw the very person who the rose belonged to. Tuxedo Mask.

"Tuxedo Mask it's you!" she cried as her eyes were once again hearts.

Tuxedo Mask smiled as he leaped off the roof. "Farewell Sailor Moon. Until we meet again..." he said as he disappeared into the darkness.

Then Solaris managed to come around rubbing his head in pain. "Man... that hurt," he said groggily.

"Oh Solaris you're awake," said Sailor Moon feeling relieved. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," said Solaris. "But that Jadeite guy was strong. He stopped our attacks like they were nothing."

"I know," said Sailor Moon. "But don't worry. We'll get him next time. If he decides to show his face around here again, we'll be ready for him."

* * *

The next morning back in class, everyone was back to normal. All the people who were asleep due to having their energy taken had finally woken up including Naru and Ms. Haruna.

As school as about to begin once more, Usagi was furiously writing on a notepad of paper deep in her own thoughts.

"To my dearest Tuxedo Mask," she said to herself as she wrote. "From the moment I laid my eyes you... I was completely smitten! Ooh! That's good!"\

Then Harusuke and Naru came up to her desk.

"Hey Usagi watcha doin?" asked Harusuke.

"N-nothing!" said Usagi trying to hide her notepad, but before she could Naru snatched it away from her.

"It looks to me that she's writing a love letter," said Naru.

"You got to be kidding," said Harusuke as he looked at his sister. "You do realize that Midnight Zero has been over right?"

"So? What does that matter?!" said Usagi blushing as she tried to take back the notepad from Naru. "I was gonna give that letter to someone directly! Now give it back Naru!"

"No way! You gotta at least let me look it over first!" giggled Naru as she ran away with Usagi chasing right behind her.

Then Ms. Haruna came into the room looking much better and her old self again.

"Hello everybody!" she said cheerfully. "I'm so sorry for making all of you worry about me, but I'm A-OK now so let's get this class started!"

At that moment, Usagi and Naru came running past her.

"Naru this isn't funny!" cried Usagi. "Give me my love letter back!"

"Wait... a love letter?" wondered Ms. Haruna her interest piqued. "Wait! Let me read it too Ms. Tsukino! I love love letters!"

"No!" cried Usagi as it was now a three way chase with Ms. Haruna, Naru, and Usagi darting around the room and all because of a love letter.

Harusuke looked on and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Girls... Sometimes I wonder what makes them so crazy about this kind of stuff," he muttered.

* * *

 _If you liked what you read, feel free to follow, review, or PM me!_

 _Till then... Dragoman out!_


	5. Chapter 4

It was another peaceful night in the Tsukino residence. Harusuke was in his room just finishing his homework. As he finally put his pencil down, he let out a sigh as he stretched his arms.

"Well... that takes care of that," he said. "I thought I'd never get my homework done."

Then he suddenly remembered the other day when he and Usagi fought Jadeite back when he was using the radio station for his evil plans. He could remember how Jadeite was able to overwhelm them without even breaking a sweat. That alone caused him to feel a little frustrated.

"Damn it all," he said clenching his fist. "I still can't believe how beaten we got. Jadeite was so strong that he was able to knock us down easily. Usagi may have had her tiara, but all I can do is use my binding spell while she finishes off her enemies. There has to be a way for me to get stronger so that way it doesn't happen again. But how? Maybe I can ask Luna."

Suddenly Harusuke's thoughts were interrupted by a very loud shriek that nearly made him fall out about of his chair which was coming from the bathroom.

"What the heck was that?!" he cried as he bolted from his chair and dashed out of his room heading for the bathroom.

And it wasn't just Harusuke that heard the shriek, Ikuko, Kenji, Shingo, and even Luna heard it. They all raced to the bathroom and looked through the door. There was Usagi sitting on the floor wearing nothing but a towel sobbing her eyes out.

"Usagi! What's the matter?!" cried Harusuke.

"Did you fall?!" asked Shingo.

"Did you see a rat?" asked Ikuko.

"Did you drop something down the tub?!" asked Kenji.

"No!" wept Usagi. "I... I... I've put on weight! I'm so out of shape!"

Usagi then sobbed even harder as Ikuko, Kenji, Shingo, and Harusuke feeling very confused. Then Kenji spoke up.

"Usagi. You shouldn't be worried about that," he said. "It's only natural to have a little meat on your bones."

"Daddy's right Hun," added Ikuko. "It makes you look better especially since you're young."

"Sadly the problem is that you eat too much," chimed in Shingo. "It's probably no wonder that you feel fat."

"Now Shingo, be nice," scolded Ikuko. "Although I have to agree. She even eats more than she does studying."

"And it would help that you could get a little exercise," said Kenji thoughtfully.

"That's probably why you've gained weight," the three said together.

"All right I get it!" said Usagi who felt more upset than ever. "You don't have to be so harsh!"

* * *

A little later, Usagi got herself dressed and went into her room still uncomforted by her family's words. Then Harusuke knocked and came in.

"Hey Usagi," he said. "Are you feeling OK?"

"No," sniffed Usagi.

Harusuke then sat on the bed next to his sister. "Look. You shouldn't be worrying and crying over a little thing like that," he said. "If you want my personal opinion about this, I think you're fine just the way you are."

"You do?" asked Usagi.

"Of course I do," smiled Harusuke. "However if you're really serious about losing weight, then try to cut back on the snacks a little and try to get some exercise when you can OK?"

"OK," nodded Usagi wiping her tears. "Thanks Harusuke. I feel like you're my only ally."

"Oh stop," chuckled Harusuke. "I'm your brother. I'm supposed to be there for my sister in times of need."

Then he happened to see Luna who seemed to be drawing a picture of some sort. Usagi saw her too.

"Hey Luna. What are you drawing over there?" asked Harusuke.

Luna turned around and let out a mischievous grin and then showed the picture she drew. It was a picture of Usagi, but she looked all fat and pudgy.

"Look! It's Usagi in six months!" she giggled.

Harusuke gave Luna a disapproving glare while Usagi became furious. "Luna... I'm gonna get you for that!" she cried as she pounced on Luna chasing her around her room. Harusuke sighed while the two played cat and mouse.

"This is gonna be a looong night," he said.

* * *

The next day at school during the lunch period, everyone was eating their bentos except for Usagi. She had purposely let her lunch behind trying to go on a diet which was already not working for her. Not only that, but she had skipped breakfast as well making her extremely hungry. So much so that she found herself gazing at Naru's food drooling at how delicious it looked.

Then Naru noticed Usagi staring at her food. "Hey Usagi. Is something wrong?" she asked. "And where's your lunch?"

"Oh! Um... uh..." stammered Usagi

She was trying to come up with some excuse when Umino came up to her.

"Hey Usagi! I noticed that you forgot your lunch today," he said. "Here. You can have mine. It's delicious!"

He held out his bento offering it to Usagi, but the box was almost empty. There was nothing left, but a small piece of egg, a little bit of rice, and a tiny shrimp. Usagi sweatdropped at Umino's attempt at a gesture.

"Um... no thank you," she replied flatly.

Harusuke who was eating his lunch watched on from afar looking worried. "Oh Usagi..."

* * *

After lunch, Usagi, Naru, and two other girls a chubby brunette with short hair named Yumi and another girl with medium length brown hair named Satsuki met up under the tree. The girls wanted to know what was going on with Usagi, so she then told them what was going on.

"I see..." said Naru when Usagi finished explaining. "So you're on a diet now huh?"

Usagi nodded in response.

"Man... I know how you feel," said Yumi. "I've been having a tough time too. It's really hard to stay fit."

The girls looked at her in surprise each raising a brow. "Oh... you don't say?" they said feeling a bit put off.

"Hey here's an idea Usagi," said Satsuki. "Why don't you try swimming? That's a great way to stay fit."

"Nah. That won't work," said Naru waving the suggestion off. "Usagi's not really good at swimming."

"Oh. That's too bad," said Satsuki.

"I've tried things like fasting and eating some fruit just to lose weight," said Yumi. "But none of those never really last that long."

"Personally I think that the best diet is falling in love," said Satsuki. "That way you'll have some extra motivation to look good."

"Have you ever been in love before?" asked Yumi.

"No..." sighed Satsuki blushing a little.

The girls sighed and nodded. "No kidding? That's understandable."

Satsuki nodded along with them, but then she registered what they said. "Hey wait! What do you mean by that?" she asked sounding insulted.

Yumi then put a hand on her shoulder. "It's OK Satsuki," she said. "We all can't help the way we're born. There's nothing we can do about it."

"You're one to talk," rebutted Sastuki. "You're the last person who I wanna hear that from."

"What'd you say?!" snapped Yumi.

"What? You wanna fight?" Satsuki shot back.

Naru and Usagi ignored Satsuki and Yumi and went on discussing Usagi's troubles.

"Actually speaking of which Usagi, have you noticed that Ms. Haruna is looking really fit lately?" asked Naru.

"Really? How did she do it?" wondered Usagi.

"I don't know," shrugged Naru.

Just then the very woman that Usagi and Naru were talking about happened to be walking by. As she did, she gave the girls a cheerful smile seeming to sparkle with confidence.

"Good morning everyone!" she said.

As she passed, Usagi took a good look at her figure.

"I don't know. She doesn't look that much different than before," she said.

Then suddenly Umino popped up seemingly from out of nowhere.

"That's because you can't tell with that dress on," he said. "Take a look at these."

He then pulled out two pictures both of them were of Ms. Haruna wearing what appeared to be gym attire comprised of a pink unitard and dark blue leggings. On side was Ms. Haruna looking like her normal self and on the other was pretty much the same but Ms. Haruna looked thinner then before.

"These are her before and after pictures," he said showing the normal picture of Ms. Haruna first and then showing the picture of the thinner Ms. Haruna. "And it only took her two days."

"Wow..." said Usagi clearly impressed.

Then Naru looked at Umino suspiciously. "Umino? Where did you get these photos anyway?"

Umino sweatdropped. "Oh... well... th-that's a trade secret," he said nervously.

Naru then suspiciously glared at Umino not buying what he said. "Is that so? I don't believe you."

Umino gulped. "Uh... um... uh..." he stammered.

"Just tell us where you got the photos!" demanded Naru. "Spill it!"

"Go on and tell us!" said Usagi who now wanted to know as well.

Fearing that this was getting too dangerous for him, Umino turned around and sprinted away.

"Hey! Come back here!" cried Naru and Usagi. "Where are you going?!"

Umino ran and he ran with Usagi and Naru close behind him. Umino then rounded around a corner and hid in an alleyway. Naru ran right past him not seeing him hide around the corner. Umino let out a sigh of relief.

"Man... that was close," he said to himself. "I shouldn't have opened my big mouth..."

"Why do you say that Umino?" asked a voice from somewhere next to him.

Umino jumped expecting it to be Usagi, but as it turned out when he looked next to him it was Harusuke.

"Harusuke! What the heck?!" he exclaimed whispering. "You scared the pudding out of me!"

"Sorry about that," apologized Harusuke. "But what's going on with you? Why are you hiding back here? Did you do something to make Usagi mad at you again?"

"No it's not that!" began Umino. "It's-"

Then Usagi came around the corner. "Aha! Found you Umino!" she cried. "Good work Harusuke!"

She then got up in Umino's face. "Now talk!" she demanded.

Umino then panicked. "OK! I confess! I followed Ms. Haruna and took those pictures with my camera!"

Harusuke stared at Umino completely baffled as to what Umino had just said. "You did what now?"

But Usagi ignored Umino's confession. "I don't care about that," she said. "I just want to know the name of the gym Ms. Haruna goes to work out."

"Why would you want to know that Usagi?" asked Harusuke. "Don't tell that this is still about your weight problem?"

"Yes it is," said Usagi. "Why do you think I've tried to go on a diet?"

"But I told you Usagi," said Harusuke. "You're fine the way you are. You don't need to go to some gym."

"I know that Harusuke," said Usagi. "But you also told me that l should try and get some exercise when I can. Right?"

"Um... yeah. I guess I did," said Harusuke hesitantly.

"Exactly. Which is why going to the gym is the perfect place to go get some of that exercise," said Usagi proudly.

"Well... I guess that makes sense," agreed Harusuke.

"Right. So pretty please Harusuke? Let me go to a gym! You can even come along with me and the girls if you want to," said Usagi.

Then an idea came into Harusuke's mind. Usagi did make a good point that a gym would be good exercise. Plus it would be a great opportunity to gain some strength and muscle so he could get stronger for the upcoming battles with Jadeite and the enemy.

"All right then," he said. "I'm game if you're game Usagi."

"All right!" cheered Usagi. "Now Umino, tell us the name of this gym and we'll forget about you taking pictures of Ms. Haruna."

Umino really didn't know what was going on, but he was more than happy to tell Usagi the name of the gym if it meant getting her off his back.

"All right then," he said. "The name of the gym is called Shapelin."

* * *

After school, Usagi, Harusuke, Naru, Yumi, and Satsuki were all standing outside in front of the gym that Umino told them about.

"This is it!" said Usagi. "This is the gym that Ms. Haruna's been going to."

"It certainly looks pretty big," said Harusuke.

"Not to mention it looks expensive too," said Naru.

Then the group noticed a large display with a young woman dancing on it in an ad on top of the gym.

"Whoa! I know who that is!" said Satsuki her eyes sparkling. "That's Rie Goto, the actress!"

"She's so pretty and cute!" said Yumi in awe.

"Exercise hard and you can be in great shape!" Rie said on the display. "And in a manner of days, you'll be beautiful too! Let's all get in shape together! Join in Shapelin now and take advantage of our free trial!"

"No way! A free trial?!" repeated Usagi. "That's awesome!"

"Can't get any cheaper than that!" said Naru grinning.

"No kidding!" said Harusuke who couldn't help but also feel excited.

"Let's do it!" cheered Yumi and Satsuki.

Then the five of them went inside of the gym. However on the second floor of the gym, Jadeite was watching from above smirking in the darkness.

"Yes... more fools have come to our lair," he said to himself. "Those kids will soon learn that there's no such thing as a free lunch."

* * *

When they got inside, the five then changed into their respective gym clothes from school. Usagi and the girls were wearing long sleeved white t-shirts with blue gym shorts while Harusuke wore a pair of sweats with the same long sleeved white shirt.

"Good thing we brought our gym uniforms," said Usagi.

"Yup! Now what do you say we get in shape guys?" asked Naru.

Everyone nodded in response. Then a young gym instructor appeared. He wore pink shores and a purple with green trims tracksuit while wearing glasses with light pink lenses. He was of course Jadeite in human disguise, but nobody noticed this yet.

"Welcome to Shapelin, I'm one of the instructors here," he greeted. "Are you all new members?"

The girls upon seeing Jadeite all blushed bright red.

"He's so cute..." murmured Yumi.

"And so cool," added Naru. "Especially his glasses..."

Harusuke sighed rolling his eyes. "Girls. Go fig." he muttered.

"Oh... uh... you should know... that it's our first time being here," said Usagi shyly.

"Great!" smiled Jadeite. "Then come this way... "

He then led the five the many equipmenrts in the gym and assigned a person to each one. Usagi was put on a rowing machine, Naru on an exercise bicycle, Yumi on a treadmill, Satsuki on a pec deck, and Harusuke on a bench press.

Usagi had just finished a couple of reps on the rowing equipment with another instructor watching her work.

"Come on. Give me two more," he said.

Usagi groaned.

Yumi was running on a treadmill as fast as her legs can carry her with another instructor supervising her.

"Not bad," he said. "But let's pick up the pace OK?"

"What?!" exclaimed Yumi breathlessly. "You're kidding me!"

"Keep it up you guys!" said Jadite. "Push yourselves to be fit and all of you girls will end up gorgeous!"

Harusuke groaned as he lifted up the barbel just finishing a second set of ten reps. Naru who was pedaling on the bicycle as fast as she could happened to see him and she was amazed.

"Wow Harusuke! You're so strong!" she said.

Harusuke then set down the barbel and wiped the sweat his head. "It's no big deal," he said.

Then Naru looked around and noticed something as she looked around. A certain someone was missing.

"Hey. Where did Usagi get to?" she asked.

"Last I checked, she was on the rowing machine," said Satsuki who had just finished a rep on the pec deck.

"I think I might know," said Harusuke as he got up. "I'll go check on her. After I cool down for a bit."

Then Harusuke left.

"All right girls," said Jadeite. "I don't wanna see you all slacking off. You want to be beautiful don't you? I can already tell that you three have lots of potential."

Naru, Satsuki, and Yumi blushed and feeling motivated from Jadeite's coaching pushed themselves harder. After a while Jadeite addressed the girls giving them a break.

"All right! That's enough for today," he said. "You all worked really hard today, so as a reward I'll show you the pride of our gym. The Shape Ray."

"The Shape Ray?" asked Naru. "What's that?"

"Come with me and you'll see," said Jadeite.

He led the three downstairs into a another room. Inside it was somewhat dark and creepy and in the middle of it was five strange looking pods that had strange tendrils like vines coming out from their tops leading to a strange orb that glowed in white. Needless to say the three girls were a little nervous about the pods.

"There's no reason to be afraid," reassured Jadeite. "Step in here for about five minutes, and you'll lose weight and be in the fittest you've ever been in your entire life!"

The girls faces immediately brightened with amazement.

"That's gotta be how Ms. Haruna was able to lose weight!" said Naru. "I'm going in!"

"In that case, count me in too!" said Yumi.

"Me too!" chimed in Satsuki.

Then the three stepped into the pods and let them do their magic in taking away their weight. However this was not all together true. In truth Jadeite was draining their energy. After a few minutes in the pods the girls stepped out, but they looked very pale and weak.

"Oh man... I feel... so..." began Naru.

"So tired," finished Yumi.

"But it's worth it right?" asked Jadeite. "Granted that tiredness is a small price to pay, but now you've become more gorgeous that before. And if you come back tomorrow, you'll be even more gorgeous. How does that sound?"

The girls smiled agreeing with Jadeite.

"OK. We'll be back tomorrow," they said as they left the room.

Jadeite smiled darkly as he watched the three leave. Then after making sure that he was alone, he transformed back to his normal self and contacted Queen Beryl. A projection of her appeared before him.

"Jadeite are you there?" she asked.

"Yes I am here Queen Beryl," he responded.

"How is everything going?" she asked.

"Everything is going fine my queen," he said. "We are gathering a large amount of human energy as we speak so there's no need to worry. "These foolish girls are determined to lose weight no matter what, so I'm sure that this plan will be a complete success.

"I see," said Queen Beryl. "Very good. Carry on as planned then."

"Yes my Queen," said Jadeite as the projection of Queen Beryl disappeared. Then he held out his hand and a large glowing ball of energy appeared making him chuckle in triumph. "What strong energy. And all because these girls are willing to shorten their lives just to lose weight. With this much energy, we'll be able to revive our Great Ruler in no time!"

* * *

Meanwhile Harusuke was still looking for Usagi and he had a hunch about where she was. As he did, he couldn't help but still be worried about her sister.

"I know I said I'd come along with her," he thought. "But I'm worried that Usagi might be pushing herself too hard. Especially since that she didn't eat a thing today."

He came to a room with a large sign that read: "Spa Room. Being polite." Harusuke gave a light knock on the door.

"Usagi? Are you in there?" he called.

"Yes," responded Usagi. "Is that you Harusuke?"

"Yeah it's me," said Harusuke. "Is everything OK in there?"

"Yes. Everything's fine," said Usagi. "I'm just soaking in the bath in here. I'll be out in a second."

After a while, Usagi came out of the spa and she and Harusuke walked back to the equipment room. She looked very tired.

"Boy did I need that," said Usagi. "I never thought it was possible to be so tired. It sure is tough being fit."

"Well nobody said that being fit was easy," said Harusuke. "Until then, you up for doing some more?"

Usagi hesitated not sure how to responded, but then when Harusuke and Usagi came back to the equipment room, they were surprised to find that the room was completely empty. Naru, Yumi, and Satsuki were nowhere to be seen.

"What the..." said Harusuke. "Where are Naru and the others?"

"I don't know," said Usagi. "They're not here."

The Jadeite appeared now wearing his gym instructor uniform once again. "If you're looking for your friends they went home already. They were tired from all the exercise they did so they decided to get some rest."

"What?! They went home?!" exclaimed Usagi. "Without telling us? No fair!"

"Well I guess that they were tired," said Harusuke. "No helping that. To be honest, I'm feeling a little beat myself. It's getting a little late anyway so why don't we go home and get some rest too Usagi? "

"Ok..." pouted Usagi.

Then Harusuke and Usagi left the gym with Jadeite watching as they left.

* * *

Soon enough, Harusuke and Usagi got dressed in their normal clothes and were walking home just passing by the arcade. Usagi was still complaining.

"I can't believe Naru and the others just left us behind like that," she grumped. "Some friends they turned out to be. Not only that, but I'm hungry too. I bet Sailor V never had to worry about these kind of things."

"It's all right Usagi. They were probably so tired that they forgot to tell us," said Harusuke. "No need to get upset. Plus that's what happens when you skip Breakfast and Lunch. I understand that you want to lose weight, but skipping those things is not the way to go about it. Understand?"

Then Harusuke noticed that Usagi wasn't walking next to him anymore. At first he wondered where she was, but then he looked behind him to see that Usagi was now walking in a slow crawl looking like she was about to fall over.

"Usagi!" cried Harusuke as he rushed to catch her before she fell. "Watch out!"

Luckily someone had caught Usagi before she fell to the ground. It was Motoki.

"Usagi! Are you alright?!" he asked. "You almost fell down!"

"Motoki..." murmured Usagi.

Harusuke then rushed up to the two. "Nice save Motoki," he said.

"Harusuke. Is your sister sick or something?" asked Motoki. "Should I call the hospital?"

Before Harusuke could respond, Usagi then interrupted. "No thanks... I'd much rather... go to a restaurant... I... haven't... eaten... since... yesterday..."

She then passed out in Motoki's arms.

* * *

 _"This feels like dream..." sighed Usagi as she basked in the warmth in Motoki's arms. "Motoki is actually holding me..."_

 _"Usagi? Usagi are you all right?" asked Motoki._

 _"Yes... I think so," said Usagi._

 _"Good. Just be strong," said Motoki. "Hopefully the energy of love will help you recover as quick as you can."_

 _"The energy... of love?" wonder Usagi._

 _"That's right," smiled Motoki. "My love for you."_

 _"Motoki..." gasped Usagi lovingly as Motoki inched closer and closer to her going for a kiss. "Oh I'm so happy to be alive right now."_

 _Then just as Motoki's lips was going to make contact with Usagi's..._

* * *

"Usagi? Usagi?"

"Come on Usagi! Hang in there!"

Then Usagi's eyes opened as she found herself inside the employee's room of the Game Center with a can of hot chocolate pressed on her lips. She immediately blushed a bright shade of red finding herself not in a fantasy anymore.

"Thank goodness! You had us worried Usagi!" said Harusuke.

"Wha...? What happened?" wondered Usagi as she looked around. "Did I pass out?"

"Yeah. Me and Harusuke carried you here in the Game Center. Glad you're feeling better now," smiled Motoki. "But... what did you mean you haven't eaten since yesterday? Don't tell me that you failed on a test so bad that your Mom refused to feed you for a day or something."

"Of course not!" said Harusuke and Usagi together.

Then Usagi explained. "I just thought that I'd go on a little diet is all," she said.

Motoki stared at Usagi. Then he laughed. "A diet? You got to be kidding me!"

"Hey! It's not that funny!" cried Usagi her eyes slightly welling up in tears.

Motoki then calmed down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing, but there's really no need for you to do that Usagi. Where on earth did you get such an idea? If anything you could stand to gain some weight."

"You think so?" asked Usagi.

"Of course," smiled Motoki. "Besides, I find curvy people to be much more attractive. I mean why would a girl would want to be nothing but skin and bones?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell her," said Harusuke. "And I still don't get why people would want to be that way."

Usagi then smiled widely now feeling much more better. "Oh wow! Thank you Motoki! You're the best!" She then turned to Harusuke. "Hey Harusuke! Let's go to the shop and buy some pork buns! I'm starving!"

Then before Harusuke could speak or react, Usagi grabbed him by the arm and then dragged him away leaving Motoki speechless.

* * *

Not long after that, Usagi and Harusuke just left the store with a bag of pork buns which Usagi was happily eating.

"Yummy!" she said between bites. "You can't go wrong with pork puns!"

"Slow down Usagi," chided Harusuke. "If you keep eating that quickly, you're going to choke."

"Come on Harusuke! Live a little," said Usagi. "After all I'm young and it's OK to carry a little extra weight."

Harusuke could only sigh, but he smiled a little too. "Well at least she's eating again," he thought. "Not to mention she looks a lot more cheerful now. I'm glad. Hopefully nothing else will make her feel bad about eating again."

"Well, well what do we have here?" said a voice. "Is this what they call cannibalism? A bun-head eating a pork bun?"

Usagi and Harusuke looked and saw the last person they wanted to see come up to them. It was the casually dressed boy with the black hair. He was now wearing "a suit and had a pair of black sunglasses.

"Oh just leave me alone!" snapped Usagi. "What do you care what I eat anyway? It has nothing to do with you!"

"If you keep eating like that, you might just turn into a pork bun," retorted the boy.

"Hey. That's not very nice," said Harusuke.

"Yeah! Shut up!" said Usagi as she then grabbed a pork bun and threw it right at the boy. However the boy caught the pork bun with ease.

"What a catch!" he said as he took a bite and walked away. "Thanks for this. It'll be one less bun for you to eat bun-head.

"Geez! What a jerk!" grumbled Usagi crumpling up the now empty bag. "He gets me so mad!"

"Just ignore him Usagi," soothed Harusuke. "He's just likes to tease you."

"He kinda does have a point though," said a voice. "If you keep eating like that, then you're just gonna have to work even harder to stay fit and you'll probably turn into pig."

Harusuke and Usagi looked behind them to see that Luna had appeared on top of a mailbox.

"Shut it Luna!" snapped Usagi as she threw the crumpled up bag at Luna causing her to jump off the mailbox. "I don't really care what you or anyone else has to say. Motoki told me that I'm pretty just the way I am."

"That may be so, but maybe you're going about this the wrong way Usagi," said Luna.

"How do you figure Luna?" wondered Harusuke.

"Well Motoki said that he prefers curvy girls," said Luna. "But he never said anything about girls going too far the other way if you catch my drift."

Usagi gulped her face turning slightly pale.

"Luna. You're not exactly helping with the problem you know," said Harusuke flatly.

"Never mind that now," said Luna. "There's an even bigger problem that's come up!"

"What is it?" asked Harusuke.

"It's about Ms. Haruna and the other girls," said Luna. "They've all been acting very strange lately. She looks very thin."

"What's so bad about that? Usagi and I just saw her the other day and she looks OK to me," said Harusuke.

"You don't understand what I'm saying," said Luna looking serious. "She looks so thin that it's to a point where she's practically wasting away into nothing! She's become nothing but skin and bones! Literally!"

Harusuke's eyes widened. "What?! Are you sure?"

"Yes. And it's not just her," continued Luna. "A lot of the people who have gone to Shapelin to work out have become way too thin as well. Something's definitely going on in that gym!"

"Sounds to me that the enemy's back with a new plan," said Harusuke. "And Ms. Haruna and the others are once again in the middle of it. We better go to Shapelin and investigate. Right Usagi?"

Usagi was not paying attention. She was muttering to herself visualizing how big she will get after eating so many pork buns.

"Oh no!" she shrieked. "I ate six pork buns and now I'm gonna get super fat!"

"Hey! Usagi! Are you listening?!" cried Luna.

"Of course I am!" said Usagi. "It's Shapelin! I get it! Shapelin is the only thing that will save me from becoming a fatty nightmare!"

She then shot to her feet and then dashed away.

"Usagi! That's not what we're saying!" said Luna. "Come back here!"

But it was no use. Usagi had already raced into the distance.

"Oh brother..." sighed Luna.

"You do realize that this is kinda your fault right Luna?" said Harusuke. "No thanks to your big mouth, now Usagi is back to trying to lose weight again."

"Well it's true," said Luna. "I was only stating the facts."

"Well Usagi was better off not hearing them," said Harusuke. "Now come on. We gotta head to Shapelin and try and stop her before she faints again!"

And then Harusuke and Luna raced off heading towards Shapelin.

* * *

Soon enough Luna and Harusuke arrived at Shapelin. Luna and Harusuke looked through the window hoping to find Usagi in there. Sure enough they saw her. She was on exercise bicycle pedaling as if her life depended on it.

"Must get fit, must get it, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit, must get fit!" she chanted to herself as she pedaled faster and faster.

Everyone who was watching her was either disturbed or just plain baffled. Harusuke and Luna only sighed.

"I swear she's utterly hopeless," said Luna face-pawing herself. "I'm not sure if I can watch this anymore."

"I'll say this much, she sure can pedal," said Harusuke. "However if she keeps pedaling on the bike like that, she's gonna end up breaking it."

Then Harusuke happened to see someone walking by in the halls that made his eyes go wide. There was Ms. Haruna who looked very horrible. Her skin was so thin that her bones were showing. Her face looked very pale and she had a look in her eyes that made her look like some kind of zombie. Luna saw her too.

"Luna! Do you see what I see!?" cried Harusuke.

"Yes! It's Ms. Haruna," said Luna. "She really does look like skin and bones now! I wonder where she's going?"

"I don't know, but we gotta find out," said Harusuke. "Let's follow her."

Harusuke and Luna then entered the building and followed Ms. Haruna until she led them downstairs into the room where the five pods were.

"Man... this place is giving me the creeps," said Harusuke.

"I know. I don't really like it either," said Luna.

Then suddenly a bright light caught their attention. Harusuke and Luna then slowly and quietly walked down the steps. When they reached the bottom, a horrible sight awaited them. Ms. Haruna was standing in one of the pods having her energy drained from her while Jadeite watched with an evil smile on his face.

"This young woman's energy is at an end," he said to himself. "We'll finish draining her today and then soon she'll grow weak and die."

Harusuke and Luna's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no!" gasped Luna. "This is terrible!"

"We have to get Usagi right now!" said Harusuke urgently. "We need Solaris and Sailor Moon!"

Meanwhile Usagi was still pedaling on the exercise bicycle. Then Harusuke came bursting into the room.

"Usagi! You have to come with me right now!" he said. "It's an emergency!"

"Not right now Harusuke!" said Usagi. "I have to keep losing weight!"

"Usagi! I'm serious! You get off that machine right now!" cried Harusuke.

"No way! Not until I'll burn all of these calories!" refused Usagi as she continued to pedal.

"That's it! I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice!" said Harusuke. "Get her Luna!"

Luna then raced into the room and pounced on Usagi. Usagi was so surprised that she fell right off the bicycle and onto the floor with Luna on her lap.

"Hey! What's the big idea Luna?!" demanded Usagi.

Luna only answered with a mocking meow. She then jumped off Usagi's lap and raced out of the room with Harusuke. Feeling irritated with what Luna did, Usagi followed right behind them in hot pursuit.

"I'm gonna get you for that Luna!" she yelled.

She followed Luna and Harusuke until they came to a deserted dark hallway. Then suddenly Luna pounced out from the darkness right at Usagi causing her to fall flat on her back with Luna on her chest.

"Hey! Get off of me!" cried Usagi.

Luna glared at Usagi and extended her claws and pointed them dangerously at Usagi.

"Quit your yowling and listen to me and Harusuke!" she snapped. "And if you give us any grief, your face is gonna pay the price! Get it?!"

"Take it easy Luna," said Harusuke. "You're starting to scare even me right now." Then he turned to Usagi. "Listen Usagi. Ms. Haruna is danger! Jadeite's draining the energy out of her as we speak! If we don't do something now, she's going to die!"

"So you and Harusuke need to transform right now and save her!" said Luna.

"What?!" squeaked Usagi. "But... it's so sudden!"

"Shut up and just do it!" snapped Luna and Harusuke together.

"All right! All right! I get it already!" whimpered Usagi. "Actually I don't get it at all!"

Then Usagi and Harusuke immediately transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLARIS GUARDIAN POWER FLARE ON!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Back in the pod room downstairs, Ms. Haruna was on the brink of dying as more and more energy was being sucked out.

"Just a little bit more," said Jadeite. "Just a little bit more till we reach our goal."

"Stop right there Jadeite!"

"And release Ms. Haruna at once!"

Jadeite snapped his head towards the direction of the voices which were coming from the staircase. Standing there were Sailor Moon and Solaris. He then smirked.

"So it's you two again," he said.

"How dare you prey on the dreams of people only want to stay fit!" glared Sailor Moon.

"That alone is unforgivable and makes you an enemy to men and women alike!" added Solaris.

"I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice!"

"I'm Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm Solaris!"

"And now in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I"ll scorch you!"

"Heh. What a couple of impudent brats," sneered Jadeite. "Get them!"

Then the instructors from the gym which turned out to be Jadeite's servants appeared from out of nowhere. They were bigger than before and looked ready to crush them. One of them having a dumbbell in his hand, raised it up and swung it down towards Sailor Moon.

"Watch out Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris.

Luckily Sailor Moon jumped out of the way just in the knick of time. Then another one Jadeite's servants snuck up behind her, but Solaris came flying and gave him a sharp kick to his chin. It managed to knock the giant back a little, but the brute shrugged it off. The three servants then managed to circle around Sailor Moon and Solaris trapping the two.

"Oh no! They got us surrounded!" cried Sailor Moon.

"I know!" said Solaris. "But we must stand our ground!"

"Well done my servants!" said Jadeite with the ball of energy he stole in his hand. "Go ahead and finish them off!" He then disappeared taking the energy with him.

"No! He got away!" cried Solaris. "That coward!"

"Never mind that now!" cried Sailor Moon. "We have to do something about these guys! Luna! Any ideas?!"

"They're being controlled by the headbands they have on their heads!" yelled Luna. "If you can destroy them, you'll be safe!"

"How are we supposed to do that?!" cried Usagi trying to run away. "I'm too scared!"

"Stay strong Sailor Moon!" said Solaris. "We have to do this no matter what! Otherwise Ms. Haruna won't last much longer!"

Then Luna had an idea to make Sailor Moon to fight. "Sailor Moon! If you do this, it'll be a great way to lose weight!"

Sailor Moon looked at Luna. "Wait... what did you just say?"

"I said that if you fight these guys, it'll help you get into shape!" Luna said.

Sailor Moon then stopped and her face shone with newly found confidence. "All right then! I'll do it!"

Sailor Moon turned around and stared down at the servants. One of them lunged at her, but Sailor Moon dashed forward and gave him a wicked punch right in the gut stunning it.

"Sweat once and get fit!"

She then jumped up and dive-bomb kicked another servant right at it's jaw.

"Sweat twice and get even more fit!"

Finally for the third, it made another attempt to hit Sailor Moon with the dumbbell, but Sailor Moon sidestepped the blow and grabbed the servant by it's arm and performed a powerful judo throw.

"Sweat three times and I can do anything!"

Sailor Moon stood tall as all three of the servants were now stunned.

"Never mess with a girl's will to get into shape!" she said grinning.

Solaris could only gape in shock for what Sailor Moon had just did. He was surprised, but at the same he was proud.

"Nice going Sailor Moon!" he said. "I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Thanks Solaris!" said Sailor Moon. "Now hurry! You take out that orb draining Ms. Haruna! While I finish these guys."

"How am I supposed to do that?" asked Solaris. "I don't have an attack like you with your Moon Tiara Action."

"Yes you do Solaris," said Luna. "You have an attack that utilizes your power of the sun and of light."

"You're kidding! How do I do it?" asked Solaris.

"Concentrate your energy to your hands until a ball of light appears. Then punch it while aiming at the orb and shout 'Sunshine Meteor.' "

"You got it Luna," nodded Solaris. "Let's finish this Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon nodded too. "Yeah!"

Sailor Moon took off her tiara transforming it into a white disk once more. Solaris clapped his hands together and pulled them apart creating an ball of shining yellow energy taking aim at the orb while clenching his fist.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Sailor Moon then flung her disc attack hitting all three of the servants headbands destroying them instantly. Solaris punched the ball of light making it zoom through the air like it was a meteor. It hit the orb with a bang and the orb was destroyed instantly setting Ms. Haruna free from the pod.

"All right! We did it!" cheered Sailor Moon. "And that really was a workout!"

"Yeah we did! That was awesome!" smiled Solaris.

Then the instructors as well as Ms. Haruna regained conscious and were confused not remembering what had happened.

"What the... what are we doing here? What's going on?" they wondered.

"Looks like we better go," said Sailor Moon. "Let's go Solaris."

"Coming," Solaris replied.

Then Sailor Moon, Solaris, and Luna left leaving the gym behind them.

* * *

Back in the Dark Dimension, Jadeite had managed to return safely with the energy he stole and was now feeding the energy to Queen Beryl's scepter. Queen Beryl was pleased.

"Well done Jadeite," she said. "You've done very well to gather this much human energy for our ruler. I think you could call your plan mostly a success."

"Thank you my queen," bowed Jadeite. Then he spoke to himself. "And next time, I'll get that Sailor Moon and Solaris!"

* * *

Later that night, Usagi was soaking in the bath after a long day.

"This feels nice," she said.

Then she heard Ikuko call out to her outside of the bathroom.

"Usagi! I put out a towel for you," she said.

"Thank you Mom!" said Usagi.

Then Ikuko left the bathroom. Harusuke and Shingo were waiting outside.

"Hey Harusuke I wanted to ask you; how's Ms. Haruna doing?" asked Ikuko. "I heard she wasn't feeling well."

"She's fine Mom," said Harusuke. "She was just suffering from a little malnutrition from her diet, so she's taking the week off. But she'll be back to teaching in no time at all."

"Well that's good," said Ikuko. "But still she suffered quite the ordeal."

"You know Mom," said Shingo. "I really don't think you should go on a diet either. Nor you Harusuke."

"Yes. I agree," said Ikuko. "You should be careful about that. Usagi and Harusuke as well."

"Don't worry about that Mom," said Harusuke. "I have no intention going on something like that."

"One thing's for sure," smiled Shingo. "It seems that Usagi's finally back to normal."

"How do you figure that?" asked Harusuke.

Then suddenly, there was a loud scream that came from inside the bathroom. Ikuko was surprsed as was Harusuke, but Shingo only smiled.

"That's how," he said.

In the bathroom, Usagi was now once again wrapped in a towel sobbing after she had just weighed herself.

"How can this be?!" she wept. "I gained weight?! But how could I when I've exercised so much!? Why me?!

The road to a fit body for a woman was indeed a long, hard, and complicated route.

* * *

 _If you liked what you read, don't forget to fav, follow, review, or PM me!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	6. Chapter 5

It was late at night at the Tsukino residence. Everyone was fast asleep. Usagi in particular was having a dream.

* * *

 _Usagi was running for her life from what appeared to be some kind of formless monster which was now gaining on her._

 _"No! Please! Stay away from me!" cried Usagi. "Someone help me!"_

 _The monster closed in on her and Usagi shut her eyes thinking that she was done for when suddenly someone came to her rescue. A familiar face that wore a tuxedo with a top hat, white glasses, and a cape while holding a red rose._

 _"Tuxedo Mask!" cheered Usagi. "You came!"_

 _Using the rose, Tuxedo Mask unleashed a gust of flower petals at the monster making it disappear completely. Usagi then ran into her hero's arms as he embraced her back._

 _"You're my hero Tuxedo Mask," she said dreamily._

 _"Have no fear Usagi my darling," said Tuxedo Mask. "Whenever you need me, I'll always be by your side."_

 _Usagi sighed thinking that this was the best thing that ever happened to her, but then suddenly she heard a loud scream. At the same time, Tuxedo Mask began to fade until he disappeared entirely._

* * *

Usagi slowly opened her eyes and at that same moment another scream rung in her ears causing her to cover them. She also knew who was the cause of all the screaming.

"Darn that stupid Shingo!" she grumbled as she got out of bed. "He totally just ruined my dream!"

She stomped down the hall heading for Shingo's room. Harusuke was walking down the hall heading for Shingo's room as well looking slightly groggy.

"He woke you up too?" asked Harusuke.

"Yeah and right in the middle of a dream too," said Usagi. "It's too early in the morning for this!"

"Well we better go see what's going on," said Harusuke. "Hopefully Shingo's OK."

Usagi then opened the door just in time for Shingo to scream again.

"What the heck is there a cat in my room?!" he cried. "Get away!"

He then threw a pillow which happened to hit Usagi square in the face.

"Hey! What did you do that for?!" she said clearly angry.

"Usagi! Harusuke! Get that cat out of here right now!" Shingo yelled now curled up in a ball trembling like a leaf.

Harusuke then saw Luna who had suddenly appeared right next to his feet. He then understood what was going on.

"Oh. So that's it," he said. "I forgot that Shingo is afraid of cats. Luna must have snuck into his bed or something."

"Oh yeah..." said Usagi who now had a mischievous smile on her face.

She then picked up Luna and then held her in front of Shingo making Shingo shriek in terror.

"Stop it!" he yelled turning away from Luna.

Usagi wouldn't listen. She only held out Luna closer to Shingo which made him more and more terrified. Harusuke was starting to get annoyed.

"Now that's enough Usagi," he said sternly. "Stop picking on Shingo."

"Oh alright," said Usagi. "But only if he promises to stop bothering his smart and incredibly beautiful big sister."

Then Ikuko called out from downstairs. "Kids! Time for Breakfast!"

"Coming!" said Usagi as she raced down the stairs being the glutton that she was.

"Hold on Usagi! Wait up!" said Harusuke as he followed suit.

Shingo looked to make sure that Luna wasn't in his room and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Safe at last," he said.

* * *

Soon enough the entire Tsukino family was sitting at the table eating Breakfast.

"What were you kids arguing about so early in the morning?" asked Ikuko. "We heard quite the racket."

"It was nothing Mom," said Harusuke as he ate his toast. "Just Usagi and Shingo getting at it again with me having to break them up."

Then Kenji noticed Luna who was drinking from a small saucer filled with milk.

"Hey Usagi. Harusuke. Is that the same black cat we saw that other day?" he asked.

"Yup," said Usagi. "Her name is Luna."

"Then that makes her perfect for Usagi," muttered Shingo as he drank his milk. "They're both pushy and equally obnoxious."

"Then I guess that means you'll be spending more time with her considering that she's decided to sleep in your room," said Usagi cheekily.

Shingo immediately spit his milk back into his cup. "What?!You have to be kidding! I didn't say she could there! She just barged in!" he snapped.

Usagi ignored Shingo and turned to her parents. "Anyway, now that Luna's met everyone, is it OK that we keep her?" she asked.

"No way!" refused Shingo.

"Yes way!" Usagi shot back.

"No way, no way, no way!" Shingo yelled not backing down.

"Yes way, yes way, yes way, YES WAY!" Usagi yelled right into Shingo ear causing him to fall down from the ringing in his ears.

Harusuke shook his head. "Oh Shingo. When are you going to learn that Usagi's the better person when it comes to yelling?"

"I'm still... voting... one hundred... percent no..." said Shingo dizzily as he shakily sat back in his seat.

"It's all right with me," said Kenji. "I'm all right for keeping her." He turned to his wife. "What about you honey?"

"Well personally I think that we should let the kids work it out themselves," said Ikuko.

"You can't be serious," said Usagi and Shingo frowning.

"I think she is," said Harusuke.

* * *

Usagi and Harusuke were now walking to school with Luna beside them.

"Well this certainly became a complicated morning," said Harusuke. "And all because Shingo's got a classic case of Ailurophobia."

"What does that mean?" asked Usagi.

"Long story short, it means fear of cats," said Harusuke. "Speaking of which, why were you Shingo's room anyway Luna? You could have just slept with me."

"Well I've been so busy with work lately and I was exhausted," explained Luna. "I just went into the wrong room is all. An honest mistake."

"Work? What kind of work?" asked Usagi. "Were you out chasing mice or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" chuckled Luna. "I was actually out looking and finding some information on the Moon Princess."

"Moon...pudding?" wondered Usagi.

Harusuke and Luna sweatdropped.

"No Usagi. I'm pretty sure she said Moon Princess," said Harusuke flatly.

Then Usagi and Harusuke came to the gates at their school.

"Anyway, see if you can make Shingo like you," said Usagi. "And try and get him on your good side."

"I'll do my best," said Luna.

"Goodbye! And good luck Luna," called Harusuke.

Then Usagi and Harusuke entered the school gates ready to start another day at school leaving Luna by herself. She then started back home walking along the sidewalk. As she walked along, she tried to think of a way to get Shingo to like her, but she couldn't think of anything. Then she happened to come across a pet shop. There were lots of people admiring all the many different animals that were there. Luna then had an idea.

"I know!" thought Luna. "This pet store can probably give me an idea of how to get Shingo to like me."

She then looked at a Mom and her daughter admiring a cute brown cat which was licking the little girl's finger.

"Adorable!" said the mom.

"Look mommy," the little girl giggled. "She's licking my finger. How cute!"

"So that's how you do it," thought Luna as she looked on. "That could probably work. I'll go give it a shot when Shingo's done with school."

And then Luna set off heading towards Shingo's school.

* * *

In the Dark Dimension, Jadeite was once more kneeling before Queen Beryl as she focused on her scepter circling her hands around the large crystal ball on it.

"Well Jadeite, have you devised a new strategy to gather more human energy for our great ruler?" asked Queen Beryl.

"Yes I have Queen Beryl," replied Jadeite. "The monster Iguaura has already made preparations."

"Good," said Queen Beryl. "Those foolish humans possess some form of ridiculous wants and desires. By merely providing a small catalyst to activate them, we can cause those desires to spill out as a mass of energy."

"Yes," smiled Jadeite. "And once we do, we will be able to take it all... all for our great ruler!"

"That's right," said Queen Beryl. "But proceed carefully Jadeite. Is that understood?"

"Yes my queen," said Jadeite as he vanished into the air to proceed with the plan.

* * *

Meanwhile in the middle of their break, Usagi and Harusuke were discussing Shingo's fear of cats to Naru.

"What? Shingo doesn't like cats?" wondered Naru. "You're kidding."

"Yup it's true," said Usagi. "When he was just a baby, a cat from somewhere in the neighborhood bit him on the tip of his nose. And ever since then he's been afraid and he hasn't been able to get over his fear of them."

"You really can't blame him though," said Harusuke. "If I got bitten on the nose by a cat, I'd be scared of them too."

Just then Umino popped up. "Oh that's nothing! When I was nothing, but a toddler, an alligator practically swallowed me whole," he said.

Usagi and Naru were surprised while Harusuke raised a brow.

"What?! An alligator?! You're kidding!" said Usagi with slight shock for hearing such an encounter.

"Are you sure you're not just making it up Umino?" asked Harusuke.

"No seriously!" said Umino. "It was a strange accident though. I'm sure that my Mother just forgot to close the latch when she set it down."

"Wait a minute... close the latch to what?!" asked Naru who was now baffled.

"Umino..." said Usagi her eyebrow twitching with irritation. "Are you sure that you're not just talking about an alligator handbag rather than an alligator?"

"Oh..." said Umino nodding. "Maybe that was it."

"Umino...!" the girls growled in annoyance.

"I knew it must have been something crazy," shrugged Harusuke. "Oh well. That's Umino for you."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Juban Public Elementary School, Luna was waiting on top of the gate just as the school was being let out. She looked around searching for a certain someone. Soon enough she saw him. Shingo was just walking out towards the front gate about to head for home. Wanting to try to get him to like her based on from what she saw from the pet store, she leaped off the gate and onto Shingo's shoulder giving him a loving meow licking his face. However this had the opposite effect. Shingo screamed with fright thrashing about trying to get Luna off of him.

"Well that didn't go well..." thought Luna as she leaped off Shingo's shoulder and ran off.

Shingo sat there dazed and surprised until a young girl went up to him. She wore a white dress that went to her knees with a blue apron, had long brown hair that went past her shoulders with small blue bows in it, and had bright blue eyes. She was Mika Kayama, a classmate of Shingo's and also Shingo's biggest crush.

Mika saw that Shingo didn't look well, so she came over to see that he was alright.

"Shingo? Shingo are you OK?" she asked lightly shaking him.

Shingo then came around as he instinctively looked to see if Luna had gone. "That cat? Where's the cat?" he asked still a little dazed.

Then he saw Mika standing above him. His cheeks flushed bright pink.

"Shingo? Are you alright?" asked Mika. "Are you sick or something?"

Shingo immediately sprang up to his feet. "N-no! I'm fine Mika! Don't worry about me!" he said.

Mika giggled. "You're so funny Shingo," she said. "Hey. Do you wanna walk home together?"

"S-sure," said Shingo. "Let's go."

Then as Shingo and Mika walked home, Mika wanted to know why Shingo was in the state he was and then Shingo explained.

"Oh I see," said Mika. "You're not really an animal person huh?"

"Not really. I would be OK with a different kind of pet," said Shingo. "But it has to be anything except a cat."

"Oh yeah? Then I might have an idea of a pet that's perfect for you," said Mika brightly.

"What's that?" wondered Shingo.

"There's a new pet shop that recently opened in town," explained Mika. "I say we go check it out. Come on!"

"Oh... OK," said Shingo doubtfully as he followed.

Then Mika and Shingo came to large building with large letters that said: PET SHOP PERFUME. Then they walked inside. When they came in, a strange but sweet smell entered their noses.

"Wow... this smells good," said Mika. "Don't you think so Shingo?"

"It sure does," agreed Shingo. "It smells just like perfume. I wonder where it's coming from?"

"It's actually coming from these little guys," said Mika.

She then showed him an strange animal. They appeared to be gerbils in appearance, but they had long ears like rabbits and also came in three colors: pink, blue, yellow. Shingo was amazed by the sight of them. Then a young woman who was the shopkeeper came up to them.

"Hello there," she said. "I take it that you're interested in a Chanela?"

"A Chanela?" wondered Shingo. "Is that what these are?"

"Yes. These Chanelas are cute creatures that emit a perfume-like scent," explained the woman. "And also, each one gives off a different and unique scent depending on the color you pick."

Shingo looked back at the Chanela in front of him that was pink and smiled. "All right! I'll take this Chanela," he said as he took it out of it's cage.

"And I'll take one too," said Mika also taking it out one from it's cage. "But these must be expensive right?"

"Don't worry about it," smiled the woman. "You can pay me whatever or whenever you like."

"Really? That's awesome!" said Shingo.

"Thank you very much," said Mika.

And with that, Shingo and Mika left the store with their new Chanelas and they both set off for home. On their way back, they walked past a little puppy who appeared to be homeless digging through the trash. Then the puppy saw Shingo and Mika walk by. It happily panted upon seeing them and caught up to them yipping and yapping trying to get their attention, but Shingo and Mika paid no mind to it.

"They smell so good..." said Mika petting her Chanela.

"I know," said Shingo. "As long as I have a Chanela, there's nothing else I'll ever need."

The puppy then gave up letting out a disappointed whine.

There was a reason why Shingo and Mika were now acting the way they were. Jadeite was once again up to his old tricks using the Chanelas as a way to drain the energy from the people who fell under their spell and Shingo and Mika just became two of his latest victims. As another large ball of energy materialized from his hand, he smirked with triumph as he felt happy knowing that his plan won't go interrupted.

* * *

At the Tsunkino residence when Harusuke and Usagi came home, they met up with Luna in Usagi's room who then explained to Usagi and Harusuke her recent failure.

"So you couldn't get him to like huh? That's a shame," said Usagi.

"Well... nobody said that is was going to be easy," said Harusuke. "We just have to give it time that's all."

"You know... It isn't that of a big deal for me to live with you guys as a pet," said Luna. "It's really OK."

Usagi looked at Luna deeply shocked. "Luna! That's not like you at all to give up so easily!" she said sounding a bit outraged. "You're the one lecturing me and Harusuke about working harder at our mission, so it's time that you lead by example."

"Wow Usagi... I never thought I'd say this, but you actually made a good point for once," said Harusuke. "I don't know if I should be proud or shocked by this."

Luna rolled her eyes. Just then Shingo came into the room holding the Chanela in his arms. Luna walked up to Shingo putting on her cutest face and mowing.

"That's the way Luna," encouraged Usagi whispering.

"You can do this," chimed in Harusuke.

Then Shingo did the unthinkable. He glared at Luna and gave her a sharp kick sending her flying. Luna wasn't hurt, but Usagi was horrified and Harusuke was shocked.

"Shingo?! What the heck do you think you're doing!?" he exclaimed.

Shingo then showed off the Chanela in his hands. "Starting today, this Chanela is my pet; my only pet! So hurry and get rid of that cat!" he said

"That doesn't give you the right to kick Luna like that!" said Harusuke angrily.

Usagi's eyes then started to well up with tears much to Harusuke and Shingo's horror. She then sank to her knees and then started crying very loudly.

"Shingo kicked Luna!" she wailed. "Why are you being so mean to her?!"

Usagi's crying was so loud that everyone in the room covered their ears. Shingo not wanting to hear anymore left the room covering his ears. Usagi wouldn't stop crying until Luna gave her a reassuring lick on her hand which caused her to look at her.

"It's okay Usagi," she said. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure Luna?" asked Harusuke worriedly. "You're not hurt or anything are you?"

"Don't worry Harusuke. Really. I'm fine," said Luna. "I may be a cat, but I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"We're still so sorry that Shingo did that to you," said Usagi wiping her tears.

Then the three heard Ikuko call from downstairs. "Usagi! Harusuke! I've made some tea!"

Usagi then immediately brightened up smiling ear to ear. "We're coming!" she called back as she raced downstairs leaving Luna and Harusuke once again baffled by her reaction.

"Well she recovered pretty quickly," said Luna.

"No kidding," said Harusuke.

Then the family sat at the table for tea. Ikuko and Kenji couldn't help but notice that the Chanela Shingo was holding on her shoulder.

"What is that Shingo?" asked Kenji. "Some kind of rabbit?"

"No. It's called a Chanela," said Shingo. "And it's my new pet."

"I must admit, it really smells nice," said Ikuko.

"Yeah right? And not only that, but it's easy to take care of too," said Shingo as he petted the Chanela. "It doesn't need to be fed or anything like that."

"Wow," said Kenji. "Now that's what I call an economical and money saving pet."

Harusuke raised a brow at this, but he didn't say anything as did. Usagi didn't say anything either. She was too busy munching on a cookie anyway.

"Well... I have to admit, that little guy's pretty cute," she said.

"Well here's an idea. Why don't we keep both Luna and the Chanela?" suggested Kenji.

"I agree," said Ikuko. "That sounds like a good idea."

"No way!" said Shingo defiantly as he got up and left the room. "Never!"

Harusuke watched as Shingo left leaving their parents surprised at his reaction.

"Something's definitely going on with Shingo," he thought to himself. "I know that he doesn't like cats, but this is a bit much. I wonder what could be wrong with him?"

* * *

Later that night, Shingo went straight into his room. He moved his things off of his desk and placed the Chanela in the middle of it. He sat down and then stared at the Chanela lovingly.

"You're so cute..." he said lovingly.

* * *

The next morning things were no better. Usagi and Harusuke woke up to go to school and Harusuke was at the door Shingo's room trying to wake him up.

"Hey Shingo! Time to get up," he said while knocking. "You're gonna be late for school."

No one responded. Then Usagi came up.

"What's up Harusuke?" she asked. "Something wrong with Shingo?"

"I don't know," said Harusuke. "I figured I'd wake up so he'd get ready for school, but he's not responding."

"He's probably just sleeping," said Usagi. "You probably weren't loud enough." She then knocked on the door. "Hey Shingo! Wake up! Are you awake?"

"I'm staying home today," said Shingo from behind the door.

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other. Then Usagi opened the door just and crack and she and Harusuke peeped in. They saw Shingo who was still sitting on his desk petting the Chanela.

"We'll be together forever my dear Chanela..." he said.

* * *

After a while, Harusuke and Usagi walked to school and were heading for the classroom.

"Have you noticed that Shingo's been acting weird Harusuke?" asked Usagi.

"I'll say he has," said Harusuke. "He's been like this ever since he brought that Chanela thing. I wonder what could be going on?"

"Maybe Shingo's just really cares about that Chanela?" wondered Usagi. "Who knows?"

Then Usagi and Harusuke entered the classroom. When they came in, their eyes widened. Almost everyone around their classroom had a Chanela sitting on top of their desks. Then Naru came up to them.

"Hey you guys," she said. "What's up?"

"You tell us," said Harusuke. "What the heck is going on here? Why does everyone in here have a Chanela?"

"I guess they're more popular than we thought," said Usagi.

"I'll say," said Naru. "They're more than popular. They're huge! Everyone has one right now."

"But... don't you think that it's a bad idea to be bringing those things to school?" wondered Usagi. "I mean what would Ms. Haruna think if she finds out about them?"

Then Harusuke saw the shadow of someone walking in front of the doorway and he immediately knew who it was.

"Let's not find out! Cuz here she comes!" he said.

"Quick you guys!" Usagi said to her classmates. "Hurry up and hide your Chanelas! Quickly!"

Heeding her warning, the students quickly hid their Chanelas by either putting them in their desks or their bags as they all scrambled into their seats just as Ms. Haruna entered the room.

"Good morning class," said Ms. Haruna as she looked towards the class. "If you're all ready, then let's get started. Please open your books to page two hundred and thirty-four."

As the class began everyone did their best to try and pay attention. However most of them were fidgeting in their seats wanting to see their Chanelas. It wasn't long till someone finally snapped.

"I can't take it anymore!" cried a girl. "I gotta see my Chanela now!"

"Me either!" said another girl.

Then one by one, all of the students who owned Chanelas uncovered them from their desks and either stared at them lovingly or petted them. When Ms. Haruna turned around and saw the Chanelas, she then became stern walking up to one of the girls with a yellow Chanela.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded. "I'll have to confiscate it. Give it to me!"

"No way!" said the girl.

Not having it, Ms. Haruna moved to try and take away the girl's Chanela, but then the girl seeing her coming have Ms. Haruna a mighty shove forcing Ms. Haruna to the floor crashing right into a desk. Books and pens where everywhere. Umino immediately rushed over to Ms. Haruna.

"Hey! Ms. Haruna are you OK?!" he asked helping her to her feet.

"What was that for?!" cried Naru. "You didn't have to push her!"

"Whatever!" said the girl. "I'm out of here!"

"Me too!" said a boy.

Those who possessed Chanelas got up from their seats and walked out of the classroom carrying their Chanelas.

As they left, Usagi and Harusuke looked at each other feeling very worried.

* * *

A little later after school, Naru, Harusuke, and Usagi met up by a tree in the school courtyard.

"Man. Those girls sure were acting weird," said Usagi.

"Weird? How about flat out crazy?" said Harusuke. "Saying it's weird is the understatement of the year."

"No kidding," said Naru. "Sure the Chanelas are cute and all, but that was way too much. There was no need to go that far."

Then Harusuke and Usagi remembered back from Shingo's recent behavior back when he kicked Luna and back when he stayed home from school.

"Come to think of it, wasn't Shingo acting just those girls today too?" asked Usagi.

"Yes he was," said Harusuke. "And I bet it has to do with the Chanela that he has too."

"Hey Naru. Can you tell us exactly where they sell those things?" asked Usagi.

"I think I saw them at a pet shop called Pet Shop Perfume," said Naru.

"All right then. I say it's time we go check things out!" said Usagi. "Who's with me?"

"I am," nodded Harusuke.

"Sorry you guys, but I can't," said Naru apologetically. "I have cram school today and I can't miss it."

"Oh well then," said Usagi slightly disappointed. "I guess it's just gonna be me and Harusuke then."

"Are you two gonna be OK by yourselves?" asked Naru concerned.

"It'll be fine," said Harusuke. "It'll be no problem for us."

""Honestly. The things we do for our numbskull little brother," muttered Usagi. "What a pain in the neck."

"Well that's brotherly and sisterly love for you," said Naru smiling. "What a pair of siblings."

* * *

Soon Usagi and Harusuke were in front of Pet Shop Perfume. They were lots of people outside and inside and building all eager to buy Chanelas.

"So this is where they're being sold," said Harusuke. "I guess we found the right place."

They were just about to walk into the shop when Usagi stopped. Harusuke turned around.

"What is it Usagi?" he asked. "Is something the matter?"

"Well... it's just... what if we become like Shingo and end up getting one of those Chanelas?" asked Usagi nervously. "If we end up getting one of those things, what if we become weird?"

Just then a familiar mocking voice came from behind them.

"Yo! Bun head!"

"I know that voice!" growled Usagi as she and Harusuke turned their attention towards the source.

There behind them was the casually dressed boy.

"Why do you keep popping out wherever we go?!" seethed Usagi. "It's annoying!"

"Yeah. Don't you have anything else better to do?" chimed in Harusuke.

"I could say the same about you two," said the boy. "Don't tell me you two are planning to buy Chanelas?"

"And so what if we are?" demanded Usagi.

"Is there some sort of problem with that?" asked Harusuke narrowing his eyes.

"Oh nothing. It's just that I don't think that perfume suits you two," said the boy.

"Just get lost would you?!" snapped Usagi. "Come on Harusuke!"

Then Usagi and Harusuke walked inside the store. Inside, the store was filled with a strange aroma that filled the air and the two were immediately greeted by the shopkeeper.

"Well hello there," she said. "Feel free to look around and take your time."

"Um... sure. Thanks," said Usagi and Harusuke as the two of them walked further into the store. As they walked in further looking at all the Chanelas, they both couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"I don't know why, but this place is giving me the heebie jeebies," said Harusuke.

"Maybe we should have waited till Naru came with us," said Usagi.

"Well we can't turn back now," chided Harusuke. "We have to be on the lookout for anything weird."

"All right. I know," said Usagi. "Although... these little guys are a little cute."

"Don't be fooled by them you two," said a voice from below. "Things aren't all as they appear."

Usagi and Harusuke looked down and saw that Luna had now stepped out from behind the corner.

"Luna it's you," said Usagi a little surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"There's something really strange about this place, so I decided to check it out," said Luna.

"So you're here for the same reasons we are," said Harusuke. "But what we want to know is what's so strange about this place. You think it could be another plot planned by Jadeite?"

"Probably," said Luna.

Then Usagi happened to take a look at one of the Chanelas. She immediately was smitten with it's cute looks.

"Usagi no!" whispered Luna harshly. "Don't look into it's eyes!"

"It's eyes? Why?" wondered Harusuke as he too looked at a Chanela too.

Then suddenly both of the eyes that the Chanelas that Harusuke and Usagi began to glow and the both of them began to fall under their spell much to Luna's horror. Harusuke and Usagi then each took a Chanelas out of their cages.

"Oh no! I'm too late!" Luna cried.

Then the shopkeeper came up to them.

"This doesn't surprise me one little bit," she chuckled. "A pretty girl and a handsome boy like you two choosing two of the prettiest pets."

Then Usagi and Harusuke left the store each holding their Chanelas with Luna following close behind them.

"Usagi! Harusuke! Listen to me! You two need to take back those things right now!" she said.

Usagi and Harusuke looked at Luna scowling at her.

"Don't come any closer to us!" said Usagi. "We can't stand you anymore!"

"Yeah. Otherwise you're gonna get kicked you dumb cat," said Harusuke. 'Dumb cat."

"Usagi... Harusuke..." Luna felt hurt, but then she shook her head. "Have patience Luna," she said to herself. "It's neither of their fault so hang in there." She then resumed following them.

Just then a little was pedaling by on her tricycle having the time of her life, but then she lost control and she fell out of her bike onto the ground. She then began to cry.

"It hurts! It hurts!" she sobbed.

As she continued to cry, Usagi and Harusuke walked right past her completely ignoring her. Luna seeing the little girl crying immediately went over to the girl licking her face. The girl stopped crying and began to giggle as Luna kept licking her face til she felt better. Then she dashed away after Harusuke and Usagi.

"Thank you cute kitty!" called out the little girl.

"All right. Now for Harusuke and Usagi!" thought Luna. "I have to get them back to normal!"

As soon as she caught up with the two, Luna leaped into the air and landed right on top of Usagi's head surprising her and making her fall to the ground. Then before Usagi had a chance to react, Luna snatched the Chanela out of her hands and disappeared from behind the wall with it. Then Luna pounced again doing the same thing to Harusuke. Harusuke tried to fend Luna off, but she managed to take away his Chanela too. Usagi and Harusuke then returned to their senses feeling very confused.

"Thank goodness! You're both OK," Luna said feeling relieved.

"But... what's going on Luna?" asked Usagi. "What happened to us?"

"Yeah. One minute we're at that pet store and then we're back here," said Harusuke. "I feel so confused right now."

Luna then explained what had happened. Needless to say, Usagi and Harusuke felt terrible.

"We're so sorry Luna!" said Usagi.

"We really didn't mean what we said before! Honest!" said Harusuke.

"It's all right!" said Luna. "But now we know what's going on here! The enemy no doubt in using those Chanelas to hypnotize people and they're probably taking their energy as we speak!"

"Then that means Shingo and everyone else is in danger!" cried Usagi. "We have to get home right now and take that Chanela away from him!"

"Then let's hurry home!" said Harusuke. "Shingo should till be in his room! If we separate him from that thing, he should return to normal! Let's go!"

* * *

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna raced home and headed straight for Shingo's room bursting through the door. Sure enough, there was Shingo still looking at his Chanela looking very pale.

"Shingo! Hand over that Chanela right now!" demanded Harusuke.

"Yeah! That thing is dangerous!" cried Usagi. "Get away from it!"

"No way!" yelled Shingo.

Not taking no for an answer, Usagi tried to wrestle the Chanela out of Shingo's hands but Shingo wouldn't let go. Harusuke was about to jump in and try to help, but then Usagi had enough.

"Shingo you idiot!" she yelled as she gave him a hard slap on his cheek.

Harusuke's eyes widened in shock while Usagi looked at her hand now realizing what she had just done and slowly backed away.

"Shingo... I... I'm so sorry!" she said feeling regret for what she had just did.

Shingo taking advantage immediately pushed away from her and made his escape towards the door. Harusuke tried to intercept him, but Shingo managed to slip by him.

"Shingo! Get back here!" yelled Harusuke.

"No way! I'm not handing my Chanela over to anyone!" Shingo yelled back as he ran out of the room.

Harusuke and Luna immediately rushed over to his sister. "Usagi are you alright?" he asked.

"I... I hit Shingo..." murmured Usagi still feeling regret for what she just did. "I just hit my brother..."

"Look Usagi, this is not the time to feel sorry for yourself," said Luna urgently. "You and Harusuke need to go after your brother right away!"

"But Luna we don't even know where Shingo's even going," said Harusuke. "How are we supposed to find him?"

"There's only one place that Shingo could have gone to," said Luna. "The pet shop. You two need to transform right away and help him."

"But Luna... what will I do if a Chanela stares at me again?" asked Usagi fearing for being under the Chanela's control again."

"You won't!" said Luna. "Just remember to get a grip on yourself! You have a very important mission to fulfill!"

"Not only that, but Shingo's counting on us," added Harusuke clenching his fist. "He needs help and we're the only ones that can save him! We just have to keep our wits and be brave!"

Usagi was still unsure, but she nodded bravely and stood on her feet filled with determination. Then she and Harusuke sprang into action.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLARIS GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

At the pet shop, all of the victims who had possession of a Chanela including Shingo and his classmates all gathered in front of the Shopkeeper who was in truth Jadeite's newest monster Iguara, had a wall of Chanelas in their cages. With a wave of her hand, she released them all.

"Now, I want you all to take these Chanelas and distribute them throughout the city!" she commanded.

"Yeah!" said Shingo and all the other victims.

"Hold it right there you horrible excuse for a pet keeper!" said a male voice. "You've really gone and made us mad now!"

"Taking advantage of people's love for cute pets and then using it against them is absolutely unforgivable!" said a female voice. "We're not gonna let you get away with this!"

The shopkeeper was startled and she saw two shadows standing behind the automatic door at the entrance. The door automatically opened revealing the two heroes standing behind it.

"And who are you two?!" demanded the shopkeeper.

"I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she proclaimed.

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!" he also proclaimed.

"And now in the name of the moon..."

"and the sun with my scorching rays..."

"We'll punish you!"

Iguara growled at the two as then transformed into her true form. She grew slightly bigger in appearance shredding her clothes instantly and her skin hardened turning into a thick blue scaled hide. Her eyes turned emerald green and a large tail sprouted out of her. She now looked like a humanoid reptile.

"Holy moly!" gasped Solaris.

"Oh man... that's totally scary and gross!" yelped Sailor Moon.

And it wasn't just Iguara who had transformed, Shingo along with all the other victims had changed too. They all had blue scaly skin and their eyes were bright green just like Iguara herself.

"Oh man! What do we do know?!" asked Solaris.

"Run away!" cried Sailor Moon.

She along with Solaris took off running with Shingo and the others in hot pursuit. They ran down the hallway where a large stack of boxes stood. Thinking quickly, Solaris and Sailor Moon hit the stacks of boxes knocking them over and blocking the path so Shingo and the others couldn't follow. They both then hid in the corner of store behind a pillar.

"Whew. That was close," said Solaris. "We better think of something quick! That wall won't hold them forever!"

"I really wish that Tuxedo Mask was here right now,"said Sailor Moon. " He could help us get out of this."

"You shouldn't be so dependent on him Sailor Moon," said Luna standing on a shelf. "He's not here right now so it's up to you and Solaris to fend for yourselves!"

Suddenly the wall of boxes burst open and Shingo and the other transformed victims were there ready to pounce on Solaris and Sailor Moon.

"Oh no!" cried Sailor Moon. "We're done for!"

"I would try to fend them off," said Solaris. "But I'm worried that I'll hurt Shingo and the others! The only choice we have is to take out that monster!"

Luna looked around and he saw a door that was wide open leading to the back.

"Sailor Moon! Solaris! This way!" cried Luna as she dashed out the door.

Sailor Moon and Solaris then followed suit behind with Iguara right behind them into the parking lot.

"I"ll get you two!" she snarled as whipped her tail at the two heroes.

Sailor Moon and Solaris both dodged the attack, but then Iguara's suddenly wrapped around Sailor Moon's neck and lifted her into the air strangling her. Sailor Moon struggled to get free, but she couldn't.

"No! Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris.

"I can't... get free!" gasped Sailor Moon she felt the monsters tail tighten around her neck.

"Sailor Moon! Solaris! Aim for the flashing spot at the base of the monster's tail!" cried Luna. "It's her weak spot!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris looked and just as Luna said, there on Iguara's tail was the weak spot. Sailor Moon took aim with her tiara and flung it as it turned to a white disk once more and Solaris clapped his hands together creating a yellow shining orb and then punched it launching it.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Both of the attacks hit right on the mark causing Iguarato scream in agony and pain as her tail uncurled around Sailor Moon's neck setting her free. Then in a bright flash of light, she turned into a pile of ash. Inside, Iguara's spell being broken the Chanelas all turned into ash as well and Shingo and the others returned to their normal forms.

"Whew. That was close," said Sailor Moon.

"I'll say," said Solaris. "But we got the job done."

Just then Shingo holding a notepad and a pen came out heading towards them.

"Sailor V! Wait a minute!"

"Oh no! It's Shingo!" yelped Usagi.

"Quick! Hide!" said Solaris

He and Sailor Moon then hid behind a car fearing that Shingo would discover who they really were. Shingo then spoke to them on the other side of the car.

"Hey! Sailor V! Can I have your autograph?" he asked excitedly. "I'm a huge fan! And who's that cool guy that's with you? Your sidekick?"

"I'm Sailor Moon you know!" she said indignantly.

"And I'm not a sidekick either!" said Solaris who was also a bit insulted. "I'm Sailor Moon's partner Solaris!"

Shingo was puzzled, but he didn't mind. "Whatever. You guys look cool either way! Just please can I get your autographs?"

"Oh great. Now what?" asked Sailor Moon. "He won't leave us alone till we give him that autograph.

Then an idea came into Sailor Moon's mind. "Don't worry. Just leave it to me," she said. She then spoke so Shingo could hear her. "Listen Shingo. There's something that me and my partner Solaris need you to do for us before we do what you ask."

Shingo was surprised. "No way! How do you know my name?"

"I'm Sailor Moon. I know everything," she said. "Anyway Shingo, we want you to be nicer to that black cat Luna. And if you do you can be certain that cat will bring you lots of happiness."

Shingo smiled. "You got it you guys!" he said. "If that's what Sailor Moon wants."

Sailor Moon looked at Luna who was smiling from her sweet gesture on a car and gave her a wink while Luna meowed as a way of saying thank you.

* * *

The next morning, it was a bright and sunny morning in the Tsukino residence. Only this time, things were different. Shingo was actually getting along with Luna for a change. Luna sat on Shingo's lap while he fed her some of his ham.

"How's that ham taste Luna?" he asked. "Taste good?"

Luna let out a pleased meow in response.

"Well this is much more pleasant," said Kenji chuckling.

"I guess we're a family of six from now on," smiled Ikuko.

Harusuke and Usagi looked on as Shingo fed Luna more food. Harusuke felt happy for Shingo, but Usagi however was feeling a little jealous.

"What's wrong Usagi?" asked Harusuke. "Aren't you happy? Luna's part of the family now."

"I know... but I'm not sure if this is really any better," sighed Usagi.

Harusuke could only chuckle as he continued to eat his Breakfast.

* * *

 _If you liked what you read, feel free to leave a review!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	7. Chapter 6

Inside the Dark Kingdom, in Queen Beryl's throne room an strange experiment was taking place. Queen Beryl sat on her throne listening to some music that was coming from a cassette that was recently invented by Jadeite inside of her scepter. In front of her was a vase filled with roses. She along with Jadeite and the rest of her court watch and listened waiting to see what would happen. A couple of minutes passed by as the music began to play. Then suddenly, the flowers began to wilt and shrivel until eventually they were completely dead. Queen Beryl gasped with surprise as did her court not believing their eyes.

"So... this music drained the energy from that plant!" murmured Queen Beryl.

"Exactly my queen," said Jadeite smiling with pride. "The music contains subliminal ultrasonic waves. Once the humans listen do it, they will suffer the same fate as that plant. A key component in my next plan."

Queen Beryl then stopped the cassette and then took it out of her scepter and made it float right back to Jadeite. "Very interesting," she said. "You may proceed.

"Yes ma'am," responded Jadeite as he caught the tape. "Kyurene!"

At his call and with a flutter of bats, a young woman appeared before Jadeite kneeling before him. She wore an outfit that had purple high heels and a jacket and a pair of blue tights. She also was fair skinned with long bright orange hair. Jadeite then gave her the tape.

"Go plant the ultra sonic waves from this tap into the music that humans listen too," said Jadeite.

"As you wish sir," said Kyurene as she vanished to fulfill her orders.

* * *

It was raining in Juuban. Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were over at Naru's place listening to the music from her radio. It was a beautiful piano piece that seemed to flow like a river and soothe your worries and stress.

"Naru... This is such a great song..." sighed Usagi.

"I'll say," agreed Harusuke. "It feels so relaxing, I might just fall asleep."

"I know right? It's one of my favorites," said Naru.

"This is supposed to be jazz right? I'd never thought I would love it," said Usagi. "You're so mature."

"Yup. And if there's anything you two need to know or any more recommendations, feel free to ask me," said Naru.

"I wouldn't go that far, but we'll keep that in mind," said Harusuke. He then picked up the CD's case and looked at the cover. The cover had a picture of the bottom half of a man standing in the rain hold a bouquet also having the words: Yusuke Amade. Rain from the Heart.

"Yusuke Amade eh?" he said thoughtfully. "I think I've heard of him."

"I know! He looks so cool right?" said Naru. "I bet he's an older sophisticated older man. I'd sure love to date him one day."

Naru then blushed and sighed at the mere thought of it while Usagi and Harusuke stared awkwardly at her.

"I... don't see that happening," said Harusuke.

"Yeah... I think I'm gonna pass on that one," agreed Usagi. "I mean what are the chances of that happening?"

Naru then pouted her cheeks. "Oh come on you two. Try not to kill my my fantasies."

* * *

Meanwhile outside of a recording studio called Jam Records, a lone man stood in the rain looking up towards the building holding a bouquet in his hand. He wore blue pants with a white button down and had a large brown overcoat.

"Today's the day," he said to himself. "Today I'm going to confess my feelings for her."

Then he walked into the building.

* * *

Inside the building at that same time, Kyurene had just appeared inside the broadcast room with the cassette tape she received from Jadeite in hand.

"With this tape, all the audio recorded here will be infected like a virus," she sinisterly chuckled. "All the music they record here will then contain the subliminal ultrasonic waves draining their energy."

She had just put the tape inside one of the machines when she heard the door handle creak. Fearing that she would get caught, Kyurene quickly hid behind one the plants in the room. The door opened and a young woman in short brunette hair walked inside looking around as if she was looking for something. Then she saw the cassette tape that Kyurene had placed.

"Oh there it is," she said. "I can't believe I almost forgot this. Yusuke would have been upset with me."

She walked to the machine and took the tape out and placed it inside a case. Kyurene who couldn't afford to lose that tape prepared to attack the young woman extending her nails like they were claws. She was about to strike when a young man came into the room.

"Akiko there you are," he said. "Mr. Amade's downstairs right now in the lobby."

"All right. I'll head down right now," said Akiko. "Geez. He didn't have to come in the rain."

Then she along with the man left the room.

"Damn it," cursed Kyurene as she retracted her nails having to have failed in retrieving the tape.

* * *

At the lobby, the man with the bouquet who was standing out in the rain from before was waiting. Then Akiko came up to the man. She was a little surprised seeing how drenched he was, but she was happy to see him too.

"There you are Yusuke," she said. "Oh dear! You're soaking wet! Didn't you bring an umbrella or something? Let me guess, you were probably just caught up in the moment dreaming up a new song huh?"

"Yeah... kinda," said Yusuke bashfully who was now hiding the bouquet of flowers behind his back.

Akiko then handed Yusuke the case containing the tape. "Here's your demo tape by the way," she said. "I think it sounds wonderful. In fact, we should discuss recording it for release when we meet up next week."

"Uh... sure," replied Yusuke who sounded a little nervous. "Akiko... Listen... you do realize that it's... your birthday today right?"

"Oh! You're right! It is!" said Akiko surprised that she had forgotten. "I completely forgot!"

Just then the man from before came running up to her. "Akiko! We got a big problem with the mix!" he cried. "You have to come right away!"

"Oh no. Not again," sighed Akiko. She turned to Yusuke also handing him the cassette tape. "I'm so sorry. I have to go take care of this. Sometime I feel like they can't tell what's what around here. Oh! And make sure you take my umbrella when you leave. It's the pink one by the front door. See you Yusuke!"

Akiko then dashed away towards the elevator leaving Yusuke sulking in disappointment.

"Oh and one more thing!" she called before the elevator shut. "Make sure you come up with a great song title for that song by next week OK?"

She then blew a kiss just before the elevator shut.

"If you were paying more attention, you would have seen that it already has a title," muttered Yusuke.

He then looked back at the tape. Sure enough on the case of the tape, it had the words: "A Waltz for Akiko." Also Yusuke didn't know this at the time, but he was being watched by Krurene who was less than pleased about letting the tape get into the hands of another human.

* * *

Back at Naru's place, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were just about ready to head home. It was raining harder than ever.

"Ugh! All this rain is just too depressing!" complained Usagi.

"Oh come on. The rain's not all that bad," said Harusuke. "I kinda like the rain."

"And you know say they," said Naru. "April showers bring May flowers."

"Well I hope the flowers are happy," grumped Usagi.

"Well in any case, I'll see you both and school tomorrow," said Naru. "Take care."

"We will. Bye Naru," said Usagi and Harusuke as they all set off for home.

As they walked home in the rain, they walked past the Game Center. In one of the windows, there was another poster Sailor V advertising a new game.

"Hey Harusuke! The Sailor V game! Let's stop in and play a little bit!" she said excitedly.

"No can do Usagi," said Harusuke. "We can't go to the arcade right now, especially at this hour."

"Not to mention that you have school tomorrow Usagi," added Luna.

"Don't worry. It'll be quick," said Usagi. "Just one game."

Just she was just about to enter the Game Center when suddenly, Yusuke came running up the sidewalk seeming to be in fear and heading straight for Usagi.

"Watch out!" cried Luna and Harusuke.

But it was too late. Yusuke ran straight into Usagi causing the two to fall right onto the wet floor. Usagi was now completely soaked from head to toe.

"Usagi?! Are you OK?" asked Harusuke as he came over to see that his sister was all right.

"Aww no! My new clothes are all wet now!" cried Usagi.

She then glared at Yusuke just as he was picking himself up from the ground.

"Hey you!" she barked as she stood over him looking very mad.

When Yusuke saw her, he let out a scream of terror and instinctively backed away.

"Help! Someone! Please! Don't kill me!" cried Yusuke as he cowered in fear. "Please! Spare my life! I beg of you!"

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were surprised seeing how frightened the man was.

"OK..." said Usagi awkwardly. "I didn't mean to scare the poor guy."

"Sir. You need to take it easy," said Harusuke. "My sister is not going to kill you."

Yusuke then looked back at the two Tsukinos and then he calmed down. After that, Harusuke and Usagi with Luna walked with Yusuke. Harusuke used his umbrella to keep Yuskuke dry. As they were walking, Yusuke then explained why he reacted the way he did when saw Usagi. The reason being was because that Yusuke thought that he was being targeted.

"What?! You think that someone is after you?" wondered Usagi.

"Yes," said Yusuke. "And I know you kids probably won't believe me when I say this, but... the thing that's after me... is also a monster."

"A monster?!" said Harusuke and Usagi together.

"Yes. It's true," said Yusuke. "I'm having a hard time believing it myself. I was walking down an alley heading home, but then I had this feeling. A feeling that I was being followed. I turned around and I saw a young woman right behind me. The woman was surrounded bats of some kind. The bats then multiplied growing bigger and bigger with number enveloping the woman. Then the woman turned into some kind of monster!"

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna listened intently as Yusuke finished his story letting out a shaky breath.

"Anyway... that's the reason I was so careless," said Yusuke. "I really must apologize to you kids. Sorry for making you listen to my silly story."

"It's no problem sir," said Harusuke. "You were just scared that's all."

"Anyway, I'll let you kids go for now," said Yusuke as he stopped walking.

"Are you sure?" asked Usagi. "We can walk you home if you want to."

"That's a sweet gesture, but it's OK now," said Yusuke. "Besides, I'm working at a gig at the jazz club down the street from here."

"A jazz club?" Sounds cool," said Usagi.

"Oh I almost forgot," said Yusuke as he dug into his pocket. He then handed Usagi a card. "For your dry cleaning... I don't have any cash to pay for it right now, but contact me with that number later. See you!"

Yusuke then dashed away and was gone. Usagi and Harusuke then looked at the card with his contact number. The card said: Yusuke Amade Pianist. The moment they read that name, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they looked back at the man in question disappear into the rain.

"No way! That was Yusuke Amade!?" cried Usagi.

"It was!" said Harusuke with wonder. "That's the guy who made that music we were listening to back at Naru's place! Who would have thought?"

"Never mind that you two!" said Luna. "You heard what Yusuke said. There's a monster after his life. We've got to help him!"

"You're right Luna," said Harusuke. "We can check out that jazz club where Yusuke went to. That way we can keep an eye out for whoever's following him. We can't afford to leave him alone."

"Plus it'll be a great opportunity to see what the grown-up world is like!" grinned Usagi. "Let's go!"

She then merrily skipped away leaving Luna and Harusuke sweatdropping as they watched her.

"Sometimes I wonder if she really gets it," Luna sighed.

"No kidding," agreed Harusuke. "But that's Usagi for you."

* * *

Meanwhile in the junkyard, Kyurene was reporting to Jadeite via a wrecked TV who had now found out about her losing the tape. He was not happy.

"You fool! You still haven't gotten the tape back?!" he scowled.

"I'm truly sorry sir," apologized Kyurene. "I was so close to getting it back, but he managed to get away."

"No more excuses!" snapped Jadeite. "Just make sure you get that tape and the plan proceeds as scheduled. If you're unable to get that tape back, consider your life extinguished! Is that understood?"

Krurene gulped. "Y-yes sir," she said as the TV turned off.

Then she set off to fulfill her mission.

* * *

Usagi and Harusuke soon found the club where Yusuke was having it's gig at which was called 'Thirties.'

"So this a jazz club huh?" murmured Usagi. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah. But the question is how do we get in?" said Harusuke. "I doubt they're gonna let a couple of kids like us just walk in."

"You're right about that," said Luna smirking. "Especially in Usagi's case when it comes to being a kid."

"I already have a plan!" said Usagi smirking back as she held up the Disguise Pen. "MOON POWER! Turn me into a hot musician!"

Usagi then transformed using the Disguise pen. She now wore red high heel pumps with dark purple stockings with pink rims, a black short skirt, and a red leather jacket with a white corset top that exposed a lot of her midriff. Her hair had also was undone and was now a green color with red streaks and he also had golden hoop earrings. Harusuke was impressed, but a little urked about what his sister had turned into. Luna however was just plain urked.

"What do you think you two?" asked Usagi as she struck a pose. "Do I look more grown up now?"

"You... could say that," said Harusuke hesitantly. "That takes care of one problem, but what about me and Luna? I mean I don't have a tool like the Disguise Pen you know!"

"Then why don't you give it a try Harusuke?" asked Usagi as she handed him a pen. "Maybe the pen will work for you."

"You think it could?" wondered Harusuke as he took the pen. "What do you think Luna?"

"It should be able to work," said Luna. "All you have to do is do the exact same thing as Usagi, but in your case you have a to say Solaris instead."

"Alright," nodded Narusuke as he held up the pen. "Here goes nothing... SOLAR POWER! Turn me into a snazzy musician... or something!"

Then Harusuke transformed. He now wore a suit and his hair had turned into a chestnut brown color and was in a ponytail.

"Whoa... it actually worked," he gasped. "I look awesome!"

"Looking good Harusuke!" said Usagi. She then looked down at Luna. "And I've got an idea of how we can even get you inside Luna," she smirked.

* * *

Harusuke and Usagi then entered the club with Luna on Usagi's shoulder as neckwear. There were lots of people inside the sound of a beautiful piano reverberating throughout the room. As Usagi and Harsuke sat down on at table listening to the beautiful music being played, Usagi saw who was playing the piano up on the stage as did Harusuke. It was none other than Yusuke.

"There he is!" whispered Usagi.

"I know. I see him," Harusuke whispered back.

Then Luna turned her head to look towards the stage to get a better look.

"Hey Luna! Quit moving around!" Usagi snapped. "You have to keep still as my neckwear remember?"

Luna immediately kept still trying not to move. Then a waiter in a white tuxedo approached the table where the two were sitting.

"Have you two decided on your orders?" he asked politely.

"I'll have a soda float please," Usagi said cheerfully.

Luna, Harusuke, as well as the waiter nearly face faulted from her response.

"Um... I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm afraid that we don't serve that here," the waiter politely replied.

"Oh. Well never mind then," said Usagi waving him off. "Be on your way now."

The waiter, Luna, and Harusuke nearly face faulted for the second time and then the waiter unsteadily walked away as Usagi turned back towards the stage. Harusuke pinched the bridge of his nose shaking his head.

"For crying out loud Usagi," he muttered. "Couldn't you have been a little more polite?"

Then they listened to Yusuke continue playing on the piano. As he played Usagi and Harusuke couldn't help but get drawn into the music. It sounded so wonderful and peaceful.

"Wow... for an old guy, he sure looks good playing that piano," murmured Usagi.

"I agree," said Harusuke. "It's like listening to the CD, only it's live and in person."

As they continued to listen, Usagi started to feel a little sleepy. She closed her eyes and was just about to fall asleep when Yusuke finished his piece. The crowd immediately applauded as Yusuke took a bow and then left the stage.

"Yusuke's leaving the stage! He gotta follow him!" said Harusuke. He was just about to leave when he saw Usagi. "Usagi! Wake up!" he said. "Yusuke's leaving!"

Usagi opened her eyes and then looked on the stage to find that Yusuke had gone. "He's gone!" she cried.

"Well don't just stand there you two!" cried Luna. "After him!"

* * *

Yusuke had just left the stage and was taking the elevator to the parking lot on the 3rd floor. As he rode the elevator he pulled out the cassette tape that Akiko had given him and also a picture of Akiko herself. He gazed lovingly into it at couldn't help but sigh.

"If only she knew," he said to himself. "I wrote that song especially for her. I know she's a bit slow on the uptake, but still..."

Then the elevator opened and Yusuke was greeted by a young man.

"Hey there Yusuke," he said. "Heading home?"

"Yeah. I just finished my piece for the night," said Yusuke.

"Do you need a ride?" asked the man. "My car's warming up in the parking lot."

"Sure," said Yusuke. "I'd appreciate it."

"All right then," said the man. "I gotta go get a few things, so wait here for a bit OK?"

Yusuke then excited the elevator while the man went in. Yusuke was left alone in the parking lot as he waited for the man to come back. Then he heard the sound of squeaking bats causing him to look around wondering where the sound was coming from. He started to feel a little frightened. Then the elevator dinged as it slowly opened and Yusuke's face paled in horror. In the elevator was Kyurene. She had finally tracked him down once again and was ready to take the tape back from Yusuke. No matter what it took.

* * *

Not too far away, Usagi and Harusuke who were now back to normal as well Luna were making their way down the staircase. They had recently asked the young man who offered Yusuke a ride where he was and he told them exactly where. Suddenly there was a loud scream of terror that rang in their ears.

"Did you guys hear that?!" cried Usagi.

"It was definitely Yusuke!" said Harusuke. "He's in trouble!"

"Come on you two! Let's hurry!" said Luna urgently as she along with Usagi and Harusuke raced down the stairs.

* * *

Kyurene had just taken back the tape from Yusuke who was now lying on the ground nearly unconscious.

"You sure gave me a lot of trouble," she said extending her claw-like nails. "Just for that and because I can't have any witnesses, it's time for you to die!"

"Stop right there!"

"Leave that man alone!"

Kyurene turned around to see that Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna had arrived on the scene. She immediately took a giant leap and hid herself from behind a car. Then she transformed into her form. She now had giant bat like wings, her face was bright green, had large bat like ears and wore a pink dress. She appeared to look like a vampire in one of those movies. She took flight into the air and then disappeared into the opening above. Usagi and the others then rushed over to Yusuke to make sure that he was alright.

"Yusuke! Are you OK?" asked Usagi.

Yusuke opened his eyes. "My tape..." he groaned as he got to his feet. "She took it away..."

"A tape? wondered Usagi. "What do you mean?"

Harusuke then saw a discarded tape case with the words "A Waltz for Akiko" on it and a picture of Akiko herself and understood.

"I think he means this," he said as he picked up the items showing them to Luna and Usagi.

"That monster must have taken the tape so she can use it for something evil!" said Usagi. "I'm sure of it!"

"Then there's only thing to do!" said Harusuke. "We have to go after that monster and get that tape back!"

"But how?" wondered Usagi. "There's no way to catch up to that thing!"

"Oh yes there is!" said Harusuke. "Yusuke? Can you still drive?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yes. We can catch up by taking my car! Come on!"

Yusuke, Harusuke, and Usagi with Luna on her shoulder then got into Yusuke's car. The car was soon speeding down the road in hot pursuit of Kyurene.

"Whoa! Can't you slow down just a bit?!" yelped Usagi as she held on for dear life.

"Yeah! You're gonna cause an accident if you're not careful!" yelled Harusuke.

"I can't!" said Yusuke gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I won't let anyone have that tape! No one! Even if it's a monster!"

Harusuke was a little surprised seeing Yusuke's determination. "Whoa... you sure seem brave right now and all because of a tape."

"That's because it's not just a tape," explained Yusuke. "It's because..."

"It's got the song you wrote for Akiko on it right?" interrupted Usagi brightly.

Yusuke's face flushed in a bright shade of red. "H-how did you know that?!" he stammered.

"Well you may not know this by looking at me," bragged Usagi. "But despite my looks, I'm actually very grown up. I was able to figure it out on my own."

"That is the furthest from the truth and you know it!" snapped Harusuke indignantly. "You only know because you saw the case and the picture!"

"It's nothing but a crush," said Yusuke sadly. "It's ridiculous especially for an old man my age."

"Age doesn't have anything to do with it," said Usagi shaking her head. "Even old guys like you have a right to fall in love!"

"Thanks. Although... I don't know if that's supposed to be a compliment," said Harusuke doubtfully. "By the way, why are you two so eager to help me chase down this monster anyway?"

"Because we are champions of justice," said Usagi proudly. "Especially to those in love."

Luna and Harusuke only looked at Usagi dumbly while Yusuke chuckled.

"Ah youth," he smiled. "It's wasted on the young."

Then Harusuke looked up and saw Kyurene flying from above. "Look! There it is!" he shouted.

Usagi then stuck her head out of the window and saw it too. "I see it too!" she cried. "Now that it's stopped raining, we can see it clearly!"

"Perfect!" said Yusuke as he stepped on the gas speeding after the monster.

Eventually Kyurene landed somewhere on a building and Yusuke's car stopped in front of the building. Everyone got out of the car and Yusuke's eyes widened. The building where Kyurene had landed was none other than Jam Records. The exact same place where Akiko job was.

"Hey kids. Are you sure that this was where the monster landed?" he asked.

"Positive," said Usagi. "We saw it ourselves!"

"Do you know this place Yusuke?" asked Harusuke.

"Yes I do," said Yusuke now feeling worried. "This is where Akiko works!"

"What?!" exclaimed Harusuke and Usagi.

* * *

Inside of Jam Records in the broadcast room, Kyurene had just put all the people in there to sleep using her bats including Akiko.

"That's right. Sleep for now you pathetic humans," she chuckled sinisterly pulling out the tape. "And when you wake up and start recording music once more, every single track you play will contain the subliminal ultrasonic waves which will drain all of your energy."

She was just about to insert the tape when Usagi, Harusuke, Yusuke, and Luna burst in.

"Stop right there!" yelled Usagi.

Luna then pounced on Kyurene knocking the tape out of her hands making it go flying into the air until Usagi caught it and gave it back to Yusuke. Then Yusuke looked at the tape making sure that it wasn't damaged and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait a minute... this isn't my tape!" he said.

Kyurene then glared at the group hissing angrily. "Give me that tape right now!" she growled as she went on the attack extending her nails.

"Watch out!" cried Harusuke as he and the others dodged the incoming attack.

They were lucky to have dodged the attack, but Usagi fell on her butt hard causing her to yelp in pain.

"Are you alright?" asked Harusuke.

"Doesn't look like I'm OK?" snapped Usagi indignantly. "I just fell on my butt here!"

Then there was a scream of terror causing them to look up. Kyurene was now holding a conscious Akiko hostage by pointing her nails dangerously at her neck.

"If you value this woman's life, you'll hand over that tape!" she hissed.

"Akiko!" cried Yusuke.

"No fair!" protested Usagi.

"Yeah! That's playing dirty you coward!" yelled Harusuke.

"Hurry it up!" snapped Kyurene. "Give me that tape!"

Akiko looked at Yusuke hoping that he would save her from this situation, but Yusuke didn't know what to do. But Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna did.

"Yusuke. Be ready to save Akiko," whispered Harusuke. "Just leave it to us."

Yusuke nodded and Harusuke nodded to Usagi and Luna.

"All right then!" said Usagi. "You want the tape so bad? Here!"

She then threw the tape into the air. Kyurene seeing the tape go flying instinctively looked up distracted and let go of Akiko.

"Yusuke now!" yelled Harusuke.

Yusuke then ran forward and caught Akiko in his arms just before he collapsed. At the time time with a yowl, Luna leaped up and caught the tape before Kyurene could catch it and then threw it Harusuke's feet. Once it was in front of him, Harsuke stomped on the tape breaking it in two destroying it.

"It's over you monster!" said Harusuke. "Give it up!"

"Damn you!" shrieked Kyurene.

She then made her escape by crashing through a window and flew away. Harusuke then turned towards Akiko and Yusuke.

"Yusuke! Take Akiko and get her to safety!" he said. "Make sure that she's out of danger!"

Yusuke did just that. Then as soon as they were gone Luna turned to Harusuke and Usagi.

"All right you two! Go get em!" she said.

"Right!" said Usagi and Harusuke as they once more transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Kyurene flew until she was sure that she was far enough away from the Jam Records. Then she landed in a auditorium. As soon as soona s she touched down, she found that she had two unexpected visitors waiting for her. Sailor Moon and Solaris.

" I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice Sailor Moon!" she said.

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice Solaris!" he proclaimed. "And we won't let you use beautiful music for your evil plot! That is downright despicable."

"I bet that even Haydn, the father of music would be disgusted too!" added Sailor Moon.

Luna and Solaris then looked at Sailor Moon baffled by what she just said.

"But Sailor Moon, Bach is the father of music!" protested Luna.

Sailor Moon blushed with embarrassment. "Will you shut it!?" she quietly snapped. "You're making me look bad, so stop being a know-it-all!"

"But she's right though!" said Solaris.

Sailor Moon cleared her throat. "Anyway! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

Solaris shook his head and followed suit. "And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

Kyurene then attacked our two heroes by spreading her wings and unleashing a sonic shockwave from each of them. Sailor Moon, Solaris, Luna dodged the attacks, but the waves were so overwhelming that they were all knocked down flat on the ground their ears slightly ringing.

"Oh man this bad! She's firing ultrasonic waves!" cried Luna.

"And what are you they?" asked a dazed Sailor Moon.

"Basically a very loud noise," said Solaris rubbing his head. "This does make things a little more difficult."

Then Sailor Moon happened to see a microphone on the stage. She then had an idea.

"Solaris! Get ready to cover your ears!" said Sailor Moon.

"What? Why?" asked Solaris.

Then Kyurene unleashed another sound wave attack from her wings. Sailor Moon then grabbed the microphone, turn it on, and threw it straight at Kyurene's sound wave attack. The microphone disintegrated shattering into pieces. Solaris' face paled slightly and knew what Sailor Moon had in mind. He immediately covered his ears along with Luna and Sailor Moon. The microphone that shattered had also picked up the sound through the speakers and then he speakers unleashed an ultra sonic wave right back Kyurene with double the power. Kyurene screamed in agony as the sound waves from the speaker forced her back stunning her.

"How'd you like that?!" said Sailor Moon grinning. "That was a double dose of your sound waves right back at ya!"

"Smart move Sailor Moon!" said Luna. "Now you and Solaris finish her off!"

Sailor Moon took off her tiara making it turn to a glowing white disk and Solaris created a yellow ball of light and took aim.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Both Sailor Moon and Solaris' attack hit Kyurene straight on and in an explosion of dust she was destroyed.

* * *

Back in Jam Studios, Akiko was busy tending to Yusuke's wounds.

"What were you thinking Yusuke?!" she scolded. "I'm grateful that you saved me, but what if you hurt your hand? You could have never be able to play the piano again."

"That may be so," said Yusuke. "But to be honest... if you had gotten yourself hurt...I would have never been able to play the piano again either."

Akiko then blushed as did Yusuke. Unknown to them from behind the corner, Sailor Moon, Solaris, and Luna were hiding watching the whole thing.

"Yusuke...does... this mean..." began Akiko.

Yusuke then nodded and Akiko blushed even more. Sailor Moon, Solaris, and Luna couldn't couldn't help but smile.

"I think it's time that we leave these love birds alone," chuckled Solaris.

"I agree," said Sailor Moon. "You know Akiko's lucky to have someone like Yusuke, A guy who'd do anything to save the woman he loves. Makes me wish I could have a guy like that."

"Maybe someday you will Sailor Moon," said Luna. "Maybe someday..."

Then the three left vanishing into the shadows.

* * *

A few days later, Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna were visiting Naru's house again listening to Yusuke's music finding out the most expected news. Yusuke and Akiko were getting married. Usagi and Harusuke were happy, but Naru however wasn't.

"Man... it's just not fair!" complained Naru. "It's horrible! Yusuke Amade getting married?!"

"Oh come on Naru. Get over it," said Harusuke. "It wasn't like you had a chance with him to begin with."

"But still...it's so sad," grumped Naru. "And I had a huge crush on him too."

"I can relate to that," said Usagi absently and happily. "He's such a sweet man and brave too."

"Not to mention that he's as loyal as a guy can get," added Harusuke. "He's a pretty much the perfect guy for Akiko."

"Wait a minute..." said Naru who was now puzzled. "You two talk like you know him or something!"

"That's because we do," chuckled Harusuke. "Right Usagi?"

"Yup," said Usagi as she picked up the case of Yusuke's newest CD and admired it. It had a picture of shadows of what appeared to be Sailor Moon and Solaris and it also said: "Moonlight Lady and Sunlight Man ~Dedicated to a young lady and a gentlemen who fight for justice~

* * *

 _If you liked what you read, don't be afraid to let me know!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	8. Chapter 7

It was another day in the Juuban. Usagi who was running late for school as usual, was running to make it on time as fast as she could.

"Oh man! I'm gonna be late again!" she cried. "But if I keep running like this, then I'll be too tired to study!"

Then she stopped to try and catch her breath right by a drugstore putting her hands on her knees. She then happened to notice poster on the window. It was of a young brunette girl with her hair in a ponytail looking like she was a part of a gymnastics team holding a bottle in her hand. Usagi inspected the poster a little closer.

"Feeling exhausted? Try this energy booster recommended by Mikan," she read. "Well if Mikan thinks I should try it, then maybe I will."

Just then Naru ran up who was also running late. Then she saw Usagi staring at the poster of Mikan. As she ran by, she purposely held up her bag and made it smack Usagi on the back of her head.

"Ow! What was that for Naru?!" cried Usagi rubbing her head.

"Get moving slowpoke!" called Naru. "There's no time to be daydreaming!"

Usagi was still irritated at Naru for hitting her, but she knew that she was right and then she followed close behind her running as fast as he legs could carry her.

* * *

Eventually Usagi and Naru managed to make it to school on time just before the bell rung. Usagi however was still rubbing her head in pain.

"Ow... that really hurt..." she grumbled.

"You should be grateful that's all you suffered," said Harusuke. "The last thing you need is Ms. Haruna giving you a reason to stand in the hall."

"That's right," smiled Naru. "So, feel free to thank me for saving your sorry butt from being late."

Then Umino came up to three looking very excited. He also had a rolled-up poster in his hands.

"Hey you guys! Check this out!" he said. "I finally got the poster of Mikan Shiratori!"

He then unfurled the poster revealing it to be the same poster that Usagi saw earlier this morning.

"Wait a minute Umino. You didn't steal that from the drugstore, did you?" asked Usagi.

"Of course not!" said Umino. "I ordered this little gem over an internet store. I also have a whole bunch more if you're interested in getting one. I can sell it to you for cheap."

"We're... gonna have to pass," said Naru.

"By the way, who's this Mikan Shiratori person?" asked Harusuke. "Is she some kind of idol?"

"That's right!" said Umino as he whipped out his computer and began typing. "And not only that, but did you know that she used to attend Juuban Middle School just like us and she's seventeen years old? She's also appeared in eight commercials and each month she makes over two million yen!"

"Whoa! You're kidding!" cried Harusuke. "Two million yen?!"

"That's a ton of money!" said Usagi. "I wonder how many pieces of shortcake I could buy with that?"

Then two female classmates named Yumiko and Kuri who happened to overhear the conversation chimed in.

"You know if I'm not mistaken," said Yumiko. "I believe that Mikan was discovered right here in town."

"She sure is lucky," said Kuri. "I wish I could have been discovered as well."

"I agree," said Naru. "If I had some luck, I'd want to be discovered too."

"I know! I just can't believe that those talent scouts haven't noticed us yet!" complained Yumiko. "They either must be blind or ignoring us."

"To be perfectly honest," said Umino straightening his glasses. "It's seems that they probably ignored you because they can see right through you very well."

Yumiko, Kuri, and Naru glared at Umino while Harusuke couldn't help but snicker.

"I hate to say it, but Umino got you girls pegged on that one," he chuckled.

"Besides," continued Umino. "I believe that someone else will come to become next big star from our school and follow and follow in Mikan's footsteps."

"And who would that be?" wondered Harusuke.

Umino chuckled and paused impressively. Then he then pointed to the very person. "Usagi!"

Naru and the girls as well as Harusuke just stared at Umino like he had said something totally strange. Usagi however surprised that Umino had picked her felt surprised, but then she stood up radiating with confidence.

"That's right! I'm gonna be the next star!" she proclaimed.

Umino applauded showing his support. "Huzzah!

* * *

Meanwhile in the middle of town, Mikan Shiratori was making a public appearance signing autographs for all the girls and boys that surround her. As more fans gathered around, Jadeite stood there watching this in disguise.

"Hmm. Perhaps I can use all of this energy," he thought to himself.

He then turned on his heel and walked away.

* * *

After school at the Tsukino house, Naru and Usagi were in Usagi's room discussing over what Umino just said about idol and the two of them becoming idols. Naru then came up with an idea.

"Hey! Why don't we become a duo of idols?!" she said.

"What?! You mean as in singing together?!" squeaked Usagi.

"Yes! We'll care straight into the entertainment world!" proclaimed Naru pointing to the ceiling.

Usagi then shot up and went to her closer. After rummaging through it for a couple of minutes, Usagi grabbed a tennis racket and held it like she was preparing to go to war.

"All right! I'm ready!" she said with determination. "Let's do this!"

Naru stared at Usagi for a moment and then she shook her head. "No! That's not what I meant!" she said. "I mean that we should both promote ourselves with a song and once we do that, then we'll become even bigger stars than Mikan will ever was!"

"Stars?!" asked Usagi excitedly. "Are you serious?!"

"Yes! That's right!" said Naru grinning. "We'll become an overnight sensation just like Cinderella!

"In that case, let's go for it!" cheered Usagi. "Let's get started right now!"

Luna who was lying down on Usagi's bed only shook her head exasperated. "This won't end well," she thought. "This isn't exactly the time to be thinking about those things.

Usagi and Naru then turned on the radio in Usagi's room playing the song Moonlight Densetsu as they began to sing. However, their singing was less than on key and their dancing was completely unsynchronized.

 _Gomen-ne It's hard for me to say_  
 _Although it's easy to say it in my dreams_  
 _My thought circuit is about break down_  
 _You know right now I want with me!_

Just then Shingo and Harusuke came into the room.

"Hey! Enough with all that screeching!" yelled Shingo.

"Yeah! Some of us are trying to get some homework done!" said Harusuke.

"Hey! What do you mean screeching!?" snapped Usagi.

"That's a rude thing to say! Especially to the stars of tomorrow!" said Naru.

"Um... yeah. Whatever," said Shingo feeling put off.

"Just please try and keep it down you two," said Harusuke. "We're trying to get things done here."

Then Shingo and Harusuke left. Naru then turned to Usagi.

"Let's try it again," encouraged Naru. "One more time! Second verse!"

"Yeah!" nodded Usagi.

The two then tried singing again adding a few dance moves here and there. However, things didn't get better. First Usagi had inadvertently stuck her arm in front of Naru almost hitting her. Then Naru accidentally swung her arms around knocking Usagi on the back of her head. However, the two kept going with their awkward singing and dance routine. Then Usagi stepped on Naru's foot making her cry out in pain. That was the final straw.

"OUCH! Darn it Usagi! You're always so clumsy!" she cried holding her foot in pain.

Usagi stopped. "I'm clumsy!? You're the one to talk!" she snapped. "You're just as bad as I am!"

"At least I don't go and blame others!" Naru shot back.

"Forget that! That's you!" Usagi argued.

The two gazed grimly at each other.

"Fine then!" huffed Naru. "If that's the way it's going to be, then I'll just have to go and become an idol on my own!"

"Fine with me!" Usagi huffed back. "Starting today, you can consider us rivals!"

Usagi and Naru glared at each other the sparks flying out of their eyes from the intensity. Luna could only sigh as she shrugged her shoulders.

* * *

A little later after Naru had gone home, the Tsukinos were all sitting in the living room watching TV together. Usagi was still thinking about her recent argument with Naru as well as figuring out her next move.

"Now that I've said all that to Naru, I wonder what should I do now?" she thought to herself.

On the TV, a man with showing off a monkey doing tricks.

"Act sorry," said the man.

The monkey did so by bowing his head apologetically causing the crowd to laugh.

"What a smart little monkey!" giggled Ikuko.

"I'll say," said Kenji chuckling. He then turned to Luna. "Hey Luna, I bet you could do tricks like that if you were trained."

Then an idea came into Usagi's mind causing her to jump out of her seat.

"Dad you're a genius!" she cried.

"A genius about what?" wondered Harusuke.

"Don't you worry Harusuke," said Usagi as she picked up Luna. "Just don't be surprised when you see celebrity reporters here soon!"

And with that she dashed out of the room with Luna leaving Kenji, Ikuko, Shingo, and Harusuke leaving puzzled.

"What was that all about?" asked Kenji. "You think that she's running a fever or something?"

"She seems OK to me," said Ikuko.

"She's just acting as weird as she always is," said Shingo.

Harusuke could only look towards the doorway where Usagi had left with Luna.

"I would go and see what she's up to," he thought to himself "But then again it's probably nothing. She's probably trying to cook up some kind of way of being a superstar using Luna. I swear... sometimes I do not get that girl."

* * *

In Usagi's room, she was training Luna into using the same tricks as the man she had seen on TV.

"Act sorry!" she commanded.

Luna did so bowing her head looking as apologetic as she could.

"This is so humiliating," she said. "Why do we have to do this again Usagi?"

"It's a means to get us into stardom!" snapped Usagi. "Now quit complaining and do it again! Act sorry!"

Luna could only do as Usagi said as the training continued all night.

* * *

Meanwhile Umino was heading for Naru's place after receiving a strange phone from Naru telling him to come over at her place at once. Umino wasn't sure what was going on, but there was no way he would pass up a call from Naru. So, he went. As soon as Umino arrived at Naru's front door, he rang the doorbell.

"Hello! Naru? It's Gurio Umino!" he called trying to be polite thinking that Naru's parents were home. "Your daughter invited me to come over. May I come in?"

Then Naru opened the door poking out her head not trying to be seen.

"Just come in here quick!" whispered Naru.

Then before Umino had a chance to react, Naru grabbed him by the arm and yanked him inside. Next thing Umino knew, he was dragged all the way to Naru's room, had his clothes ripped off being replaced by a girl's outfit comprised of a salmon pink dress, and Naru was putting make up all over his face. When she finished, she stepped back and took a look at him.

"Well... I guess that's all I can do," said Naru admiring her handiwork. "You actually look great in pink Umino."

"Um... I don't understand," said Umino who felt uncomfortable. "Why are you making me dress up like this? You know I have homework."

"Now, now. Instead of doing homework, you should be doing something much more important like socializing," said Naru.

"Socializing?" puzzled Umino. "Why is that?"

"Because Usagi said that you'd be ten times more attractive if you showed some interest about learning how to socialize," explained Naru.

Naru was obviously lying, but Umino believed her.

"Seriously?! Usagi said that about me?!" he squealed. "In that case, I'll do it! I'll do anything as long as Usagi likes me for it!"

He then started to pretend that he was a girl.

"Thank you so much Naru!" he said putting on his best teenage girl impression. "I feel like my whole life has changed thanks to you!"

Naru smiled awkwardly feeling a little put off. "Oh is... that so...?"

"Oh well," she thought. "A beauty and the beast combo just might get the scouts attention. If I can do that, then I'm willing to put up with anything as long as I can get scouted."

* * *

In another part of Juuban, Mikan Shiratori was staying at a hotel taking a shower after a day of signing autographs. She hummed herself a little tune as the water washed over her body helping her relax. However, what she didn't know was that someone or something was sneaking up on her in the shower. Then suddenly, the curtains were whipped aside and Mikan shrieked in terror.

In front of her face was another one of Jadeite's monsters named Derella. Her entire body seemed to be made of a turquoise and she had the face of a goblin and wore a purple dress. Before Mikan could even try to escape, Derella sprayed a strange turquoise glass substance from her mouth getting it all over Mikan. The glass substance was sticky and soon began to harden. Mikan even tried calling for help, but her mouth was then shut. Then having to have captured her target, Derella touched Mikan's hand with her finger and then transformed herself into an exact duplicate of Mikan. She smirked with triumph as she got to go into the phase of the plan.

* * *

The very next day, Derella disguised as Mikan along with Jadeite made their appearances on a stage in town with a huge announcement with a crowd of students gathering before them.

"Hey! Is that Mikan Shiratori?" asked a girl.

"I think it is," said another girl. "But what's she doing here?"

"Hey you!" said Jadeite. "And you! And you too! Do you want to be a star?! Have you ever dreamed of becoming one? Then be like Mikan Shiratori! Transform your life just like Cinderella from the fairy tale and apply for the Cinderella Caravan today!"

Then from on top of the stage, a large satellite like dish pointed right at the crowd emitting a strange frequency that began to hypnotize all the people who were there as Mikan spoke.

"Hello everyone!" said Mikan. "I'm Mikan Shiratori and I'm looking for people who have dreams of becoming big stars! If you're interested, go sign up and take part in the Cinderella Caravan!"

The hypnotized people all began mumbling in response.

"I wanna be like her... I wanna be like her... I wanna be like her..."

"I can't hear you everyone!" encouraged Mikan. "What do you want to become?!"

"A star!" cheered the crowd.

Just then a policeman arrived at the scene. When he saw the crowd of students, he was surprised.

"Hey what's going on here?!" he asked. "Why aren't all you kids in school?"

He wasn't the only one who arrived on the scene surprised. A young stout man with glasses also came. He was Mikan's agent.

"Mikan what's going on here?!" he demanded. "Why did you cancel your performances all of a sudden? You can't just do that you know!"

Mikan ignored them and kept on encouraging the crowd as the ray that was coming from the satellite dish began to hypnotize the policeman and Mikan's agent too.

"Starting today, you're all gonna be stars!" said Mikan.

The two men looked at each other smiled. "Stars!" they cheered. "We're gonna be stars!"

Then they both began to perform tricks. The policeman did a headstand while Mikan's agent pulled a leg up into the air. Jadeite watched them with a sinister grin on his face pleased that his plan was working.

* * *

Back at school not long after, the word of the Cinderella Caravan had reached even as far at the Juuban Middle School. Harusuke, Naru, and Usagi were just walking down the hall when Yumika and Kuri ran up to them.

"Hey you guys! Big news!" said Yumiko.

"Have you guys heard about the Cinderella Caravan?" asked Kuri.

"No. What's that?" asked Usagi.

Naru couldn't help but chuckle. "What a shame. You sure are behind the times Usagi," she laughed.

"Shut up! I was busy with some other stuff thank you," grumped Usagi.

"Anyway, mind telling us what that is?" asked Harusuke.

"Sure," replied Yumiko. "It's a talent search hoping to find the next Mikan Shiratori."

"Not only that, but Mikan has given her full support on the thing so you know it's the real deal!" said Kuri.

Naru and Usagi's eyes went wide with excitement while Harusuke rolled his.

"Yes! This is my chance!" said Usagi. "I'm so gonna win this thing!"

"What do you even talking about?!" said Naru. "I'm the one who's gonna win this contest!" Then she saw Umino who happened to be walking by. "Right Umino?"

Umino giggled using his feminine accent. "You got that right girlfriend!"

Harusuke and the girls almost fell over in surprise. Naru then whispered to Umino.

"Don't do it now!" she hissed. "You're going to give away the act!"

"Pwactice makes Poifect!" said Umino as he walked away.

Usagi, Kuri, Yumiko, and Harusuke all watched as Umino left still feeling baffled by his strange behavior.

* * *

It was now after school and Usagi and Luna were walking through town heading for the Cinderella Caravan with Harusuke for support.

"Today's the day!" Usagi said aloud. "Today we're have a chance to show off all the progress we made!"

"I still think this whole thing is weird," said Harusuke. "Ever since Umino mentioned this idol business, you and Naru have been acting weird and even are getting at each other's throats."

"You wouldn't understand Harusuke," said Usagi. "Because you're not idol material."

"Excuse me for not being idol material," muttered Harusuke.

Then he noticed Luna who was walking slowly behind them looking sad.

"What's the matter Luna?" asked Harusuke. "You look down."

Luna then came to a stop and then buried her face in her paws. "I'm sorry... but I can't do this..." she said.

Usagi was surprised. "What?! Why not?!" she exclaimed. "You can't just go and back out now!"

"Look... I went along with this in the first was because I figured it would be a nice change of pace for you," said Luna. "However, that's not what you want. You're heavily obsessed with trying to be become a star."

"That's not true at all," said Usagi trying to be convincing.

"Yes, it is," said Luna.

"No, it's not!" said Usagi defiantly.

"Then prove it! Stop trying to get into that Cinderella contest then," said Luna sternly.

"Now Luna hold on a minute," said Harusuke trying to ease the situation but Luna interrupted.

"No Harusuke. Usagi needs to know that now is not the time to be playing around!" Luna lectured. "She doesn't understand just how important both of your missions are, so she needs to stop this nonsense! Now if you don't mind I'd like to go home!"

Usagi clenched her hands as her eyes welled up in tears.

"Oh no... Now she's done it," said Harusuke worriedly.

Then Usagi burst into tears. "Luna! You're so mean! You just don't understand anything about me or about the innocent dreams of young girls!" she cried as she took off running.

"Usagi! Wait!" cried Harusuke. "Come back!"

Usagi didn't listen. She just kept on running. Eventually she saw the last person she expected to run into. The casually dressed boy with black hair. As soon as she saw him, she immediately stopped crying and quickly hid herself behind an alley fearing that he would tease her again.

"It's that stupid jerk again!" she thought. "Of all the times for him to show up, it had to be now! Hopefully he didn't see me."

Then Harusuke was came up finding her first.

"Usagi! There you are," said Harusuke. "Don't run off like that!"

"Shh! Be quiet!" snapped Usagi. "Can't you see I'm hiding here?!"

"Hiding? From who?" wondered Harusuke.

He found that out soon enough. Right then, the casually dressed boy came from around the corner and found the two.

"Well what do you know. It's bun-head and her brother," he said. "What brings you two around here?"

"None of your business," said Harusuke.

"Don't tell me that you two are going to that Cinderella Caravan contest?"

Usagi huffed in response turning away.

"And let me guess," continued the boy. "You're both going to try to impress them with a comedy routine you two came up with, right?"

"No of course not!" snapped Usagi. "Like we'd do something like that! Just stop bothering us! And get a new outfit! Come on Harusuke!"

Usagi then stomped away grabbing Harusuke by the arm leaving the boy with an amused look on his face.

* * *

At the Cinderella Caravan stage various performers were performing various feats in the hopes of getting chosen by Mikan still under the spell of Jadeite. Kuri and Yumiko were doing a comedy routine.

"I needed some bread and the grocer said that it was "under there." "said Yumiko.

"Oh yeah? Then what happened?" asked Kuri.

"A moment later, they gave me these," said Yumiko as she held up a pair of strawberry underwear.

"And way is that?" asked Kuri.

"When they said, "under there" I said "under where"?! " finished Yumiko.

"You're moving onto the next round girls!" said Mikan. "Wonderful performance!"

She then took a hammer which was also a stamp and tapped their hands making a mark appear on them. Yumiko and Kuri were delighted. Next it was Umino and Naru's turn. They were both just finished a duet of a song together. When they finished, Mikan then stamped their hands as well.

"Congratulations!" she said. "You're both moving on as well!"

"All right! We did it!" cheered Naru.

"We really do have talent girlfriend!" smiled Umino.

Then Mikan turned towards the crowd. "Those of you who got stamped and are moving on will be performing live at the Shan-Shan plaza next Sunday!" she said. "And that's will be when you all will become stars!"

As the crowd cheered in response while Mikan smirked with triumph.

* * *

The next day, Usagi and Harusuke were going to class as usual. When they entered the classroom, they were in for quite a shock. The desks were all pushed to the other side of the room and everyone who was in the classroom was rehearsing for the big night. Yumiko and Kuri were practicing their comedy routine.

"What happens when you pluck the feathers off a bald eagle?" asked Yumiko.

"Nothing! It's already bald!" finished Kuri.

"What in the blazes...?" murmured Harusuke.

Usagi went over to Naru. "Good morning Naru. Whatcha doing?" she asked.

Naru didn't answer. She was busy writing her name on blank slates practicing for when she had to sign autographs.

"All right then everyone!" called Umino holding a bag. "Did you all get your streamers?" Then he caught sight of Usagi and Harusuke. He went over to them and gave them a roll of streamers from his bag, Usagi light blue one and Harusuke green. "There you go you two," you said.

Usagi and Harusuke looked at their streamers and then at each other in confusion still wondering what was going on. Then Naru suddenly stood up from her desk surprising them.

"All right everyone!" she said. "We're going to have an autograph session starting now!"

"But guys...! Wait a minute!" said Usagi. "Should we be in class right now?"

"Yeah. Aren't you afraid that you're all gonna get in trouble with Ms. Haruna?" asked Harusuke.

"Hey, cut us some slack!" snapped Yumiko. "We're working or butts off on our acts here!"

"Yeah! Stars like us don't need stupid classes!" agreed Kuri.

"Hey! Throw the streamers!" said Umino. Everyone did just that, but one of the rolls of streamers hit Umino square in the face. "Ouch! Be careful!" he chided. "You shouldn't injure a star's face otherwise he won't be a star anymore!"

Usagi and Harusuke could only at each other still confused by everything that was going on. One thing was sure, things had taken a turn for the bizarre.

* * *

Later that morning, the students were gathered around a makeshift stage with Umino and Naru practicing their duet while Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna watched from a distance on the bench.

"Don't you two find this all a bit strange?" asked Luna.

"Yup," replied Usagi.

"Strange is a bit of an understatement," said Harusuke. "It's more like everyone in school's got a case of Mikan fever."

"And it's not just here," said Luna. "It's been like this all over town too! People are suddenly neglecting their daily responsibilities because they think they're stars."

"Do you think a monster's behind all this?" wondered Harusuke.

"I'm not sure," said Luna. "but one thing's for sure: they all went to that Cinderella contest the other day."

"Then if that's true, then we could have ended up like them!" said Usagi. "Then again... you could have blocked my path to stardom."

"You're still on about that?" deadpanned Harusuke. "Seriously. It's better than being like those guys right now."

"That's right. You should be thanking me for saving you," said Luna snootily.

Then they heard Umino and Naru call out to the other students.

"Make sure you all come to Shan-Shan plaza to see our big concert!" called Naru.

"We still have tickets left over, so make sure you get em while you can!" added Umino.

"Hold on! What do you mean by that?!" called out Yumiko.

"Yeah! The show in Shan-Shan Plaza is supposed to be our big show!" protested Kuri.

Then the entire crowd of students began to argue with each other the arguing escalating higher and higher.

"Wow... they actually believe they're stars," said Usagi.

"I guess so," said Harusuke.

* * *

Soon enough, Sunday came around and Naru, Umino, Yumiko, Kuri, and the other contestant were all gathered around backstage ready to perform. Then Mikan appeared and addressed everybody.

"Listen up everyone!" she said. "Soon all of your shows are about to begin! Can't you hear the audience cheering for you?!"

At first no one could hear anything, but then when the curtains began to go up, a disco ball hanging from above began emitting a strange frequency making everyone in there except for Mikan to hear and see an audience in front of them.

"Here we go! Let's do our best, Yuminko!" said Kuri.

"You bet Kuri!" Yumiko smiled.

"It's almost show time..." said Naru nervously.

"I know! It's so exciting!" said Umino.

Then all of the participants including Naru and the others began performing their routines all at once. In the audience seats in the front row, Mikan smiled evilly chuckling.

"I think it's about time I take your energy now," she said to herself.

She twisted the tiny microphone of her chest and then began to drain all of the energy from the participants.

* * *

While this was going on, the energy was being sent to Jadeite gathering in the form of a large glowing white ball.

Jadeite smiled as the large ball glowed in his hand.

"Very soon I'll have a fresh batch of energy for our great ruler," he said to himself as he cackled with triumph.

* * *

Outside of the Shan-Shan plaza, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna had just arrived at the Shan-Shan themselves. It was very quiet. Not a single person could be find.

"OK. This is so weird," said Usagi. "There's no one around."

"Yeah. You'd think that'd there would be a lot of people here," said Harusuke.

"Come on. Let's go inside and see what's going on," said Luna.

And so, the three walked inside of the plaza and went to the main stage. When they got close to the main stage, they peeped inside of the theater and their eyes widened in shock. On the stage was Naru, Umino, and the others performing on the stage, but there was no one to be seen in the audience. That was until one person stood up. From behind she looked like Mikan, but then the being turned its head around revealing the true face of the being. It was Derella.

"So... you two seen everything eh?" she snarled.

"Holy crap...!" cried Harusuke.

Usagi screamed in horror. "Mikan is a monster!" she cried as she dashed away with Harusuke right behind her.

The two of them didn't stop running until they made it to the restrooms in the building. Harusuke stopped by the boy's while Usagi dashed into the girl's room.

"Usagi! Come out of there!" said Luna. "We need Solaris and Sailor Moon!"

"Do I have to?" whined Usagi. "That monster was so scary!"

"I know Usagi! I was scared a little too!" said Harusuke. "But we need to transform! We have to save Naru and the others!"

"Oh, all right," said Usagi.

She reluctantly came out of the restrooms still scared, but that fear was quickly replaced with determination as she and Harusuke transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLARIS GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind hi_

* * *

Back on the stage due to the energy draining, all the performers were now unconscious due to having their energy sucked completely out of them. Derella smirked with having completed her mission. Then suddenly the curtains closed, the disco ball from above stopped spinning, and the room went black.

"What's happened?! What's going on?!" wondered Derella feeling a little panicked.

Then two voices came from behind the curtains.

"You evil friend!" said a female voice. "How dare you place fake glass slippers on the hearts of young girls who dream of becoming Cinderella!"

"And giving men false hope on the chance that they would someday become Prince Charming!" said a male voice. "That alone is unforgivable!"

"Who's there?!" demanded Derella.

Then a bright light shone on the center of the stage revealing the two heroes.

"I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice!"

"I'm Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm Solaris! And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

Derella leaped from the seats and revealed her true from in front of Solaris and Sailor Moon.

"Just as we thought," said Sailor Moon. "She really was a monster all along!"

"Then let's take it out!" said Solaris.

Derella fired the same web-like glass substance from her mouth at them, but Sailor Moon and Solaris dove into the seats hiding themselves. Derella floated from above trying to find them.

"Where did you two go?!" she snarled.

Soalris and Sailor Moon crawled their way under the chairs trying to stay quiet until they could get the chance to attack before Derella found one of them. Unfortunately, one of them was found first. That someone was Sailor Moon.

"There you are!" snarled Derella.

"Oh no!" cried Solaris.

He looked in time to see that Derella had fired the glass substance from her mouth right at Sailor Moon. She was now covered from neck to toe in gooey green glass substance. To make things worse, the glass substance was beginning to harden.

"What is this stuff?!" cried Sailor Moon. "I can't get free!"

"Hang on Sailor Moon! I'm coming!" cried Solaris as he rushed toward her trying to save her.

Derella however saw Solaris coming and from her mouth fired the glass substance at him. Solaris jumped dodging the attack and then went to attack Derella by throwing a punch. The punch connected sending Derella back. Solaris then rushed toward Sailor Moon.

"Hold on Sailor Moon! I get you out!" he said as he came up to her.

He then tried to get the glass substance off her, but she couldn't Then Derella recovered from the blow and then fired her glass substance from her mouth again. This time the attack connected and now Solaris was covered in the glass substance.

"Damn it! I am caught too!" he cried.

"Now you're both mine!" screeched Derella victoriously.

She then spewed out more of the glass substance making it spread more on their necks up to their faces.

"No... I can't... breathe..." groaned Sailor Moon as she was now completely covered in the glass substance.

"Sailor... Moon..." gasped Solaris as he too was enveloped.

Both Sailor Moon and Solaris were now still as statues as Derella's glass substance hardened completely. She cackled with victory.

"That's right! It's all over for you both!" she said with glee.

But it wasn't over yet. Right then and there, two roses shot out. One hit Sailor Moon on her hand and the other hit Solaris on his back. The glass on both of their bodies began to crackle from the impact and then broke away completely setting Sailor Moon and Solaris free.

"No! My glass prison!" cried Derella. "Who did that?!"

She looked up to where the roses came from as did Sailor Moon and Solaris. There standing on a balcony under the spotlight was none other than Tuxedo Mask.

"Tuxedo Mask! It's you!" exclaimed Solaris.

"You saved our lives!" said Sailor Moon smiling. "Thank you very much!"

"Sailor Moon! Solaris! You're both the stars of this show now!" he said. "Make sure you're both bright stars! Good luck!"

And with wave of his cape, he disappeared. Derella who was now furious, tried to chase after him.

"Come back here!" she hissed. "You won't escape from me!"

Then Luna appeared. "Sailor Moon! Solaris! Now's your chance! She's wide open!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris nodded and then unleashed their attacks. Sailor Moon took off her tiara transformed it into a white disk and Solaris clapped his hands together creating a ball of yellow light. Then the two of them took aim and fired their attacks.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Both attacks slammed right into Derella making her shatter into a million pieces along with the microphone containing the energy she was carrying and the disco ball from above. On the stage, Naru and the other victims had finally regained conscious not remembering what had happened including the real Mikan who was still in the shower at her hotel not remembering what had happened either.

* * *

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna all rested in Usagi's room managing to make it back home safely. Usagi however felt very exhausted.

"Man... I'm so tired," she sighed.

"Then let that be a lesson to you Usagi," said Luna. "Nothing good can come when you get too obsessed."

"Yeah. Yeah," said Usagi.

"Don't you give me that!" Luna suddenly snapped. "I want you to think about what you did! Act sorry!"

Feeling startled, Usagi immediately straightened up and then did exactly what the monkey did she saw on TV looking as apologetic as much as she could. Harusuke sweat dropped at this sight.

"I would say that this is too much," he thought. "But... I guess Luna does owe a little payback. Oh well."

* * *

 _All right! Sailor Mercury is coming for the best episode!_

 _I can't wait! Until then..._

 _Dragoman out!_


	9. Chapter 8

In the Dark Dimension, Jadeite was once again discussing plans with Queen Beryl of how to steal energy from the humans of Earth.

"Listen Queen Beryl," said Jadeite. "So many of human schoolchildren have been made miserable because they are being forced to study."

"Yes," said Queen Beryl. "I've heard reports that parents are so desperate for their children to succeed, that they're even harder on their kids than any one of our monsters will be."

"Not only that, but some parents are willing to go unimaginable lengths just to get their children into a top-rated university," added Jadeite. "From preschool to high school, they'll stop at nothing to see that their children get the best education."

"I see," said Queen Beryl thoughtfully. "And what will happen if they leave a first-rate university?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Jadeite. "But I say we use this to our advantage."

"Very well then Jadeite," said Queen Beryl. "Proceed."

"Yes ma'am," said Jadeite.

He bowed before his queen and then vanished into the air.

* * *

Usagi was lounging around on the couch laughing hysterically at a manga she was reading. Ikuko then came up to her.

"Usagi! What is all that laughing about?!" she demanded.

"Oh, hey Mom!" said Usagi as she got up and showed her the manga she was reading. "You have to take a look at this! It's so funny!"

Ikuko did so and she laughed too along with Usagi, but then she stopped turning serious.

"Now isn't the time to be laughing!" she said sternly. "I wanted to ask you about the practice test you and Harusuke did the other day. How did that go?"

"Oh, don't worry about that Mom," said Usagi. "The results won't be coming out till tomorrow, so there's no need to worry about that."

"Look Usagi," said Ikuko now looking somewhat sad. "I know I don't much from you when it comes to school, but please try not to fail OK?"

"Come on Mom!" wailed Usagi who now was crying. "If there's a top of the class, there has to be a bottom too. So, I'm actually helping those top-class kids look good. There's no one in the world that suffer more than kids who get scolded for bad grades!"

"Oh Usagi..." sighed Ikuko flatly. "You sure come up with the craziest arguments. Not only that, but your grades will make just about anyone burst into tears."

Then Harusuke came down the stairs. "Hey Mom. Hey Usagi," he said. "What's going on? Usagi fail a test again?"

"No. Just Usagi being Usagi as usual," said Ikuko. "By the way Harusuke, how did you do on your practice test?"

"I think I did pretty good," said Harusuke. "I know I probably won't get a hundred percent, but I'm sure I'll get a good score."

"You see Usagi? Why can't you take a page from Harusuke's book?" asked Ikuko. "You don't see him failing tests."

Usagi puffed her cheeks. "That's because I'm not a genius like he is," she muttered.

"Oh, come on Usagi. You know that's not true," said Harusuke. "I just study. That's all."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be doing your homework right now Usagi instead of reading manga?" asked Ikuko.

Usagi gulped which pretty much answered Ikuko's question. "But... but... I don't get it and I need some help!" she said quickly thinking of an excuse.

Ikuko shook her head sighing. "Honestly, it's no wonder you're failing," she said. She then turned to Harusuke. "Harusuke? Could you go upstairs and help Usagi with her homework if you're not busy?"

"Sure thing Mom. I just finished my homework just now," said Harusuke. "I'd be glad to help."

"Kiss up," muttered Usagi.

* * *

In Usagi's room, Usagi was doing her homework under the watchful eye of Harusuke and Luna. Usagi whined with frustration.

"Stop your whining Usagi," said Luna. "Education is very important to you know."

"That's easy for you to say," grumped Usagi. "It must be nice being a cat. I wish I was a cat with nothing to do."

"What are you even talking about Usagi?" deadpanned Harusuke as he got up sharpening his pencil. "You know that's not true."

"That's right. Not to mention that I'm busy with stuff too you know. Like finding the Moon Princess," said Luna.

Harusuke and Luna just came back to the table when they saw Usagi reading a manga book on top of her school book. Usagi tried to hide it, but she was too late.

"Usagi! You were just reading that manga, weren't you?!" exclaimed Harusuke.

"Oh brother," sighed Luna. "If only your sister was as passionate about manga as something more meaningful like helping find the princess. It's not only her destiny to find the princess, but it's also her destiny to fight all the foes we come across as well. It's both of your responsibilities."

"Luna's right Usagi," said Harusuke. "Our responsibilities may be a bit hard and overwhelming, but we can't just ignore them."

Usagi groaned. "Aww come on you guys! I didn't exactly ask for this you know! And besides what exactly are these "foes" you keep talking about anyway Luna?"

"You know evil beings that are not from this world," said Luna. "Like the monsters that you and Harusuke have been fighting."

"I think she wants you to be a little more specific than that Luna," said Harusuke. "To be honest I'm a little curious myself."

Luna put a paw to her chin thinking. "Hmm... well to tell you the truth, I have no idea what they are either."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at the cat a little surprised at her response.

"Wait a minute... you mean you have no idea either?" asked Harusuke incredulously. "You do realize that's not too reassuring here Luna."

"No. I don't, but I do know that they need to be stopped," said Luna. "No matter what."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at each now feeling more confused than before.

* * *

Later that night everyone was fast asleep. Everyone that is except for Luna. She sneaked out of the house without waking anyone up and then walked all the way to the Game Center. The Game Center was very dark and quiet due to it being closed. Luna looked around making sure that she wasn't followed then stepped in front of the closed entrance. The door to then opened and she went inside. She then came up to one of the consoles for the Sailor V game and the screen flashed on.

"Sailor V, the Game!" the game said.

"This is Codename Zero, Zero, Nine One aka Luna," she responded.

She then placed her paw on the screen and then it scanned it. The game then displayed a strange sound wave audio line.

"Passphrase: The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes," continued Luna.

"The moon's rice cakes are sticky," responded the sound wave.

"And they puff up when you toast them as well," finished Luna.

"Passphrase accepted. Welcome back Luna," said the sound wave. "Have you found the princess yet?"

"Not yet," said Luna. "And I don't have any leads either. Not only that, but Sailor Moon's proving to be more unreliable than I expected her to be."

"Now, now. Don't complain," soothed the sound wave. "Besides, you got Solaris by her side helping her out and keeping her together. Isn't that enough for now?"

"You're right," nodded Luna. "Sorry about that. By the way, I've been sensing a strange new energy lately."

Luna typed in a few things on the screen and a picture of a young girl came up on it. She was in her teens about Usagi's age, had short dark blue hair, and blue eyes. She also wore the same uniform Usagi did meaning that she went to her and Harusuke's school.

"I believe that it's most likely coming from this girl," she said.

"Hmm... she could be a monster sent by the enemy or something else," said the sound wave. "Until then speed up your investigation and keep an eye on her."

"Right," said Luna.

* * *

The next morning at school, the practice exam results were posted, and everyone gathered around to see how they scored on it. There was one name that everyone was looking at on that list. And that name was Ami Mizuno. Harusuke, Usagi, Yumi, and Naru were hanging around outside of the classroom in the hall after just find out about their scores. They watched as everyone talked about Ami being the top of the exam scores.

"Looks like Ami made it to the top in our entire class as usual," said Naru.

"Not only that," said Yumi. "But she's also number one in the entire country!"

"The whole country!?" exclaimed Usagi and Naru.

Then Umino popped up making everyone jump in surprise. "And also, rumor has it that when her IQ was measured, they discovered that it was over three hundred!"

Naru then smacked Umino upside his head. "Umino! Don't sneak up on us like that you idiot!"

"Three hundred?!" exclaimed Harusuke. "That's crazy! I knew she was smart, but I didn't know she was that smart."

"Yeah! She's practically a super genius," said Usagi.

Then something caught her eye. There standing by the window staring out through it was the very girl they were talking about. The same girl with dark blue hair and blue eyes that Luna had been told to watch over the other night.

"Look there she is now," said Usagi causing everyone to look and see her too.

"That also reminds me," said Umino. "I heard that she attends Crystal Seminar. The new cram school that was just built in Juuban."

"I heard about that," said Usagi. "Our Mom says that it costs a whole lot of money to get there."

"That's to be expected," said Naru. "After all, Ami's Mom is a doctor and that kind of job makes a lot of money."

"So, in other words, that means she's rich enough to afford it," said Yumi.

"That may be so, but I heard she actually has a scholarship there so she's attending for free," said Harusuke.

"Still just between us guys," said Yumi. "I don't really like her. She thinks she's all that all because she's smart you know what I mean?"

"No kidding," said Naru. "I hate girls like that."

"I agree," Umino nodded.

"Now hold on you guys," said Harusuke. "Don't go judging people like that."

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other and then towards Ami. She then turned towards them as if she had overheard them talking about her. Usagi seeing this feigned innocence.

"Hey guys! What nice weather we're having!" she said trying to change the subject.

"What are you talking about Usagi?" wondered Harusuke.

Usagi then pinched him on his side causing him to yelp in pain. "Shut it Harusuke!"

* * *

After school, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home.

"Man... I wish I was one of the smart kids," said Usagi. "They got the easy life."

"You're only saying that because you failed on a test for the umpteenth time," said Harusuke.

"Oh right..." said Usagi paling slightly. "Mom's is gonna kill me..."

"Yup. She's gonna yell at you and then probably gonna sign you up for some cram school and make you pay for it yourself," teased Harusuke.

"Harusuke! Don't say that!" whined Usagi slumping. "She just might actually do that!"

"Oh, come on Usagi. I was only kidding," said Harusuke.

As they continued to walk they passed by a corner. Usagi tugged at Harusuke's shoulder.

"Hey Harusuke, look," she said pointing.

Just ahead of them to their right, there was Ami walking all alone. Just then something jumped out from a wall next to her and leaped into the air dive bombing straight at her and landed on her shoulder. It didn't take long for Harusuke and Usagi to realize that it was Luna who landed on Ami's shoulder. Seeing the cat, Ami couldn't help but give Luna a loving scratch on her chin.

"Well hello there kitty," she said as she petted her. "You're so soft... if I didn't live in a condo I'd take you home. I'd love to have a cute kitty like you."

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each and two couldn't help but smile. Then they went up to Ami.

"Hey Luna!" called Usagi. "Come here girl."

Luna saw Usagi and Harusuke upon Usagi calling to her and she got off Ami and went over to Usagi who kneeled down and picked her up.

"Sorry about that. I hope she didn't scare you too much," said Harusuke.

"Are you both the owners of that cat?" asked Ami.

"Yup," said Usagi.

"I must admit when she came down and landed on me," said Ami. "For a second I thought that she might have been an angel."

"An angel? Luna?" wondered Usagi. Then she smiled. "What a cute thing to say..." she thought.

"I don't know about Luna being an angel," said Harusuke. "But I can say that Luna's a very unique cat in her own way."

Then Harusuke and Usagi introduced themselves as they walked with Ami.

"By the way, you're Ami Mizuno from Class 5, right? I'm Usagi Tsukino from Class 1," she said.

"And I'm Harusuke Tsukino also from Class 1 and Usagi's older brother," he said. "Nice to meet you."

"You as well," said Ami.

Usagi held pointed to Luna introducing her too. "This little furball who you already met is called Luna."

"Luna huh? That means moon in some languages, right?" she asked.

"Wow you're really are a genius," said Usagi very impressed. "You're the first person who noticed it right away."

Ami blushed bright red from the compliment. Then Luna spoke to Harusuke and Usagi low enough, so she wouldn't hear.

"Listen you two," she whispered. "Be very careful with this girl. She might be actually be a monster sent by the enemy."

"What?" wondered Harusuke about to ask why but then Usagi laughed.

"Don't be silly!" she said patting Luna on the head.

Ami was puzzled. "What's so funny Usagi?" she wondered.

Usagi and Harusuke froze worried that Ami might have possibly heard Luna talking. Usagi quickly covered Luna's mouth causing Harusuke's eyes to widen.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" she said laughing awkwardly. Then she came up with an idea to distract Ami from the situation. "Hey Ami. Do you wanna play some video games with me and Harusuke?" she asked.

"Sure," said Ami. "But I've never actually played one before."

"No worries! Me and Harusuke will show you how," said Harusuke. "Right Harusuke?"

"Um... sure," said Harusuke hesitantly. "But you would be better for teaching her Usagi. I'm would rather stand and watch."

"Then it's settled," said Usagi. "Let's go!"

Then Usagi who was holding Luna by her mouth all this time had finally let go of her. Luna growled and glared at Usagi having to have almost been suffocated.

"Just relax Luna," she whispered. "You're just imagining things."

* * *

At the Game Center, Usagi was playing the Sailor V game as a demonstration for Ami. Ami and Harusuke watched as Usagi blasted monsters and enemies back and forth pressing the buttons relentlessly. However, she soon lost her last life and she ended up with a score of 6850.

"Whew. I guess that wasn't too bad," said Usagi. "The buttons may have been a little sticky, but that's how it's done." She turned to Ami. "Now it's your turn Ami. You ready to give it a try? It's really fun."

"But it looks kinda hard," said Ami doubtfully.

"Don't worry about it," said Harusuke. "It's a lot easier than you think it is. All you need to do is blast any monsters and baddies that come your way. Just do your best."

"Don't feel too bad if you get five hundred points on your first try though," said Usagi.

Ami then took her turn on the Sailor V game. As she blasted one monster or baddie after another, her score soon reached five hundred.

"Way to go! You're pretty good!" said Usagi.

"You think so?" asked Ami as she continued pressing the buttons.

Her score continued to climb higher and higher until it reached one thousand, then two thousand, and then three thousand. Soon enough, her score even surpassed Usagi's score. Usagi was at first happy for Ami for doing so well, but then her look slowly turned to disbelief. Harusuke's mouth even hung open as Ami's score then exceeded past ten thousand. Then as Ami's score reached twenty thousand, a crowd of people formed around watching Ami play. They were all amazed.

"This is incredible!" cried a boy. "Her score's even higher than the all-time high score!"

Then Motoki came up wanting to see what was going on. Even he was impressed by what he saw.

"Whoa! That's amazing!" he said. "Just incredible!"

Then Ami looked at her watch checking the time.

That one little opening gave one of the monsters in the game a chance. It blasted Sailor V and then the words Game Over appeared on the screen also flashing Ami's score which was of over one hundred thousand.

"Oh no! Look at the time!" cried Ami. "I have to go!"

She pushed her way through the crowd and tried making a dash for the door grabbing her book bag, but then she dropped it on the floor spilling its contents. Luckily Harusuke and Usagi were there to help pick them up for her.

"To where?" asked Harusuke. "Do you have some kind of class?"

"Yes. I do," said Ami. "A cram class I take right after school. I go there every day."

"I'm so sorry," said Usagi. "I didn't realize that you had cram school." Then she registered what Ami just said. "Wait... every day!?" she yelped paling at the thought.

"Yes. Studying is the only thing I'm good at," said Ami. "So, I have to make sure I try my best to get good grades."

"Sounds difficult," said Harusuke. "But I can understand in a way."

"Anyway, I gotta get going," said Ami. "I'll see you two later! It was fun!"

"Bye Ami!" said Usagi and Harusuke as they both watched as Ami left the Game Center and dash away.

"Man... It's like she lives in a whole different world," said Usagi.

"A world that's way beyond what we could comprehend," said Harusuke.

Then Motoki came up to them causing Usagi to blush slightly and grin.

"Hey Motoki!" she said. "What's up?"

"Hey there you two," said Motoki. "I was wondering if the two of you could do me a small favor?"

"Sure. Anything for you," said Usagi dreamily.

Then Motoki held out a bright red floppy disk. "It would seem that friend of yours dropped this on her way out," said Motoki. "I was wondering if you could give this back to her."

Usagi was a little disappointed. "Really? Is that all?" she asked dejectedly.

Motoki was puzzled, but Harusuke ignored Usagi took the floppy disk and looked at it.

"It looks like this disk belongs to that new school that opened: Crystal Seminar," said Harusuke. "We'll stop by over there and then take to Ami."

* * *

At the Crystal Seminar, Ami had managed to make it to class on time without being late. She made her way to her desk past other students who were furiously typing on their computers finishing their assignments. Ami sat on her desk and dug in her bag searching for a certain item, but it wasn't in her bag.

"Oh no. I can't find my floppy disk," said Ami. "I must have dropped it somewhere." She then shrugged. "Oh well. It's not like I needed it anyway. I don't even use it that often."

Then Ami felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to look up. A young woman with short brunette hair with glasses stood above her.

"Miss Mizuno. Make sure that your using your crystal disk to help you study more effectively," she said. "Remember, you're on a scholarship and must keep your grades up. I'm expecting great things from you."

"Sure thing ma'am," said Ami.

Then the teacher left. As soon as she knew she was gone, Ami let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry ma'am, but when I use that disk I get the worst headaches," she said to herself. "I'm better off studying and learning on my own."

* * *

Meanwhile just outside of the Crystal Seminar, Usagi and Harusuke found themselves standing in front reading a board.

"So, this is the Crystal Seminar," said Harusuke. "Looks pretty impressive."

"It says here that if someone use this thing called a "crystal disk" they can become a genius," said Usagi. "I wonder if that's what that thing is?"

"It must be," said Harusuke pulling out the floppy disk. "But I doubt Ami would need it. I mean isn't she already a genius?"

"Be careful you two," said Luna. "I feel something off about this school."

"Oh, calm down Luna. We're just returning this disk back to Ami," said Usagi. "Man, you're a worry wort."

"What the heck is this?" wondered a voice. "Do you actually want to study Bun-head?"

The moment Usagi heard the words Bun-head, she immediately growled and turned to find that the casually dressed boy had appeared.

"Oh brother. Here we go again," said Harusuke rolling his eyes.

"You again?! Why do you always show up at the worst timing!?" snapped Usagi. "What are you a creeper?!"

"No, I'm not," said the boy. "That aside...was that cat just talking to you and your brother?"

Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna immediately gulped, and their faces froze with horror. There was a long silence. Then Harusuke and Usagi burst into forced laughter.

"That's impossible! I've never heard such a thing? Right Harusuke?" Usagi forced.

"Yeah! I mean come on whoever heard of a cat talking? Cats can't talk!" added Harusuke.

Then the three of them dashed away as fast as their feet could carry them. They didn't stop till they came to the gate outside of their school. Then they rested to catch their breath.

"Oh man that was close!" said Luna. "It would have been bad if he found out I talked!"

"I'll say!" panted Harusuke. "But thankfully we managed to dodge that bullet." Then he saw the floppy disk still in his hand. "Oh man! We were in such a panic that we forgot to give the disk back!"

"It's because of that stupid guy!" growled Usagi.

"Hold on you two," said Luna. "This could be a good opportunity. Let's go to the audio-visual room at your guys' school."

"But what for Luna?" wondered Harusuke.

"I wanna check out what's on that disc," said Luna.

"What? You think it's something suspicious?" asked Usagi. "Well let me just say right now, I don't know a thing about computers so either you or Harusuke will have to figure it out."

"Don't worry," said Harusuke. "I'm sure that Luna will figure it out."

* * *

Later inside the school in the audio-visual room, Luna inserted the disk inside of the computer and started typing on it.

"Wow... you know how to use a computer..." said Usagi awkwardly. "You're so amazing..."

"It's pretty to do," said Luna. "Everybody should be able to use a computer nowadays."

"Everyone except for Usagi," teased Harusuke.

"Shut it. I get it," pouted Usagi.

Then suddenly as Luna opened the files on the disk a strange high-pitched sound began coming from the computer. Usagi and Harusuke covered their ears.

"Oh man! What is that awful noise!?" cried Usagi.

"It's so loud!" yelled Harusuke.

Then a familiar voice came from the computer.

"Give us all of your knowledge and mental energy! Offer it all to our great ruler and in doing so become out servant!"

"I know that voice!" cried Harusuke. "That's Jadeite!"

"I knew it! This is a brainwashing program!" cried Luna. "I knew it from the moment I sensed her. Your friend Ami really is a monster!"

"No way! It can't be true!" said Usagi.

"Well I'm afraid that it is," said Harusuke. "As much as I hate to say it. That floppy disk is proof enough. Which means that Crystal is also a scheme planned by Jadeite! We must get over there and stop them!"

* * *

Moments later, the three were standing just outside of the Crystal Seminar hiding in an alley ready to barge in.

"I still don't believe it," said Usagi. "What if this is some kind of mistake or something?"

"Mistake or not, we have to get in there and stop the enemy's plans," said Luna.

"I agree," said Harusuke. "Now hurry Usagi. Let's use the Disguise Pen!"

Usagi was still worried, but she nodded firmly and held up the Disguise Pen and Harusuke touched the Disguise Pen too.

"MOON POWER! Make me look like a doctor from the university hospital!"

"SOLAR POWER! Make me look like a teacher from the university hospital!"

Usagi was now wearing teal high heels a one-piece skirt with a long white lab coat and had short hair. Harusuke wore black shoes with gray dress pants with a green button-down shirt and striped tie and had long hair. The two of them along with Luna then raced inside going up the stairs until they burst into the classroom where Ami and the other students were.

"Everyone! Step away from your computers right now!" cried Usagi.

"Yes! Those computers are draining your energy!" yelled Harusuke.

All the students looked groaning and moaning looking very weak and tired. Then Ami stood up glaring at the two.

"Who are you two?" she demanded. "You can't just interrupt everyone while they're studying!"

"You really are an evil monster, aren't you?!" said Usagi bitterly.

"Yeah! How could you do such a thing?!" spat Harusuke.

Ami's glare now changed into a puzzled expression. "Uh... what are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm a what now?"

"Don't play dumb with us!" snapped Usagi.

"If you won't admit your crimes, then we'll just have to make you!" said Harusuke pointing at her.

"It's time for Sailor Moon and Solaris!" said Luna from behind the door as Harusuke and Usagi called out their words.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"What the... No way..." murmured Ami who was deeply shocked from seeing the two transform. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind clasping her hand over her mouth. Sailor Moon and Solaris gasped in surprise to find that it was Ami's teacher that was restraining her. The teacher then transformed revealing her true form and being the real one pulling the strings. She was red skinned, tall and had only one single article of clothing comprised of a black dress.

"I am the monster of knowledge known as Garoben," she cackled. "And soon I will gather all the mental energy from all these students including this girl and offer it up to the great ruler!

"No way... she's the monster!" cried Solaris. "That means...!"

"Ami wasn't the monster after all!" finished Sailor Moon. She turned to Luna. "You hear that you suspicious cat?!" she snapped angrily.

"No kidding..." said Luna feeling embarrassed that she was wrong for once.

"Well I'm glad," said Solaris. "I never really thought that she was the monster anyway..."

"But you agreed with her!" snapped Usagi. "That makes you just as guilty!"

"Will you forget about that now?!" Solaris snapped back. "Need I remind you that we have enemy to beat!"

Sailor Moon cleared her throat and she and Solaris faced Garoben.

"Let her go you evil hag!" said Sailor Moon. "Gifted minds are here to better mankind!"

"And we won't allow you to fall in to the hands of evil!" said Solaris.

"I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"

"And now, in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

Garoben smirked. "All right. First question," she said. "It's about Isaac Newton!" Solaris and Sailor Moon stared at her blank with surprise as she continued. "Answer me this: why do apples fall from trees?"

"Seriously?! Why the heck do we have to answer that?!" snapped Usagi.

"Yeah! What are you? Our teacher? We don't have to answer to you!" Solaris angrily replied.

"You fail then! If you two won't answer, then take this!" shouted Garoben.

She waved her hand and test papers appeared above her shooting at Solaris and Sailor Moon. The two of them dodged as the papers pierced the wall behind them. The papers kept coming and coming and Solaris and Sailor Moon had no choice but to keep dodging.

"Enough of this!" cried Solaris as he dodged another paper. "I've had enough of this pop quiz!"

He then dashed straight at Garoben with his leg up hoping to knock it out with a kick, but Garoben who was still holding Ami moved his in front of him causing Solaris to falter. Seeing her chance, she fired another barrage of test papers. Solaris back flipped away dodging them until he found himself against the wall.

"Hey! That's not fair!" he snapped.

"Too bad kid!" said Garoben. "You flunked big time, and this is all you'll get!"

"Listen you two!" called Luna from behind the door. "You have to answer her question correctly!"

"You mean about the one about why about why apples fall from trees?" wondered Usagi as she dodged another barrage of papers. "I know! A typhoon knocked them 'em down!"

In response more, papers came flying at Sailor Moon and Solaris causing them to dodge once again, but they became trapped in the corner of the classroom.

"Sailor Moon come on! Even you should know the answer to that!" snapped Solaris as he ducked. "It because Earth has gravity! Not a typhoon!"

"OK! Alright! It was because the Earth has gravity!" yelled Sailor Moon.

The test papers then disappeared. Garoben clicked her tongue and then smirked. She wasn't done yet. She snapped her fingers and the students stood and came walking towards them due to them being controlled.

"Alright! How about this?! Question two: Explain to me in fifty words or less exactly what gravity is!" she said. "You'll end up just like them if you two can't answer! "

"Oh, come on, that's impossible!" cried Sailor Moon. "I don't wanna be an academic zombie!"

"Stand your ground Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris. "We have to fend them off and save Ami!

Garoben grabbing Ami by her head and forcing her face into the screen of the computer.

"As for you, offer up your genius mental energy to me!" she hissed.

"Ami no!" cried Solaris. "Let her go!"

It seemed that Ami was going to have her energy drained as well, but for some reason it didn't. Garoben pressed Ami's head harder into the screen, but still nothing happened.

"What's going on?! Why isn't it draining her energy?!" demanded Garoben. Then she realized. "Wait! I know! You stopped using the disk didn't you!"

"Yes, I did!" said Ami gritting her teeth. "Studying should be done on your own without the help of machines!"

"Curse your impudence!" said Garoben angrily as she squeezed Ami's head in anger.

Then suddenly at that moment, a strange symbol appeared glowing brightly in the middle of Ami's forehead. Garoben, Solaris, and Luna were surprised upon seeing it.

"And what is this?" wondered Garoben.

"Sailor Moon! Do you see what I see?!" gasped Solaris as he pushed back a boy. "What is that symbol?!"

"I don't know!" replied Sailor Moon.

"That mark!" gasped Luna. Then she realized. "That's it! The energy I sensed from her wasn't because she was a monster! It was because she's a sailor guardian like Usagi!

Luna then did a back-flip releasing a sparkle trail once again. This time another pen appeared. It was bright blue with a gold cap with an engraved symbol that looked just like the one that was on Ami's forehead. The mark on Ami's forehead then stopped glowing and faded away. Then Garoben pushed her to the floor.

"Fine then! I'll just take your entire brain instead!" she growled.

She then transformed her hand into an ax making Ami shiver in fear. Garoben brought her ax over her head and prepared to strike, but then Luna came holding the pen in her mouth.

"Ami here!" she cried as she threw it towards her. "Shout out the word, Mercury Power Make up!"

Ami reached and caught the pen just as Garoben brought down her ax. Luckily Ami was able to dodge just in time. Ami was scared, but she quickly plucked up courage and did what she was told.

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Ami_

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose.  
_

* * *

"I knew it!" gasped Luna. "Ami's the second guardian, Sailor Mercury!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris gaped at this new scout with wide eyes and wonder.

"No way! Ami's a guardian too!?" gawked Sailor Moon.

Solaris was shocked to see Sailor Mercury too, but then suddenly he saw something in his mind. He saw a large white castle under a starry sky, then a shadow of a young man bowing before a woman, and a man carrying a sword letting a battle cry leaping into battle.

"What... the heck was that?!" he wondered.

Garoben not intimidated in the slightest by a new foe raised her ax to swing at Sailor Mercury.

"Quickly! Use your Bubble Spray attack!" shouted Luna.

Sailor Mercury held out her hands creating a teal ball of energy and then crossed her arms the ball just hovering above her crossed forearms growing bigger and bigger until Ami threw out her arms spreading them and unleashing a blast of bubbles that created mist that spread throughout the room.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

"What? What is this?!" wondered Garoben.

She looked around in the mist trying to find Sailor Mercury, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then the temperature began to drop and Garoben started to shiver. The people that she was controlling even froze in their tracks and then fell to the floor unconscious.

"Damn it!" cursed Garoben.

Then she saw Sailor Mercury who appeared right behind her. Garoben immediately reacted by thrusting her ax straight her, but it was nothing more but an illusion. Garoben had actually stabbed a computer instead.

"Nice try, but you missed!" called Sailor Mercury. "Sailor Moon! Solaris! Now's your chance!"

"You got it!" said Solaris. "SOLAR BINDING!"

Solaris used his binding to trap Garoben and prevent her from moving. Sailor Moon then removed her tiara and then flung it at Garoben.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The attack pierced right through Garoben and in a burst of light she was destroyed turning into a pile of ash. The students then started to regain conscious now back to normal. Sailor Mercury looked at her new self still trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Wow," she murmured. "Am... am I...?"

"That's right Ami," said Luna. "You're the second Sailor Guardian, Sailor Mercury."

"Sailor Mercury? That's awesome!" said Sailor Moon as she came up to her.

"I'll say," said Solaris smiling. "None the less, I'm glad she's on our side."

* * *

After that, Usagi. Harusuke, Ami, and Luna all met up outside on the roof of Crystal Seminar.

"I'm sorry for mistaking you for a monster," said Luna.

"Oh, it's OK," soothed Ami. "It's only natural that you would suspect me after finding that disk."

"But I never would have guessed that you were one of us," said Usagi. "Now things will be better than ever with you here. Right Luna?"

"That's for sure," replied Luna.

"Especially when it comes to tests," squealed Usagi.

"What was that Usagi?" asked Harusuke.

"Um nothing!" said Usagi shaking her head. "Don't mind me!"

"In any case, welcome to the team Ami," said Harusuke. "It'll be a pleasure to have you fighting with us."

"Thank you very much," smiled Ami. "The pleasure's all mine. Let's all work together to fight the bad guys."

Then she and Harusuke shook hands along with Usagi signaling that now there will be three heroes who will fight for the sake of justice.

* * *

 _And then there was three! XD_

 _If you liked what you read, feel free to give me a review or a PM and fav and follow too!_

 _Till then... Dragoman out!_


	10. Chapter 9

In the Dark Dimension, Jadeite was giving Queen Beryl his report about his recent failure at gathering energy and about Sailor Mercury. Needless to say, she was not happy.

"What? You're telling me that a third guardian has appeared now?!" she asked scowling.

"Yes, my queen," replied Jadeite.

"I see. Then that's all the more reason for you to gather energy as quickly as possible for our great ruler," said Queen Beryl.

"Of course, my queen. I already have an ingenious plan in mind to do just that if not more," said Jadeite. "Humans energy can be amplified if they're under the feelings of anxiety, like being pressed for time for example. Therefore, by making it seem that they're being rushed and are running out of time, we can magnify their energy and collect it all more efficiently.

Queen Beryl smiled pleased with this plan. "Interesting. I like it. Make it so and proceed at once," she said.

"Yes ma'am," said Jadeite as he once more set off to put his plan into action.

* * *

In the Tsukino residence, Harusuke was sitting in his room just finishing up his homework for the day.

"There we go," he said. "All finished for the day."

He set his pencil down and stared up towards the ceiling letting his mind wander. Then he remembered the recent battle from the other day when he and Usagi found out that Ami their new friend was Sailor Mercury. The vision he had saw in his mind was still fresh from his memory and he found it quite puzzling.

"I wonder what that vision I saw was all about?" he wondered. "It sure was weird. Especially since it happened around the time Ami became Sailor Mercury. I wonder what could it mean?"

Just then, there was a knock on Harusuke's door.

"Come in," said Harusuke.

Then door opened and in stepped in Usagi. "Hey Harusuke," she said.

"Oh, hi Usagi. What's up?" wondered Harusuke.

"I was just about to go into town with Ami and do a little window shopping," said Usagi. "I wanted to know if you'd wanted to come with us."

"Well... window shopping really isn't my thing," said Harusuke. "But I guess I'll tag along."

"Alright then!" smiled Usagi. "Come on! We're gonna be meeting Ami at Harajuku Station, so make sure you dress up nice K?"

"I will," said Harusuke.

Then Usagi left to get ready. Harusuke then got up from his chair and then looked for an outfit to wear for this outing.

* * *

At Harujuku Station, Ami, Usagi, and Harusuke all met up there about to go out on their window shopping trip. Usagi was wearing a pink dress, Ami was wearing blue one with a bright yellow jacket, and Haruske was wearing gray dress pants with a yellow shirt and a white button down. There were lots of people bustling around to and fro going about their daily routine. Ami looked around amazed.

"This is amazing!" she said with wonder. "There's so many people here!"

"I'll say," said Harusuke. "Guess everyone around here had the same idea we did."

"Is this your first time being in a place like this Ami?" asked Usagi.

"Yes, I have," said Ami. "Although I've read about them in books while I've been studying."

"Seriously? You even read about Harujuku Station in books?" asked Harusuke. "You must be kidding."

"That's no good Ami," said Usagi winking. "There's more to life than studying you know. You need to learn to have fun once and while. Especially since we're so young!"

"Oh, I didn't know that," said Ami sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," said Usagi. "Today, we're gonna not only gonna make up for what you missed out on, but we're have some fun window shopping till we drop! Come on you two! Let's go!"

"Okay!" said Ami and Harusuke.

Then the three of them began their window shopping trip. They went from store to store checking out what all the stores had to offer. They tried on various clothes, accessories and many other things. They even went to perfume shops, knick-knack shops, and even some other stores. They even went to a book store which was by far Ami's favorite stop so far.

"Hey Ami," said Usagi as she walked up to her carrying a manga book. "Did you find anything interesting?"

"I sure did," said Ami happily. "If not more! I found lots of things here."

"That's great," said Usagi. "So what kinds of stuff do you read Ami?"

"I'll show you my book if you show me yours," said Ami.

"Um... I'm not so sure that's a good idea you two," said Harusuke.

But the two girls did it anyway. As soon as they opened the books they traded, Usagi's eyes were practically swirling while Ami's were wide with shock.

"This book has no pictures!" groaned Usagi. "I don't understand a single word of this!"

"This book is practically pictures!" yelped Ami. "Usagi's going to rot her brains out on this manga!"

Harusuke couldn't help, but burst into a fit of laughter seeing their reactions.

After a while, the three decided to take a break and stopped by a crepe store and bought some crepes to snack on.

"Whew. I'm tired," said Usagi. "We sure did a lot of shopping today, didn't we?"

"Yeah. I agree," said Ami. "But I had a lot of fun."

"Glad you are," said Harusuke. "To be perfectly honest, I'm had a lot of fun too and I'm not even a mall trawler."

Then the three noticed something. A large crowd of people was standing just outside of the store in front of them. The sign above it read: "Clock Look. Big Spring Sale Week."

"Wow. There's a lot of people over there," said Harusuke.

"There sure are," said Ami. "I wonder what's going on?"

Usagi squinted and saw a sign below the name on a window that made her excited.

"Hey! Check it out you guys!" she said. "It's a grand opening sale of clocks and watches! Everything is between fifty and seventy percent off! That's definitely a great deal! I say we go over there and check it out!"

"I don't know..." said Ami thoughtfully. "I don't really need a watch or clock. I got one from my mom as a gift."

"And I don't really need one because I kinda have a built-in clock in me," said Harusuke. "Not to mention I got one in my room."

"Oh, come you two! Where's your adventurous spirit?!" said Usagi. "Shopping isn't just about buying. It's about having fun! Not to mention looking around won't cost us a thing, so we should take advantage of it!"

And before Ami and Harusuke could say anything more, Usagi had taken them both each by the hand and dragged them into the store. Inside, they were greeted by the manager who was a young woman wearing a red dress and had brown hair in a fancy bun.

"Welcome to our store," she greeted bowing politely. "Please feel free to look around."

Usagi, Harusuke, and Ami first looked at the watches that were on display. They all looked very fancy and expensive, however they were all on sale for very cheap prices.

"Whoa! Look at all of these prices!" said Usagi. "All the other stores can't even compete with this!"

"Are watches usually this inexpensive?" asked Ami.

"Not usually," said Harusuke. "Normally these things are way more expensive than here."

"Well they are having a special!" said Usagi. "That's what makes this place unbelievable!"

There were lots of various different clocks and watches. There were big ones, small ones, loud ones, and even quiet ones. There was even a large grandfather clock in the middle of the store. The three had fun seeing all the various different clocks and watches. Then Usagi saw a clock that made her squeal in delight.

"Ami! Harusuke! Look at this!" She pointed to a clock on a shelf was a statue of a black cat looking mischievous with a face of a clock on its back. "Remind you of anyone?"

"Hey look at that," chuckled Harusuke. "It looks just like Luna."

"I know! That's what I thought!" giggled Usagi. "I'm definitely gonna get that one! Maybe it'll help me get to school on time."

Then the manager of the store appeared behind them.

"Ah yes. The cat clock. You made an excellent choice miss," she said. "That clock is quite the bargain."

"I'll say," said Usagi as she got out her wallet. "All of your prices are so low, I even I will have enough money to..."

Then she stopped. Inside her wallet, there was only a one thousand yen left. She looked at Harusuke.

"Harusuke do you have any cash I could borrow?" she asked sweetly.

"Sorry Usagi, but I don't," said Harusuke shrugging. "I practically spent it all on this trip."

Usagi's eyes then began to well up with comedic tears of despair.

"This sucks! They're practically giving these clocks away and I still can't afford one!" she cried. "But if I don't buy this clock, I'm gonna be late for class again and might set a new school record!"

The woman as well as Harusuke both sweat dropped in exasperation. Ami feeling sorry for Usagi wanted to help.

"Come now Usagi. Please don't cry," she said. You know, I can come by yours and Harusuke's house in the morning and pick you up for school if you like. That way you won't have to worry about being late."

Usagi's eyes immediately sparkled with joy and gave Ami a big hug making her blush.

"Oh, thank you Ami!" she cried. "You're the best! I love you!"

* * *

After that, Harusuke and Usagi dropped off Ami at her place and then the two set off for home. Soon enough, they made it home just as it was getting close to night.

"We're home!" the two called out as they walked inside.

Inside the kitchen, Kenji hammering a nail in the wall while Ikuko was busy unwrapping some things she had just bought from her trip to the store.

"Welcome back you two," said Ikuko. Then she turned to Usagi. "Usagi I was busy shopping today with Umino's and Naru's moms and I saw something really nice and I bought it just for you."

"Really?! What is it?!" asked Usagi excitedly.

Ikuko then handed Usagi a box wrapped in pink. "Here. See for yourself," she grinned.

Usagi eagerly took the box and opened it. Harusuke feeling curios as to what was inside peered in too. There inside of the box was the cat clock.

"Hey! It's the cat clock from that clock store today!" said Usagi. "So awesome!"

"So, you and the other moms went shopping over there too Mom?" asked Harusuke.

"Yes, I did," said Ikuko. "They were having a sale and we just couldn't pass up those deals. Umino's mom even bought seven of them. To be honest, I want to go back and buy more myself. Anyway, with that clock you won't oversleep, and you'll be able to get out of bed in the morning, so make sure you use it!"

"I will! Thank you, Mom," said Usagi.

"Isn't that great Usagi? You got the clock you wanted after all," said Harusuke.

"I know," said Usagi. "I'm gonna go upstairs and show Luna right now! She'll be so excited!"

And with that, Usagi dashed up the stairs and went to her room. Harusuke also started to head up the stairs as well up to his room, but then he happened to cast a glance over at his mom and dad. They were busily at work hanging the clocks that they bought from the store up on the walls. This made him puzzled.

"I wonder why they're installing, so many clocks?" he wondered. "Mom and Dad aren't exactly the type of people who would need this many."

He then went up the stairs and headed to his room.

* * *

That night in Usagi's room, Luna having seen the clock was the opposite of what Usagi was expecting her to be.

"Give me a break," she said. "That clock doesn't look anything like me. Not one little bit. I'm way better looking than that thing."

"Whatever you say Luna," said Usagi as she winded up the clock. "I'm just hoping that it keeps me from oversleeping."

She then set the clock on her desk, turned off the light, and she climbed into her bed. Luna then hopped on the bed next to her.

"And what's more," continued Luna. "I don't really like the look of it. It's got a really sinister feeling to me."

"Yeah, yeah. Good night Luna," said Usagi and pulled up the covers closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Luna looked at Usagi a little annoyed at her for being so carefree. Then she looked at the clock worriedly.

"Do I really look as sinister as that clock is?" she wondered.

* * *

Later that night, everyone in the Tsukino residence was fast asleep. The only sound could be heard was the clocks ticking away into the night. Then as the clock struck midnight, the clocks began to glow in a strange eerie green light shining down on Usagi, Ikuko, Kenji, and even Shingo. Luna woke up with a start and then saw the green light. She climbed up on Usagi's bed to see where it was coming from. She then saw the source of it.

"This cannot be good..." she said. "I knew there was something fishy about that clock."

* * *

The next morning, Harusuke woke up to another day. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, and was ready for school. Then he was just about to be on his way to school, when he happened to pass by Usagi's room. When he did, he wondered if the alarm clock had done its job and she was already up for school.

"I would like to give the clock a chance," he thought to himself. "but better safe than sorry." He then knocked on Usagi's door. "Usagi? Are you up?"

No one answered. Harusuke tried again this time a little louder.

"Usagi! Time to get up!" he said.

Again. No one answered. He then opened the door peered inside. He was surprised to see that Usagi's room was completely empty.

"That's weird," said Harusuke. "Where did Usagi go?"

Then he heard the doorbell ring. He came down to the stairs and opened the front door. Ami was there.

"Ami it's you," he said.

"Good morning Harusuke," said Ami. "Glad to see that you're up. Is Usagi awake?"

"I don't know," said Harusuke. "I haven't seen her."

Then suddenly Kenji came rushing past the two in a frantic state with a piece of toast in his mouth. "Excuse me! Coming through!" he said.

"Hey Dad! First of all, why the rush? Secondly, have you seen Usagi?"

"Sorry son! Can't talk!" said Kenji. "I have to go! I'll be late for work!"

Before Harusuke could answer, Kenji had already raced away.

"Well he seemed to be in a big hurry," said Ami.

Then Ikuko came to the door. "Oh! Ami. Harusuke. Good morning you two," she said.

"Hey Mom. What's going on?" asked Harusuke. "Dad rushed off in a hurry and Usagi's gone missing. Do you know what's going on or where Usagi is?"

"I have no idea," said Ikuko. "But I do know that Usagi's already gone to school. She left early this morning."

Harusuke and Ami looked at Ikuko in surprise.

"She left already? But it's only seven o'clock in the morning!" said Ami.

"I know right; she got a late start," said Ikuko worriedly. "Shingo was also already gone before six too! And for that matter, you two had better get going or you'll be late too! As for me, I have no time to waste! I must get started on the cleaning and laundry... Oh! I also can't wait to make dinner!"

"Make dinner?! In the morning?!" exclaimed Harusuke. "Mom what the heck are you-"

Before Harusuke could ask Ikuko why she along with everyone else was in such rush, Ikuko shut the floor right in his face with a bang. Harusuke and Ami stared at the door and then at each feeling incredibly confused.

"What in the world was that all about?" wondered Ami.

"I don't know," said Harusuke. "But this is completely weird. Everyone's in rush when it's practically the crack of dawn."

* * *

At the Juban Middle School, things were just as insane. Everyone one of the students were rushing about stressing that they were late for some unknown reason. Inside of the classroom, Ms. Haruna along with Usagi, Naru, and all the students that were in there were waiting impatiently for the rest of the students to come.

"Geez! Why is everyone so late today!?" Ms. Haruna seethed as she paced around the front of the classroom looking at her watch.

A moment of silence paced, then Naru slammed her hands on her desk and stood up.

"I can't wait anymore!" she cried. "I'm gonna call everyone and get them over here myself!"

"Yeah! I agree!" said Usagi who was holding an empty bento in her hands. "I can't just sit around waiting all day!"

"Me too!" complained Umino. "I'm starting to get restless over here! I'm gonna run some laps around the school!"

"Enough!" snapped Ms. Haruna slamming her hand on her desk. "You'll just have to self-study today. I can't start a class with so many people absent at 8 o'clock in the morning! After all I can't hang around with you slowpokes all day. I got four days lined up to get ready for! Class dismissed!"

And with that, Ms. Haruna left in a hurry and a huff.

"Then I'm going home too!" huffed Usagi as she packed her things. "There's nothing left to do now that I've finished my lunch!"

"That's a great idea!" said Umino. "You know the old saying: Life is short. So, find your love while you can! Especially a love that's a guy with glasses and blue school uniform!"

Usagi and Naru looked at each other and then at Umino.

"No one ever said that but you," they both said.

"In any case, we can't waste any more precious time!" said Naru.

"Right! Let's go home!" agreed Usagi.

Then she and the other students packed their things and got ready to leave for home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harusuke and Ami were walking along on their way to their respective schools. As they walked by, everything seemed to be in a state of chaos. The street was filled with traffic, people were rushing about, and stores were even opening early even though it wasn't time for them to open.

"Geez Louise," said Harusuke. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"I wonder why everyone's in such a rush today?" wondered Ami. "The stores are even open so early."

"Who knows?" shrugged Harusuke. "Your guess is about as good as mine Ami."

Then Ami and Harusuke heard a voice from somewhere behind them causing them to stop.

"Ami! Harusuke!"

The two turned around and they saw Luna running towards them with the cat clock tied on her back.

"Thank goodness I found you two," she said. "I swear, of all the times Usagi to decide to leave early, she may have picked the worst one!"

"Why do you say that Luna?" asked Ami. "Do you know why everyone's in such a rush?"

"It has to do with this clock," said Luna pointing to the cat clock on her back. "Something's definitely off about it. I need you two to help me take a look at this thing for me."

"Let's check it out at the park," said Harusuke. "That way no one else will see us."

Then when they made to the park, they began to inspect the clock.

"Alright then," said Ami as she untied the clock from Luna's back. "Let's take look inside."

"Hold on a second," said Luna. "I got something that can help you."

She then did her signature great leap back-flip leaving a trail of light. The light swirled around then a small object appeared and landed in Ami's hands. It appeared to be a small laptop that was a bright turquoise blue color and had a gold symbol of Mercury on it.

"What is this?" asked Ami with wonder in her eyes.

"In simple terms, it's a very compact supercomputer," explained Luna. "It really comes in handy when it comes to analyzing and calculating data."

"Wow... that's pretty cool," said Harusuke. "I wish I had one of those!"

"And I really get to keep this?" asked Ami.

"Of course," said Luna. "I was originally going to give to Usagi, but I don't think she'd get it. You would definitely make better use of it than she ever would Ami."

"I don't even think that she would even know what it is," said Harusuke. "For all we know she had it, she'd most likely break it or something."

"That aside, let's go ahead and check that clock," said Luna.

"Right," said Ami.

She then opened the back of the clock. As soon as she did, a shining ball green light shone and shot right past Harusuke and Ami's cheeks. Before they had a chance to react, the ball of light shot into the air and disappeared.

"Holy smoke!" cried Harusuke. "That was so fast, I didn't even see it!"

"What was that?!" exclaimed Ami.

"I don't know, but look!" said Luna pointing to the now empty back of the clock. "There's nothing in here! That proves it! This wasn't an ordinary clock! I bet the reason why everyone's been acting so weird was because of the clocks they bought from that clock store that opened!"

"And that could only mean one thing," said Harusuke. "Jadeite's up to his old tricks!"

* * *

Back in the Juban district, things had quickly begun to escalate. Because of the people rushing around trying to get to places they needed to be on time, car accidents began to happen. There was even a massive pileup at an intersection. Cars honked, metal crunched, and people began to panic all because they were afraid of being late. And all the while, their energy was being drained at an alarming rate. Jadeite chuckled darkly as a ball of energy began to take shape in his hands.

"Yes... that's it humans. Keep rushing," he said to himself. "Keep rushing right into your deaths. The faster you scurry around, the more amounts of energy we'll keep taking from you! If I'm able to gather up all this nervous energy, I'm certain that our great ruler and Queen Beryl will be most pleased."

At the clock store, the manager who was in truth another servant of Jadeite, was staring up at the giant grandfather clock wistfully.

"No matter how far away the humans get from this clock," she chuckled evilly. "it will continue to harvest all of their energy."

Then Jadeite appeared as the woman transformed into her true form. It was pretty much the same as only her skin was pale and she had long purple hair and red marks on her cheeks.

"You really do have quite a way of time Ramua," said Jadeite. "Your magic has undermined the humans and their sense of time. You have done very well."

"Thank you for your kind words Master," said Ramua. "I live to serve you and our great ruler."

"Now then... I'll leave the rest to you," said Jadeite. "But be careful. This disturbance may bring those three guardians here, so proceed with caution."

"Yes sir," nodded Ramua. "I won't let you down."

And then Jadeite disappeared vanishing into the air.

* * *

In the bus that was stuck in the middle of traffic, Usagi was impatiently running in place wanting the bus to get moving. To make things worse, it wasn't just her who was feeling impatient. The driver as well as all the other passengers were feeling impatient too.

"Hey! Why is this bus going so slow?!" complained a man.

"Hey! You be quiet!" snapped the driver. "I'm as impatient as you are to get going, so chill out!"

"Well then do something about it!" said Usagi. "I mean you're the driver, aren't you?!"

Usagi would soon regret saying those words. For right then, the driver revved his engine and then drove the bus on the other side of the word. The jerk caused Usagi to fall forward and smack her head on the fare box.

"Ow! Hey! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"What do you think I'm doing?!" said the driver. "If the left lane's blocked, I'll use the right one! I've driven a bus for ten years, and that makes me a pro!"

The driver now had a crazed look in his eyes and he was now driving against the traffic in the wrong lane. Cars screeched and served out of the way as the bus raced on through. Then an old woman pressed a button wanting to get off the bus, but the driver kept on going laughing maniacally.

"Hey! I need to get off!" she yelled. "Stop this bus immediately!"

"Sorry lady, but this bus just became an express," said the driver. "We ain't gonna make any stops until we reach our final destination!"

The old woman then grabbed the bus driver by the throat now absolutely livid.

"Shut your mouth and stop this bus!" she shrieked.

Usagi could only hold on for dear life that bus continued to drive dangerously along the road praying that she would get out of this alive.

* * *

Ami and Harusuke were at a phone booth trying to contact Juban Middle School in the hopes of finding Usagi. Ami then came out of the booth.

"Anything yet Ami?" asked Harusuke.

Ami shook her head. "It's no use. I can't contact the school," she said. "No one's answering at the school."

"But if Usagi's not there, then where do you think she could have gone?" asked Luna.

"I don't know," said Ami. "This might be dangerous with just the two of us."

"Yeah. We have to find Usagi before anything else," said Harusuke. "I only hope that she's OK. I'm getting worried."

"Don't you worry Harusuke," said Luna. "We'll find her. We just have to keep looking."

Then suddenly there a loud screeching of tires and a loud crash. The three snapped their heads towards the direction of the sound and saw what had caused it. A public bus had crashed straight into a telephone. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the bus driver was dazed and surprised as all the passengers climbed out. Then a certain someone jumped out from the door of the bus and began scolding the driver.

"Just what were you thinking you lunatic?! I'm very busy and I don't have time for this!"

"Usagi!" cried Ami and Harusuke.

"Oh! Hi Ami. Hi Harusuke," said Usagi. "What are you two doing here?"

* * *

A little later, Luna, Harusuke, and Ami explained the situation to Usagi and then went immediately to the clock store where the cat clock originally came from.

"So that's the monster's hideout huh?" asked Usagi as she stood right at the front door. "Doesn't look like much to me."

"Hey! Get back here you idiot!" snapped Harusuke as he yanked Usagi to an alley where he along with Ami and Luna were hiding. "And not so loud!"

"Harusuke's right! You can't just stand out here out in the open like that Usagi!" chided Luna. "The enemy could spot us!"

"But what are we waiting for?!" complained Usagi. "Didn't you guys say that the clock shop was suspicious!? Then let's storm in there and finish this right now!"

"Usagi you're not thinking straight," said Luna. "Can't you see that you're under the monster's spell?"

"I don't have time to discuss it right now," said Usagi impatiently. "I've got too much to do! First, I must get home, then eat a pork bun, after that, finish playing my video game, take a bath and then-" Then Usagi looked at her watch and squealed in shock. "Oh no! Look what time it is already!"

"OK, OK, we get it Usagi. Calm down." said Luna sweat dropping. "Just try and wait for a moment and we'll think of a way to get inside right Harusuke? Ami?"

"Well... maybe can try sneaking in the back," said Harusuke thoughtfully.

"I don't know," said Amy. " There's the possibility that the enemy might expect that and be waiting for us."

"Oh, forget about that!" yelled Usagi. "We'll just go straight through the front! The enemy's going to attack us anyway, so let's hurry and transform already!"

"What?! Already?!" exclaimed Luna.

"Oh man. She really must be brainwashed!" said Harusuke worriedly. "Usually we have to beg just to try and get her to transform, but here she is insisting on doing it! I never thought I'd say this, but... I think I like the whiny Usagi better."

Usagi then said the words to transform.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

"Come on Ami! Come on Harusuke! Hurry up and transform already!" said Sailor Moon. "Standing around isn't gonna get you anywhere!"

Ami was hesitant, but then she nodded. "Alright then. Like they always say, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," right?"

"I guess we don't have a choice then," said Harusuke. "Count me in too!"

"But wait a minute you two!" cried Luna. "This is too sudden!"

Sadly, Luna's words of reason fell on deaf ears as Harsuke raised his hand with his bracelet and Ami raised her pen.

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLARIS GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Ami_

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center of the bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"Let's do this guys!" said Sailor Moon as she took off her tiara and transformed it into a white disk. "We're busting right on through! MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She launched her disc and it pierced right through the door causing a large hole. The three heroes immediately ran into the hole disappearing into the darkness. Luna quickly chased after them in hot pursuit, but just then the hole disappeared and before Luna could stop herself, she slammed right into the hard metal door with a clang.

"Man... this isn't my day..." she groaned.

She straightened her up and then looked at the door with worry.

"Be careful you guys," she said. "I won't be around to help you this time, so be careful."

* * *

Inside of the clock store, Ramua was still collecting the energy from all the victims that were affected by here clocks. Then suddenly the door burst open and then three shadows stood in front of her.

"And who are these brats?" she demanded.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, I'm Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"

"And I'm Sailor Mercury!"

"And we're here to take you down!" the three of them shouted as they stood ready to fight.

"Well, well," said Ramua. "You three showed up pretty quick. Even quicker than I expected."

"What did you expect? There's no way we'd let anyone get away with wasting a girl's precious time!" said Sailor Moon. "I bet even a cuckoo in cuckoo clock would be angry! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"Is that so," smirked Ramua. "You three were fools to enter in my domain, but now that you're here, this is where you'll die!"

With a wave of her hand, Rowen made the hands the giant grandfather clock advance until they were both at twelve. Then a strange portal opening where pendulum chamber was. Ramua immediately jumped into the portal.

"Sailor Moon!" she yelled. "Come and get me if you can!"

"Oh, I will!" said Sailor Moon. "You're not getting away!"

"Sailor Moon wait!" said Sailor Mercury. "We should think this through!"

"She's right! It could be a trap!" added Solaris.

"I don't care! There's no time! Let's go!" said Sailor Moon as she into straight into the portal.

Having no other option, Solaris and Sailor Mercury followed close behind. The three then found themselves in a strange dimension of sorts where everything was distorted and there were strange clocks floating around.

"Darn it! Where could she have gone?!" growled Sailor Moon as she looked around trying to find Ramua.

"Calm down Sailor Moon," said Sailor Mercury. "That monster has probably set a trap here."

"Yes. We must exercise with caution," said Solaris. "There's no telling what could happen here."

Sailor Moon didn't listen. She continued being impatient. "Grrrr! This is so irritating!" she complained. Then she yelled out to the endless space. "Where are you hiding you coward!? What kind of loser monster hides like that?! Just come out already!"

Then they heard Ramua's voice that echoed throughout the area.

"I'm waiting just a little farther ahead," she said. "Come and get me if you dare!"

"Fine then I will!" said Sailor Moon as she stomped ahead and kicked a door open and walked inside another distorted room.

"Hold on a minute Sailor Moon!" said Solaris. "You could be walking into trouble! That's what she wants!"

"Solaris is right," said Sailor Mercury. "If we keep running around blindly like this, we're just going to get lost in this place."

"I'm not worried," said Sailor Moon. "Because I have you two with me."

"That may be so, but it would help if we knew where we are and how to find that monster," said Solaris.

"Don't worry Solaris," said Sailor Mercury. "Leave this to me."

She touched one of her earrings and then a transparent blue visor appeared over her eyes, she also pulled out her super computer and began to type on it.

"Wow. What is that?" asked Sailor Moon.

"It's a super computer," explained Sailor Mercury. "Luna gave it to me. I'm going to use it to pinpoint the monster's location."

Then they all heard Ramua's voice again.

"What's the matter? Can't catch up to me?" she mocked.

"Oh, be quiet!" snapped Sailor Moon. "We're on our way! Just you wait!"

Then suddenly to Sailor Mercury and Solaris' surprise, Sailor Moon began to shrink growing smaller and smaller until she looked like a three-year-old girl.

"We'd already be there if it wasn't for your cheating!" said the now small Sailor Moon. "Play fair!"

"What in the heck!?" exclaimed Solaris.

"Sailor Moon get back!" cried Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Mercury immediately pulled the small Sailor Moon to the entrance and then Sailor Moon slowly returned to her normal age and size. Sailor Moon sighed in relief.

"Whew! That was scary," she said.

"You're telling me," said Solaris. "Someone mind telling me how the heck that just happened?"

"I can tell you," said Sailor Mercury. "It appears that time is very unstable here. It can speed up, slow down, even can go backward."

"You mean to say that if we enter another room, we might turn into old ladies?!" asked Sailor Moon.

Sailor Mercury answered with a nod and Sailor Moon immediately pictured herself as an old lady and the thought alone made her cringe.

"Oh man... that's a scary thought," she said nervously.

"Well if you don't want that to happen, then I suggest that you stop rushing into things and wait for Mercury to locate the monster," said Solaris.

"Alright then," said Sailor Moon. "If I must..."

Sailor Mercury then typed away on her supercomputer trying her best to locate Ramua. Then with a ping on her computer, she had figured it out.

"Just as I thought," she said. "There's a pattern to this labyrinth and I think I can figure it out."

"Do you know where she is?" asked Sailor Moon eagerly.

"According to my calculations, I'm seventy-eight percent sure that she's this way," said Sailor Mercury as she pointed to the direction ahead of them.

"Then let's go then," said Solaris. "I'd say it's time we pay Ramua a beating!"

Then the three took off running in the direction that Ami pointed. Soon enough, they could see Ramua in sight carrying a spear in her hand. Ramua smirked when she saw them.

"Well done Sailor Moon," she said. "You've done well to make it this far. But now, it's over! You and your friends have reached the end!"

"You couldn't be any more wrong!" rebutted Sailor Moon. "You're the one who's reached the end!"

Sailor Moon charged forward ready to fight, but then she suddenly staggered and dropped to her knees feeling weak. She tried to get up, but she couldn't.

"Sailor Moon! What's wrong?!" exclaimed Solaris. "Are you alright?!"

"What.. what's going on?!" wondered Sailor Moon weakly. "I can't get up!"

"It looks like the effects are finally starting to show," cackled Ramua. "By now, my clock has drained away nearly all of your energy Sailor Moon."

"Her energy?!" murmured Sailor Mercury.

"That's right!" said Solaris to himself. "Sailor Moon was under the influence by that clock spell of hers, so it makes sense that it was still draining her energy!"

"Take this!" yelled Ramua as she swung her spear before anyone else could react.

A small thin cut appeared on Sailor Moon's cheek dripping with blood.

"That really hurt!" she wailed.

"How dare you do that to her!" yelled Solaris. "You'll pay for that!"

"Stay out of this!" snarled Ramua.

She then unleashed a blast of energy at Solaris and Sailor Mercury. The two felt their bodies stiffen and they were unable to move.

"How's that?" snickered Ramua. "I've stopped time entirely for you two and now you two get to watch in silence as I make Sailor Moon suffer!"

She then raised her spear and rapidly stabbed it right at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon ducked and moved dodging every blow, but at this rate she wouldn't be able to last much longer.

* * *

Outside of the dimension where the large grandfather clock was at, Tuxedo Mask appeared and jumped into the room through the window landing on the floor. He walked towards the center of the room and looked around. There was no one to been seen.

"That's strange," he said to himself. "There's no one here."

Then sensed something. Something evil was afoot and he knew where it was coming from. With one fling of his arm, he threw his signature rose and pierced the face of the clock with it making it crack and crumble.

* * *

Ramua raised her spear and prepared to finish the job, but then she stopped. A large white orb which was the energy she stole came out from her body leaking the energy. The energy went immediately to Sailor Moon and she felt her strength returning.

"No! The energy is escaping!" she cried as she tried to contain it, but to no avail.

"All right! I got my energy back!" she cheered.

Solaris and Sailor Mercury then found the stiffness from their body disappearing.

"Hey! We can move again!" said Sailor Mercury.

"Quick! Attack now!" yelled Solaris. "Sailor Mercury! Use your Bubble Spray to give me and Sailor Moon cover!"

Sailor Mercury nodded and created a teal ball of energy and then unleashed a blast of bubbles creating a mist that spread throughout the area.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

Ramua tried to see where the three heroes were, but the mist was too thick.

"Damn it?! Where are you?!" she hissed.

"Now Sailor Moon! Solaris! Finish it!" yelled Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Moon once more took off her tiara and turned it into a white disc and Solaris made a yellow ball of light. They both took aim and fired.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

The two attacks shot through the air the headed right for Ramua. The two attacks collided right into Ramua and she was instantly turned into dust.

* * *

Outside of the store, Luna was still waiting for her three guardians to return. Then the store faded away leaving nothing, but a vacant lot. standing in that lot were Usagi, Ami, and Harusuke. Luna immediately rushed over to them feeling very relieved.

"Harusuke! Usagi! Ami! You're all alright!" she cried happily.

A few moments later, the four walked through town heading home.

"Whew. Well that was exhausting," said Usagi. "I think I had just about all the excitement I can take for one day."

"I'll agree to that," said Ami.

"Me too," added Harusuke.

Just then, Naru came racing up to them.

"Usagi! Usagi big new!" she cried. "The bakery is offering free cakes to whoever can eat them the fastest!"

"No way you're kidding!" Usagi exclaimed her eyes sparkling with joy. "Then let's go then! I wanna get there quickly!"

"Wait a second Usagi!" said Harusuke. "Remember what I told you about not rushing into things?!"

Usagi and Naru then raced off hoping to get to the bakery as quick as they can, but then Usagi tripped and feel to ground. Her upper lip trembled and then she burst into tears bawling her eyes out. Luna, Harusuke, and Ami could only sigh and shake their heads.

"Oh man. I tried to warn her," said Harusuke.

"Oh, just let it go Harusuke," smiled Luna. "She's gonna be like this for the rest of her life."

"She sure is," said Ami. "But at least she's got her big brother and her friends looking out for her."

Harusuke could only smile along with them as Usagi continued to sob.


	11. Chapter 10

In the Dark Kingdom, once again Jadeite found himself standing before Queen Beryl giving his report on the search for the Silver Crystal.

"If these Sailor Guardians and Solaris find the legendary Silver Crystal before we do," she said. "then they could cause serious problems for us. We of the Dark Kingdom must be the first to get the crystal at any cost. If anyone dares stand in our way or opposes us, we will show no mercy." She then turned to Jadeite. "Are you here to tell me that you still haven't been able to locate it yet?"

"I'm afraid so, Queen Beryl," said Jadeite apologetically.

"Jadeite, you have failed me several times already," continued Queen Beryl. "But I am willing to grant you another chance to redeem yourself. Go collect more human energy for our great ruler and then make sure you eliminate those three troublesome guardians."

"Yes, my queen," acknowledged Jadeite.

* * *

Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna were walking down on the sidewalk on their way to school. It seemed like another normal day when suddenly they heard the sound of blaring sirens. The three turned around in time to see two police cars zoom right past them with their lights flashing and tires humming. The sped down the street and disappeared.

"Those were police cars just now," said Harusuke.

"I wonder what could have happened?" pondered Usagi.

Then by the bus stop just a few feet ahead, Usagi and Harusuke saw a familiar face with blue hair standing by the bus stop waiting for the bus to arrive.

"Hey Ami!" called Usagi as she and Harusuke went over to her.

"Oh! Usagi! Harusuke! Luna," smiled Ami. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," said Harusuke. "What brings you around here? Are you waiting for the bus?"

"Yes, I am," replied Ami. "I was just on my way to cram school."

Usagi was surprised. "Wait... Are you meaning to tell us that you need to take the bus just to go to cram school?" she asked.

"It's no big deal. I'd even take a plane if it meant going to good cram school," said Ami. "And besides, I'm a sailor guardian. I need to study and get as much knowledge as I can, so I can help Luna find the missing moon princess."

"Wow Ami. That's pretty admirable of you," said Harusuke.

"Isn't she though?" smiled Luna. Then she gave Usagi a sideways glance. "Unlike a certain someone else I know."

Usagi laughing sheepishly immediately tried to change the subject trying to act innocent. "Where is that bus?!" she asked awkwardly.

Then suddenly the sound of sirens was heard again and then another police car came rushing by disappearing down the street.

"Another police car? That's the third one that went by," said Harusuke. "I wonder if something serious happened."

Just then, Naru and Kuri walked up to them.

"Hey guys. Did you guys hear what happened on this bus route?" asked Kuri.

Harusuke, Ami, and Usagi shook their heads.

"Yesterday evening a little after six at night, a bus that was full of passengers just drove off and disappeared!" said Kuri.

"Wow! Seriously? That's sounds pretty cool!" said Usagi.

"No, it's not. It's really serious," said Naru. "Do you guys know of a bus stop called Sendai-Zakaue?"

"That's where the five streets meet right? What about it?" asked Harusuke.

"Apparently there was a bus carrying nearly fifty people down that way," continued Naru ominously. "And no one has seen the people or the bus since then!"

"At first the police have been trying to keep it a secret because they thought of this as some kind of mass kidnapping," added Kuri. " But no demands were made, so they made it public and even opened an investigation."

"The cursed six o'clock bus..." murmured Ami.

At the mention of the name, Usagi and Harusuke couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

"Man, that's scary," said Usagi shivering. Then she remembered something. "That reminds me. There's a Hikawa Shrine near the Sendai-Zaka, and their amulets from there are known for warding off evil."

"I get it," said Harusuke. "You're thinking that we should buy some amulets to protect ourselves. That's a pretty decent idea. "

"Yeah! I even know that place!" said Naru. "They say that there's a shrine maiden there with strong spiritual powers. So strong that she can even predict the future. Not to mention that their amulets are pretty effective too!"

"Wow! That's so cool!" said Kuri. "Let's go over there and some and we'll even get our future read too!"

"Hey Usagi. Do you think that either you or Harusuke can pick up an amulet for me?" asked Ami.

"But... wouldn't it make sense to come with us Ami?" asked Usagi.

"Well I would, but sadly I have to study today at cram school," said Ami. "Especially since I have a practice test that I can't miss. You know what it's like when you have to hit books."

"Actually, if you think about it, she really doesn't," remarked Harusuke. "But don't worry Ami. We'll pick up one for you."

"Thank you so much," said Ami smiling. "I really appreciate it."

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, there was a strange, but mystical sense in the air as ravens flapped about squawking loudly. There was a flight of stairs at the entrance eventually going up to where the shrine was. At the shrine close to the altar, a couple school girls were there. They had just placed their money and rang the bell from the ceiling and prayed.

"Please, please, let him notice that I love him," said one.

The other two were excited upon hearing her wish and then three talked excitedly to each other about the guy the girl prayed about. Not too far away, Jadeite who was now under the disguise of a shrine geki was sweeping some leaves listening to the girls talking. He looked back at the gossiping girls and smirked evilly.

"That's it. Keep wishing for even more love!" he thought to himself. "Fill your hearts with romantic energy!"

Just then, a short old man came out of the temple and approached to the girls.

"Hey there, you bunch of cuties!" he said cheerfully and flirtatiously. "Are any of you lovely ladies interested in working here?"

"Sorry sir," said one of the girls. "But we just came here to buy some of those love amulets that you sell here."

"Why... of course! Of course!" said the old man laughing and feigning innocence. "I was only just kidding with you girls!" Then he looked at his watch. "Oh! It's five thirty! You're just in time! As I always do around this time, I will now recite a special prayer that will bring true love into your life!" He then whipped out a gohei and began waving it about as he started his prayer. "Oh, hear me Spirit of Flame!" he said. "Listen to me proclaim! May these girl's hearts become ablaze with true love always! Let joy in them be imbued and may their wishes come true!" When he finished his prayer, he then turned back to the girls. "I'm guessing you girls must have come a long way," he said. "But, before you leave, you should draw a fortune slip. We also ema plagues for passing exams as well! Why don't you buy a couple before you go?"

"Thank you for your concern," said another girl. "But we don't need any. Thank you, sir."

And with that the girls left giggling and commenting how strange the old man was. As they left, Jadeite was watching from the side keeping a close eye on them. At that very same time, Usagi, Naru, Kuri, Luna, and Harusuke arrived at the temple. The old man immediately went up to them.

"Ooh! Another group of cuties!" he said. "Would any of you like to work part time here as shrine maidens?"

Everyone stared blankly at the old man unsure how to respond. Then Harusuke spoke.

"That does sound like an interesting proposition sir," he said. "But I think the girls aren't interested."

The old man looked at Harusuke. "Ooh! And here's a fine strapping young man here too!" he said grinning. "Hey boy! If you decide to work here part time, I can make you into a fine shaman!"

Harusuke felt a little put off, but then a voice was heard.

"Grandpa! Stop hitting on everyone! You're freaking them out!"

Then a young girl stepped out and came up to the old man. She was young if not at least a year older than Usagi wearing a shrine maiden's outfit and had long flowing black hair. When the old man saw her, he quickly behaved himself. When Harusuke, Usagi, and the others saw the girl, they couldn't help but gaze at the girl with wonder admiring her beauty.

"Oh! Hi Rei!" he said sheepishly. "How's it going?"

"Don't you "hi" me," scolded the girl. "You know people around here are starting to say very unflattering things about you, all because of your insistent pestering and flirting!"

"Wow... she's so cool and pretty!" murmured Harusuke. "So, she's a shrine maiden!"

"You're telling me!" agreed Usagi. "I wouldn't mind doing that part time!"

Harusuke, Naru, Kuri, and even Luna looked at Usagi blankly as she giggled while blushing.

* * *

Outside of the shrine near the middle of the steps, the same girls who Rei's grandfather talked to before made their way down the steps excited from getting their charms and prayers. In the bushes, Jadeite was still keeping his eye on them until finally he made his move. With a wave of his hands, a dark power took hold of the three girls. Each one of them became very tired and dazed entering into a hypnotic state. Jadeite smiled evilly having to have claimed three more victims for his great ruler.

* * *

Rei suddenly gasped and a couple of crows squawked in alarm.

"I sense it!" she cried. "An evil aura! Is it a spirit!?"

She looked around trying to see where she sensed the evil spirit while everyone else looked at her blankly. Then she looked at Usagi thinking that she as the source of the evil presence. "Aha! Trying to make trouble at our shrine, huh? Well you can just forget it! I won't let you!" She then dug into her haori and whipped out a ofuda (or paper tag). "Evil Spirit, be exorcized!" She then lunged at Usagi and slapped the ofuda right smack in the middle of her forehead, stunning her and making her fall flat on her back.

"Wah! Usagi!" panicked Harusuke as he immediately went to his sister. "Are you OK?! Say something!"

Usagi responded with a dazed groan. Rei then face-palmed herself sheepishly.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

* * *

A little later, Harusuke and the others carried Usagi inside to try and nurse her back to health. Then Jadeite opened the door still under his disguise carrying a small bowl of water and a few rolled up hand towels.

"Miss Rei. I brought some water and hand towels," he said.

"Thank you, Jed," replied Rei. "Just leave them by the door please."

"Of course," he said as he set the tray as requested.

Upon seeing him, Naru and Kuri couldn't help, but blush feeling charmed by him while Harusuke and Luna felt suspicious.

"That's weird," thought Harusuke. "That guy..."

"He looks very familiar," thought Luna. "But where have I seen him?"

"Wow... what a hunk," murmured Naru.

As soon as she said the word "hunk," Usagi immediately shot up from the futon knocking Luna off her and looking around back and forth around her making everyone jump.

"What!? Where?! Where's the hunk?! Where'd he go?! Huh?!" she exclaimed.

"Well that sure was a speedy recovery," thought Luna as Jadeite left the room.

"That's Usagi for you," thought Harusuke. "One minute she's out cold and the moment she hears the word hunk, she immediately recovers."

"So, is that guy your older brother or something?" asked Naru.

"Ugh... no. He's not," sighed Rei. "Jed's just a guy that my Grandpa hired, and he's been working and living with us. It's all because he's so overly friendly with everyone, trying to make friends with every person who comes to the shrine. It's so embarrassing!"

"Well... he sure is interesting. I'll give him that," said Naru.

Rei then turned to Harusuke and Usagi. "Listen. You're Usagi and her older brother Harusuke right? I really must apologize for what happened earlier."

"It's no big deal," said Usagi.

"Yeah. It was mistake, and those things happen," added Harusuke. "No harm done."

"I just wish I knew what's been going on lately," said Rei. "My sixth sense and prophesies used to be spot on, but not anymore. It's like something's been throwing me off."

"Maybe you're having one of those off days?" wondered Harusuke.

When Luna heard Rei mentioning her sixth sense ability, she stared at her having a thought. "Sixth sense? Wait a minute... Could this girl be the princess that we've been searching for?" she wondered to herself.

Then suddenly the door behind them flung open revealing a woman in her early forty's at least. She looked cross.

"You there! Are you the person in charge here?!" she snapped.

"Yes, I am," she said. "What's this about?"

"My daughter came here to buy one of your amulets," said the woman. "and she still hasn't come back home yet! I know your head priest has a special prayer at five thirty, so does that mean that you're purposely sending people onto that cursed bus at six o' clock?!"

"Don't make such wild accusations!" said Rei. "That ceremony's been going on for a while now and the police has already questioned us about the missing bus's disappearance! If you want to file a missing persons report, why don't you go talk to them instead?! My grandpa has nothing to do with this! Now get out! of here!"

The woman felt insulted. "How rude! What nerve!"

"You're the rude one!" Rei shot back. "Now leave!"

* * *

After a while when Usagi fully recovered, Naru and Kuri went home, but Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna stayed behind.

"Usagi, Harusuke, something strange is going on," said Luna. "Our enemy is involved in this. I can feel it."

"You're telling me," said Harusuke. "This reeks of Jadeite and his goons all over."

"We need to call Ami," said Luna. "So, we can have a strategy meeting and investigate that bus."

"But Ami's busy!" said Usagi. "I don't think we should bug her right?"

"Come on Usagi! A whole lot of people have gone missing!" snapped Luna. "Just call her and tell her to get here quickly!"

"All right, all right already!" said Usagi. "No need to get snappy!"

* * *

Moments later, Usagi, Ami, Harusuke, and Luna were all at Sendai-Zaka on their way to investigate the bus stop. People were walking around going about their normal business.

"So, this Sendai-Zaka," said Luna. "Seems pretty normal."

Then as Usagi turned around, she saw something that made her gasp. There at the bus stop, was a long line of girls standing in line waiting for the bus to arrive. They were all dazed in a zombie-like state not responding to anything.

"Look at the line!" murmured Usagi. "There's so many people!"

"They must be waiting for the bus," said Luna.

"And they all have amulets from the Hikawa Shrine," said Ami.

Sure enough, she was right. Every one of the girls either was holding a charm or had one hanging on their bags.

"Well, it's no wonder that Rei and her grandpa were being suspected," said Harusuke. "I wonder why they have them?"

"They're all probably in love with someone," deduced Usagi. "That's why they have them."

"They should be busy with high school entrance exams!" said Ami. "It makes you wonder where they find the time for all of this!"

"I know right? It makes no sense!" said Harusuke.

"Oh, come on you two! Don't you two want to fall in love too?" asked Usagi. "It's wonderful!"

"Usagi, the three of us are too young to understand what love is," said Ami. "I really don't think you should spend so energy on these fantasies."

"Yeah. Not to mention it can make you look like a love puppy," said Harusuke. "It messes with your head."

Usagi puffed her cheeks in a pout as she looked away grumbling. Then Ami looked down the road and saw what the four of them were looking for. A bus loomed over the horizon of the road and came towards them.

"Look!" she cried. "There it is! The six o'clock bus!"

"It... it looks like a normal bus," said Luna as she observed it.

"You're right," said Harusuke. "But why am I getting the hibbie jibbies?"

The bus soon pulled up to the stop, the doors opened, and the girls all started to climb bus driver appeared to be female, but she had an ominous vibe to her as she appeared to look at the four.

"Alright Usagi," said Luna. "Go ahead and climb on!"

"But... I don't wanna!" yelped Usagi now feeling a little scared.

Ami and Harusuke then got behind Usagi pushing her toward the door.

"Go on now!" urged Ami. "Be brave!"

"This isn't the time to be a chicken!" said Harusuke.

When all the girls got on, the bus driver then looked at Usagi with a creepy stare. This made Usagi more scared than ever making her cling to the post.

"Now I really don't wanna!" she whimpered.

"Come on Usagi, don't be like that," chided Ami. "We have to get on with the other girls so can investigate!"

"I don't wanna!" wailed Usagi as she began to cry. "I'm too scared!"

Then the bus driver shut the door and the bus slowly drove away leaving the four of them all alone on the bus stop.

"Oh no, it left!" said Ami disappointedly.

"Honestly Usagi, you're such a chicken!" chided Luna.

"Oh well. There's nothing we can do about it now," said Harusuke. "We'll just have to come back tomorrow."

They were just about to leave when suddenly the air around the bus began to warp and distort.

"Hey you guys! Look!" cried Ami.

Everyone immediately looked towards the bus. Even Usagi stopped crying and looked at what was going on. The bus then began to float off the ground until it was up in the air. Then a strange black portal opened in front of the bus and it flew straight into it disappearing into the darkness. The portal then shrank into nothingness and disappeared. Usagi, Harusuke, Ami, and Luna could not believe their eyes for what they had just witnessed.

"I... don't believe it..." murmured Harusuke. "That bus... just vanished without a trace in that portal!"

"Could... that have been a black hole?" wondered Ami. "A fourth dimensional rift?! Or a tear in the magnetic field?! Just what is happening here?!"

No one could answer or reply.

* * *

In an alternative dimension, the passengers inside of the bus were all fast asleep unaware of what was going on. The only one that was still awake was the driver herself which was another one of Jadeite's monsters that served him. The driver chuckled to herself admiring her latest victims and then she spoke to Jadeite via telepathy.

"Master Jadeite. Today's operation was a big success," she said.

"Well done Kigaan," said Jadeite. "The energy of girls wishing for love is very powerful and will be great for our cause. Make sure to drain it all from them!"

"Yes sir!" said Kigaan as she flashed an evil and began to drain the energy from the unconscious girls.

* * *

The very next day back at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei was feeding of her two crows, whom she called Phobos and Daimos with some bread crumbs when Usagi and Harusuke along with Luna ran up to her.

"Hey Rei! The bus from yesterday! We saw it!" cried Usagi. "It disappeared too!"

"Yeah! It floated upwards and disappeared without a trace!" added Harusuke.

Rei's eyes then narrowed in a scowl. "And let me guess, you're blaming my Grandpa just like everyone else did?!"

Usagi and Harusuke were surprised.

"Why would you think that?" asked Usagi.

"Because the police keep coming to question us and I'm getting sick and tired of it!" snapped Rei. "Me and Grandpa don't know anything, so stop accusing us!"

"Hold on Rei! You got the wrong idea!" said Harusuke. "The only reason why we're asking you is that we thought you knew anything! Not to mention that all the people that had disappeared also had the amulets that were sold in at your store!"

"I don't!" yelled Rei who sounded angrier than before.

"We're sorry Rei. We didn't mean to make you angry," apologized Usagi. "We just wanted to help you and be friends that's all."

"Look forget about it," said Rei turning away from them. "Just please go."

Harusuke and Usagi felt reluctant, but they left leaving Rei by herself. As they walked down the stairs, Harusuke and Usagi noticed something. As they walked down the stairs, they saw Luna leave behind something on the ground. It was a small pen that looked oddly similar to Ami's, but it was red and had a different symbol on the end.

"Luna. Isn't that..." began Usagi.

Before Usagi could ask anything regarding the pen, Luna had already raced ahead leaving Usagi and Harusuke toiling far behind.

* * *

Back on top of the stairs, Rei was still feeling cross for what Usagi and Harusuke were talking about.

"What nerve! Who those two think they are?!" she grumbled to herself. "Can't they give us a break for- "

Then she saw the pen that Luna left on the ground. She picked it up and inspected it.

"What's this thing?" she wondered. "Did one of those two accidentally drop this?"

Then she heard a couple girls over at the shop where Jed was.

"We'd like to buy some love amulets please!" they said.

"Of course," smiled Jed. "And what colors can I get for you?"

As the girls tried to decide what colors they should get, Rei couldn't help, but think about what Harusuke said before about the amulets and that made Rei start to get suspicious. Particularly at Jed. She then went to the room where she usually had her purification ceremonies and then sat in front of the great flame to consult it.

"Now that I think about it, we've been selling a lot of amulets ever since Jed came here," she thought. "Not to mention that a lot of people have been visiting too. But why would the buses that go to the shrine suddenly disappear? What's the connection?!"

Then suddenly Rei's faithful crows let out a squawk sensing danger and Rei immediately looked behind her towards the door.

"Who's there!?" she demanded.

The door opened revealing Jed sitting in front of the doorway. "It's only me Ms. Rei," he said. "I just wanted to tell you that your meal is ready now."

"Please leave!" said Rei. "You're distracting me!"

"My apologies," said Jed as he slowly shut the door.

As he did, Rei couldn't help but notice the evil glint in Jed's eyes. It made her feel uneasy.

"Those eerie, ice-cold eyes of his..." she thought. "Could they be the reason that my prophecies and divinations aren't going well?" She then looked back to the great flame before her. She then closed her eyes and began to focus. "Please great flame," she said. "Where is the origin of this evil? What is the cause of this misfortune?" She then made hand signs with her fingers while chanting a special mantra. "Rin, Pyō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Restu, Zai, Zen!"

Then the flame then roared and flared burning brightly and then Rei saw an image of a person in the fire. The person was Jed who was in truth Jadeite. She then raced to another room bursting through the doors with her faithful crows close behind her where Jed stood in the darkness.

"So, you're the cause of all of this evil!" she growled as she stomped up to him.

"I... don't understand what you mean," said Jadeite feigning ignorance.

"Don't play dumb with me!" snapped Rei. "My trusted flames have shown me the truth! I know that you're the root of all the evil here! Stop hiding and reveal your face to me!"

Jadeite then smiled evilly and then chuckled. "So, you knew foolish girl," he said. Then with a wave of his hand, a black portal appeared right behind him. "But now that you know, you will now join the others!"

And before Rei had a chance to react, she along with Phobos and Daimos were sucked inside the portal and disappeared into the darkness with Jadeite smiling evilly with triumph.

* * *

Back at the bus stop, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were hiding behind the corner waiting by the bus stop once again hoping to get on it and get to the bottom of all the disappearances. There was a long line of girls just like yesterday ripe for the taking. As they waited for the bus to arrive, Usagi and Harusuke were still feeling curious about the pen that Luna left.

"Hey Luna. Why did you leave that pen with Rei?" asked Usagi.

"I just wanted to confirm something that I've been wondering about," said Luna.

"Confirm something?" wondered Harusuke. "Like what exactly?"

"Nothing that you two need to worry about," said Luna. "I'll explain it to you both later. Right now, you two need to get on that six o'clock bus today no matter what!"

"Yeah... we know... but..." said Usagi hesitantly still feeling a little frightened from yesterday.

"Come on Usagi. We can't afford to chicken out this time," said Harusuke. "We have to get on there and get to the bottom of these disappearances!"

"That's right! You must conquer your fear!" added Luna. "You are a sailor guardian after all!"

Usagi then pouted. "Alright I know! I wish Ami was here! She said that she would go with us!"

Then sure enough, the bus came looming over the horizon of the road coming right towards them. Usagi's face immediately paled upon seeing it as it pulled up to the stop.

"Look! There it is!" said Luna. "It looks like we're going to have to do this without her! Let's go!"

"What?! You gotta be kidding me!" squeaked Usagi as she immediately grabbed the pole. "I changed my mind! I'm too scared!"

"Oh, come on! Not this again!" sighed Harusuke. "Come on Usagi! We have to get on! Now let's go before it leaves us behind again!"

And with Luna grabbing a mouthful of her skirt and Harusuke pulling on her shirt, they both tried to pull Usagi away from the post, but Usagi held on like bulldog and wouldn't let go.

"Come on you two! Give me a break!" she wailed. "There's no way I'm getting on that evil bus!"

Suddenly she got an idea. She immediately let go of the post causing Luna and Harusuke to fall backwards on their bums and then she whipped out the Disguise Pen.

"Oh no, what's she gonna do now?!" cried Luna.

"Don't tell me that she's going to..." began Harusuke.

Then Usagi raised the Disguise pen and activated its powers. "MOON POWER! Turn me into a gorgeous flight attendant!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Usagi transformed. She now wore a pair of black high heels, a navy-blue miniskirt with a jacket to match with a red bow, and a flight attendant's hat. Her hair was also shorter and tied in a pair of buns.

"There we go," she said sighing with relief. "Now I won't be so scared now."

"But... why a flight attendant?!" gawked Luna.

"Yeah. It's a bus. Not a plane," said Harusuke flatly. "Then again, beggars can't be choosers especially with this situation. Let's go guys!"

"Yeah! Hold that bus!" yelled Usagi as she, Harusuke, and Luna climbed on board.

When they got inside, a shocking sight awaited them. All the girls that had just boarded the bus were now unconscious unaware of anything that was going on.

"What is all of this?!" gasped Luna.

"They're all out cold!" cried Harusuke.

Usagi then angrily turned to the bus driver. "Hey you! As a flight attendant, it's my sworn duty to see that passengers have a safe and pleasant trip!" she said. "So, we won't let you take over this bus!"

Then the bus doors suddenly closed behind them and the bus began to move. It rolled forward and then it started to float up into the air like before towards a black portal. Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna could only hold on to dear life as the bus entered the and disappeared with them inside.

* * *

Outside of the bus below, Ami arrived just in time to see the bus disappear into the black vortex and then the vortex disappear itself. She sank to her knees in despair not believing what had just happened.

"No... I'm too late!" she cried.

* * *

Soon the bus came to a complete stop in a strange and alternative dimension and then before they could react, the bus driver had pushed Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna of out the bus and onto the ground. Usagi immediately burst into tears from fright and from the pain.

"Usagi! You have to calm down!" said Luna.

"How can I when we don't even know where we are?!" she wailed.

Harusuke then looked up and saw something that made his eyes go wide. Above him, there wasn't one, nor two, but three buses floating in the air with dozens of girls inside.

"No way! That bus wasn't just the first one?!" he cried.

Then the bus driver leaped out of the bus and landed in front of them. At the very same time, another portal opened, and someone fell out from the whole and into the arms of the bus driver who immediately put the said person in a head lock not wanting the person to escape. That person was Rei. Not only that, but the driver revealed her true form which was a monster named Kigaan. She had brown skin with long red hair and had a long green dress.

"Oh crap! It's Rei!" exclaimed Harusuke. "And the bus driver is another one of Jadeite's monsters!"

"Harusuke! Usagi! You both have to transform into Sailor Moon and Solaris!" cried Luna.

"You got it Luna!" acknowledged Harusuke.

"I'm so sick of this!" wailed Usagi who was still crying, but then she stopped crying and stood up bravely. "But I'll do it!"

Luna and Harusuke face-faulted in surprise, but they quickly regained themselves. Then Usagi and Harusuke sprang into action.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"I'm the pretty guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she said. "And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice!" he said. "I am Solaris! And in the name of sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"It's about time you two showed up," said Kigaan. "I've been expecting you, guardians!"

"Let Rei and everyone else go!" demanded Sailor Moon.

"Yeah! We won't let you keep them trapped here!" said Solaris. "So, save yourself some trouble and give up now!"

"Why don't you make me?" growled Kigaan as she tightened her grip around Rei's neck. Rei whimpered as she tried to get free from her grip, but she couldn't. Then suddenly, a strange glowing symbol appeared in the middle of Rei's forehead.

"That mark!" gasped Luna. "That means...!"

Sailor Moon immediately went on the attack using her signature attack with her tiara.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The white disc zipped through the air right towards Kigaan and Rei, but with a great leap while still holding to Rei, Kigaan dodged the attack and landed safely on the ground. Then there was a pair of squawks and caws as Rei's faithful crows, Phobos and Daimos swooped down and attacked Kigaan forcing her to let go of Rei. Solaris then saw his chance. He immediately went over to Rei and carried her to safety while Sailor Moon attacked again with her Moon Tiara Action. This time as Kigaan fended off the crows, she caught it with her hand blocking it.

"Nice try, but did you really think that your toy can defeat me?" she sneered.

Sailor Moon grinned. "No, but it did make you fall for my trick!"

Then the white disc expanded and wrapped around Kigaan binding her. Sailor Moon then went over to Solaris who was just setting Rei down on the ground.

"Rei are you OK?" she asked. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine," replied Rei "Although I don't know what's going on!"

"Rei listen to me," said Luna. "Do you still have that pen I left you?"

Rei looked at Luna and her eyes widened. "Hold on! Did that cat just speak to me?!" she exclaimed.

"I'll explain it later," said Luna urgently. "Just tell me if you still have that pen earlier! If you do, then take it out right now!"

Rei then dug out into her haori and then pulled out the pen in particular. "You mean this?" she asked.

Luna nodded. "Use it to transform into Sailor Mars, the guardian of fire!" she said. "All you have to do is hold that pen up and say, 'Mars Power Make up!' "

Then with a mighty roar, Kigaan managed to break free of Sailor Moon's binding as it fell to the ground turning back to a tiara.

"Hey guys! I don't know what's going on back there," yelled Solaris. "But you better do it quick!"

"I don't even know what's going on myself!" said Rei as she stood up. "But I'll give it a shot!"

She then did as Luna told her to do while holding up her pen. "MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"I don't believe it!" cried Sailor Moon. "Rei's a guardian too?!"

Solaris' stared at the new guardian with wide eyes feeling just as surprised as Sailor Moon was. Then suddenly it happened again. In his mind, once again Solaris saw a vision. A vision of a white castle under the stars, a shadow of a young man bowing before, and a man carrying a sword leaping into battle. This time when he saw the man bowing before a woman, he could see that the woman he was bowing to was a young woman with a white dress with long flowing hair, however he couldn't make out as to who it was.

"It... it happened again!" he thought to himself. "Just like with Ami! What the heck is this?!"

Sailor Mars looked at herself quite surprised from her transformation. "What... is this?!" she murmured with wonder. "What's happened to me?!" Then she heard Kigaan yell and saw that she was coming straight for her. She immediately stood her ground. "I don't know what's going on here, but you're going to pay for your evil deeds you wicked monster!"

She clasped her hands together with the index fingers pointed. A fireball then formed at the tip of her fingers.

"MARS FIRE... SOUL!"

She then shot the fireball right at Kigaan and when it made contact, Kigaan was engulfed by a pillar of flame making her shriek in agony. She then became nothing, but ash as the flames subsided.

"Unbelievable!" gasped Solaris. "She took her out with a single attack!"

Then Sailor Moon began to panic as she noticed something. "Guys look!" she cried as she pointed from above. "What's going on?!"

Everyone looked and sure enough, the black portal from above them was beginning to shrink and disappear.

"This is bad!" said Luna. "Because of Sailor Mars' attack defeating that monster, the portal's starting to shrink and close!"

"Then we gotta get out of here as soon as we can before it closes!" said Solaris.

"But how do we do that?!" cried Sailor Moon.

"I don't know!" said Luna. "Your guess is as good as mine!"

"Wait! Aren't you supposed to know these things Luna?!" cried Solaris. "You're one of the brains on this team!"

Sailor Moon began to panic more than before. "Oh no! What are we going to do?!"

* * *

Outside of the dimension still at the bus stop, Ami was still at the bus waiting for her friends to come back. It was already nightfall. She had just about lost all hope. Then she took out her pen and held it close to her chest.

"Usagi, Harusuke, Luna, everyone! Please... be safe... and come back!" she prayed.

Then suddenly her pen began to glow and a blue beam of light from her pen shot into the air and pierced through something in the air and disappeared.

* * *

The portal was just about to close sealing everyone inside the dimension forever, but then suddenly a blue pillar of light shone through the portal keeping it open.

"What's that?!" asked Sailor Mars.

Solaris squinted and then he smiled upon recognizing the light.

"It's Ami!" he cried happily. "I'm sure of it! I don't know how, but she's using her power to keep the portal open, so we can get out of here!"

"Quickly everyone! We got to head toward the point where the light is emerging!" said Luna.

Then as they headed for the buses, an unexpected visitor was found in the driver's seat of one of the buses. It was Tuxedo Mask.

"Hey there! You guys need a ride?" he called out. "I can drive you!"

"Tuxedo Mask! You're here!" squeaked Sailor Moon happily as her eyes turned into hearts.

"Wow, he's really cool," said Sailor Mars who was impressed upon seeing him.

"Look! We all know how cool he is to you girls, but now's not time!" said Solaris. "Let's get on the bus and get out of here!"

The four then boarded the bus and then with the other two buses tied onto the bumper of the first, Tuxedo Mask drove them through the portal exiting the dimension.

* * *

Back outside, Ami was still praying for her friends safe return. Then suddenly the black vortex opened before her and then three buses emerged from the portal. And to Ami's joy, she saw all of her friends inside waving to her. Ami waved back her eyes filled with tears of joy.

Just above them standing on a railing from a building, Jadeite watched on from afar fuming.

"Damn it, not only did those guardians foil another plan, but now there's another one?!" he growled. "It seems that I underestimated them and they're worthy opponents! But next time I'll crush you all next time without fail!"

He then retreated back into the Dark Dimension.

Sailor Moon, Solaris, and Luna all went to Ami and reunited with her. Sailor Moon gave Ami a big hug.

"Thank you so much Ami!" she said gratefully. "You saved all of us!"

"Yeah! You really saved the day by keeping that portal open!" smiled Solaris.

"I'm just glad that you're all safe!" said Ami as she wiped her tears.

"And not only that, we have Tuxedo Mask to thank too," said Sailor Mars. She turned towards the bus expecting Tuxedo Mask to still be there, but she was surprised to see that Tuxedo Mask had disappeared.

"Aww! He disappeared!" said Sailor Mars sounding disappointed. "I wonder where he went."

"Hey! I saw that!" said Sailor Moon. "Don't tell me that you're falling for Tuxedo Mask, are you?!"

Sailor Mars then went as red as her skirt. "Don't be ridiculous!" she snapped. "I only wanted to thank him for helping us save us and passengers! Besides, you're the one who has feelings for him! And for that matter, you better wake up and smell the coffee because sometimes those kinds of feelings are only one-sided!"

"One-sided!? What do you mean by that?!" said Usagi. "It can't be true! Anything, but that!"

She then burst into tears as Solaris as Sailor Mars stuck out her tongue mocking her with Solaris and the others sighing in exasperation.


	12. Chapter 11

It was the middle of the day in the town of Juuban. Usagi, Harusuke, Ami, Rei and Luna had all met up at Rei's house in her room for a strategy meeting. Luna was feeling very pleased.

"It's encouraging to know that we now have four guardians," she said smiling. "But we mustn't let our guard down even for a moment. The real battle has only just begun and it's only going to get tougher."

As Luna went on talking, Usagi couldn't help, but notice a manga sitting on Rei's table. One look at the title and she immediately grabbed it to take a look.

"Hey! This is the new Sailor V manga!" she said excitedly.

"Hey! First of all, that's mine!" said Rei as she immediately snatched the book away from her. "Secondly, I haven't read it yet, so don't go snatching my stuff!"

"What's the big deal Rei? You don't have to get all stingy," pouted Usagi.

Then the two got into an argument fighting over the manga. Ami however was reading one of the encyclopedias that Rei had finding great interest in it.

"Wow Rei, you sure have some really nice encyclopedias," she said as she flipped through the pages.

"I'll say," added Harusuke who was looking around at Rei's room. "Not to mention that you got a pretty nice room here too."

Luna sensing that she was being ignored tried to ignore it, but due to Usagi and Rei causing a loud commotion over the book, her patience quickly tapped out.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "KNOCK IT OFF!"

She yelled so loud, the entire building even trembled slightly causing some dust to fall from the ceiling. Usagi, Harusuke, Rei, and even Ami immediately stopped and looked at Luna.

"Geez Luna, that quite a set of pipes you got there," remarked Harusuke.

Luna sighed exasperatingly. "Honestly, the four of you are a team, but we're not gonna get anywhere if you're like this. Remember, you've all been chosen as guardians."

"Sorry Luna," apologized Ami.

"Yeah. Sorry about that," added Harusuke.

"OK, so we're all guardians, we know that already," said Usagi. "But..."

"What exactly are we supposed to do, anyway?" asked Rei.

"As I said before, you four must work together to find the missing moon princess," said Luna.

"But... how?" asked Usagi.

"I dunno," shrugged Rei. "Maybe she's got a big sign that says she's the princess."

"That makes sense. She just might," said Usagi.

"Um... I doubt that..." said Luna flatly.

"Well it would help if we had any information on what the princess looks like Luna," said Harusuke. "If you any idea what she looks like, please tell us."

"Well... um..." said Luna scratching her head with her paw. "I um... you see... I... don't know either."

"Are you kidding me?" said Harusuke sound appalled. "You're telling us that after all the times you kept telling us to find this princess, you have no idea what she looks like either?!"

"Oh wonderful," said Rei with sarcasm. "So how are we supposed to find her, then?"

Luna gulped nervously not sure how to respond, but then Ami spoke hoping to take the heat off of poor Luna.

"How about instead of focusing on the princess," she said. "We focus on our other mission until Luna can find some more information?"

"Our other mission?" puzzled Usagi.

"That's right," said Ami. "Our mission to protect everyone from those monsters."

"That's a great idea, Ami!" said Luna feeling relieved.

Ami then placed a newspaper which had a headline with a picture of an amusement park it, on top of the table. Upon seeing the paper, Usagi immediately knew what it was.

"Hey, that's Dream Land," she said. "The new amusement park that just opened."

"Based on from what I just read, strange things have been happening there lately," said Ami.

"What kind of strange things?" asked Rei.

"In the past week, over fifty people who have gone to Dream Land have disappeared without a trace," explained Ami.

"Fifty people?!" exclaimed Harusuke. "This has to be Jadeite's doing. I say we get over there and investigate."

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite found himself standing before a very displeased Queen Beryl after coming back from another failed plan.

"I never would have expected the appearance of a fourth guardian, Jadeite," she said. "I'm not going to give you any more chances to redeem yourself you know."

"My queen! I've already begun a plan to collect a large amount of human energy for you!" said Jadeite.

Queen Beryl raised a brow skeptically. "Is that so?"

"That's right," continued Jadeite. "And those four guardians won't be a problem once I eliminate them!"

"Very well then. Make sure you do or else," said Queen Beryl. "Remember you are expendable."

Jadeite could only nervously gulp in fear as he set off on his important mission.

* * *

Harusuke, Usagi, and the others had just arrived at Dream Land to investigate the disappearances. They decided to first start their investigation at the management office hoping to find some clues. As they headed there, they walked past dozens of people having fun without a care in the world. They walked past people on rides, eating snacks, and playing games winning prizes. Eventually they made it to the management office building. There was a large crowd of reporters inside of the building all asking a spokesman who was Jadeite in disguise questions. The teenagers then stood outside of the door listening in on the spokesman talking.

"Therefore, we believe that Dream Land had nothing to do with these unfortunate events," said the spokesman.

"That maybe so," said a male reporter. "but fifty of your visitors have gone missing! Surely that isn't some kind of coincidence!"

"We have looked into that," replied the spokesman. "And the number of people who've entered the park is the same as the number who've left, so they haven't gone missing here."

The reporters then started speaking at once wanting the spokesman to answer more questions, but the spokesman clearly had enough.

"All right, that's enough!" he barked. "You're all disrupting our business, so go on and get out!"

The teenagers immediately moved out of the way as the spokesman using some unknown strength pushed the every one of the reporters out of the building and tumbling to the stairs below. No one was hurt, but the all the reporters felt insulted as the spokesman went back into the building. The teenagers then searched around trying to find any more information about the disappearances, but sadly they came up with nothing.

"Geez, so far we've got nothing on those disappearances," said Harusuke. "I wonder if that spokesman was telling the truth about it when we overheard him?"

"Yeah maybe," said Rei. "But if the same number of people enter and exit this place, then are they going missing on the way home?"

"Personally, I think it's strange that the people who visited this park are the ones that had gone missing," said Luna.

"Yeah. It's definitely weird," agreed Rei.

Then Ami looked around realizing something. "Wait a sec, where did Usagi go?" she asked.

Sure enough when the four then stopped and looked around, Usagi had mysteriously disappeared.

"Oh no. Don't tell me that she's disappeared too?!" said Harusuke worriedly.

"Don't worry Harusuke. I don't that," said Rei. "She's probably just goofing off somewhere."

"Oh come on Rei," said Ami. "I doubt she'd do someth-"

"Hey you guys!" said a familiar voice coming to their left. "Look at me!"

The four of them turned to their left and their eyes went wide. There was Usagi riding a horse on the merry-go-round laughing and having lots of fun without a care in the world. Harusuke feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed, pinched the bridge of his nose shaking his head.

"Oh Usagi..." he sighed.

* * *

After the ride was over, needless to say, Luna, Harusuke, and Rei were rather cross with Usagi.

"Unbelievable!" seethed Luna who was trying her best not to claw Usagi's eyes out. "What on earth were you thinking Usagi?! We're not here to play around!"

"She's right! You can't just go off on your own and do stunts like that!" scolded Harusuke. "What if you ended up disappearing just like those fifty people?!"

"I'm sorry," said Usagi sheepishly. "I just got carried away is all."

"Seriously! Get your act together!" snapped Rei as she gave a hard smack on Usagi's back causing to fall to the ground. "And you call yourself a guardian!?"

"Hey! You don't have the right to lecture me!" Usagi snapped back. "In the end, I always find a way to get things done when I put my mind to it! Right Harusu-"

Then Usagi froze and noticed something standing right in front of her. She slowly looked in front of her and saw something that made her blood run cold. There in front of her, was a huge lion. The lion let out a small roar and Usagi, Harusuke, Rei, Ami, and Luna immediately jumped in fear. Usagi was so frightened, she immediately jumped right on top of Rei grabbing fists full of her hair.

"I-i-it's a lion!" yelped Ami.

"What the heck is a lion doing here of all places?!" cried Harusuke. "Did that thing escape from the zoo or something?!"

The lion stared at them, then suddenly it spoke.

"Good day to you," it said.

"No way... that lion..." began Rei.

"Just talked," squeaked Usagi.

"Um... Luna? I don't suppose there are other talking animals besides you are there?" asked Harusuke timidly.

Luna furiously shook her head in response. Then a young woman came up petting the lion on its mane. She was young, wore a beautiful dress colored pink, white, and blue and had long pink hair with a tiara on her head. She also had fair skin, blue eyes, and was carrying a red apple in her hand. She appeared to be some kind of princess.

"Don't worry, it's alright," she said smiling. "This lion is only animatronic."

Upon seeing this woman, Usagi's eyes sparked like diamonds as she leaped off of Rei and went up the woman.

"You're Princess Dream!" she squealed. "This is awesome! I've always wanted to meet you!"

"So... that lion is a machine?" asked Ami who was still feeling wary about the beast.

"Yes it is," said Princess Dream. "It's operated by remote control along with the other animals here. Let me show you."

She then waved her hand above her apple and then other animatronic animals appeared from the bushes surrounding them. There was some deer, bunnies, a boar, a bear, even a tiger. Usagi couldn't help, but be charmed by all of them.

"This is amazing!" she said excitedly. "They're all so cute!"

Ami and Harusuke were amazed as well, but Rei however was worried and on guard for some reason.

"Something's not right here," she murmured.

Then the bear suddenly lifted Usagi into the air making her land on its back. Feeling more charmed than ever before, Usagi hugged the bear thinking that it was adorable and cute. Rei then went up to Usagi and yanked her off the back making her fall to the ground.

"Hey! What did you do that for?!" growled Usagi.

Rei then spoke to Usagi in a low voice, so Princess Dream wouldn't hear. "I'm getting some bad vibes from here," she said.

"Seriously? It can't be," said Usagi. "She's Princess Dream. She doesn't seem to be a bad person to me."

"Well, you probably can't tell 'cause you're too dense!" said Rei.

"Watch it you!" snapped Usagi. "I've been doing this longer than you have! So show some respect!"

"By the way, in an hour there's going to be a show at the House of Sweets," said Princess Dream.

"The House of Sweets? Where's that?" asked Ami.

"Just over there," replied Princess Dream as she gestured toward a large, pink, and beautiful castle a distance away from them. "I really hope that you all can come and watch."

"Wow! That's the House of Sweets?!" exclaimed Usagi eagerly. "It looks so amazing! We've got to go check it out!"

Rei scowled at Usagi's childish behavior while Ami, Harusuke, and Luna could only sigh with exasperation.

* * *

Meanwhile at the House of Sweets, Jadeite was inside surrounded by a large number of unconscious people having to have just drained all of their energy.

"Now... come to me Guardians," he chuckled to himself. "I will drain away every last bit of your energy just like I did with these people. Those who come inside the House of Sweets, never come back out!"

He then let out an evil laugh for victory as a large orb of all the energy he drained formed in his hand.

* * *

After Princess Dream left, the teenagers along with Luna searched around some more for anything strange or suspicious. However, they still found nothing.

"Nothing strange seems going on here," said Usagi.

"Well we only covered half of the park," said Harusuke. "That's probably why."

"Let's split up into teams and look around," said Luna. "We'll be able to cover more ground that way. Harusuke, you and Ami are with me. Usagi, you team up with Rei."

Usagi and Rei looked at each other shooting dirty looks at one another.

"If you don't want to, then fine!" said Rei huffily. "You can go and look for the enemy by yourself!"

"No... I'm fine," grumbled Usagi. "I'll team up with you, as much as I hate to."

"We'll then let's go," said Ami. "See you later then!"

"Try not to kill each other," said Harusuke as he, Ami, and Luna ran away down some stairs leaving Usagi and Rei alone.

"Come on! Let's go!" said Rei as she went ahead.

"Don't you order me around!" snapped Usagi as she reluctantly followed her.

* * *

As Ami, Harusuke, and Luna began their search, Harusuke couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Luna are you sure it was a good idea to pair Usagi with Rei?" he asked. "You know how those two have been lately."

"Of course it was," said Luna. "I paired those two together, so that they could learn to work together."

"I suppose that makes sense," said Harusuke doubtfully. "But still..."

"Don't worry Harusuke," reassured Ami. "I'm sure Usagi and Rei will be fine. Unless you don't want to be paired with me."

"It's not that," said Harusuke. "I'm just worried that once those two start fighting, they're bound to get into trouble."

"Oh come on Harusuke, you're exaggerating," said Luna.

Harusuke then looked at Luna flaty. "Am I Luna? Am I really?"

* * *

Back with Usagi and Rei, they were sitting on a bench keeping an eye on Princess Dream as she and her mechanical animals were playing with some children. Usagi seemed to be bored while Rei was completely focused never taking her eyes off of her.

"Are you really suspicious of Princess Dream Rei?" asked Usagi. "I mean she doesn't seem to be a bad person. I mean she's called Princess Dream..."

"Yes I'm sure," said Rei. "You just don't get it Usagi. I just do and she's too weird. My intuition is usually right."

Then Usagi saw a mechanical bunny hop up to her. "Aww! How cute!" she cooed as she picked it up and showed it to Rei. "Hey Rei! Don't you think that this is the cutest little bunny you've ever seen?"

"No, but I'm thinking that little thing is smarter than you are," said Rei.

"Hey! Why are you being so mean?!" whined Usagi.

Then Rei saw Princess Dream putting a little boy on top of the bear. She immediately shot up from the bench and went up to them.

"Hey! Don't get on those animals!" she said.

"Why not? They're just machines," said Princess Dream. "They're perfectly safe."

"Just get him down," insisted Rei.

"Very well then," conceded Princess Dream as she picked up the boy and set him down. "You can come back and ride them later OK?" she said to the boy.

Then suddenly Usagi popped up, picked up the boy, and placed him back on top of the bear's back.

"Well, I say that he should ride it now!" she said brightly. She then scowled at Rei. "Some people just don't know how to relax."

"Hey! You don't understand this at all do you?!" Rei growled as she picked up the boy and set him back down on the ground only to have Usagi pick him back up and put him back on the bear again.

"You're way too suspicious about everything," she said brightly, but filled with slight venom. "Stop being such a drag!"

The two glared grimly at each other with the boy in the middle. Then with Rei grabbing the boy by the arms and Usagi grabbing the boy by his legs, the two engaged in a tug of war with the boy being the rope.

"No way!" yelled Rei.

"Yes way!" Usagi yelled back.

The tug-of-war continued until the boy's angry mother came to stop the fighting much to the boy's relief.

After that, Usagi and Rei were now riding on a train ride that went around the park continuing on their investigation. Usagi was having the time of her life while Rei was blushing bright red with humiliation.

"This is really, really embarrassing," she muttered.

"You gotta be kidding!" giggled Usagi. "This is only the best way to patrol!"

Then the train came to a sudden stop causing Usagi to lurch forward and smack her face right into the back of the person in front of her.

"Hey! Watch it!" said the person.

Usagi immediately recognized the voice causing her to look up. Sure enough, there sitting in front of her was the casually dressed boy with black hair.

"Oh no, not you again!" groaned Usagi. "What are you doing here?!"

"Now hold on a second!" grumped the boy. "That's the first thing out of your mouth after headbutting someone? That's pretty rude, Bun-head!"

Rei was amused. "Bun-head?! Ha! That's classic!" she smirked. "And it fits you perfectly!"

Usagi pouted in annoyance. It was bad enough the boy was calling her that name, but now Rei was too.

"Well now she looks like a steamed bun!" joked the boy.

Rei coudn't help, but laugh. "That's a good one!"

Usagi had finally had enough. "Alright, that enough!" she yelled as she stood up indignantly. "Stop making jokes at my expense!" Then she looked at the boy. "But never mind that, what's a guy like your age riding on a kiddie train?! Don't you have any friends your own age or are you just looking for someone on your puny mental level to talk to?"

The boy blushed a bright shade of red as Usagi mockingly laughed at him.

"Hey you shut up!" he snapped. "I have my reasons OK?! So mind your own business!" He then turned away embarrassed that Usagi managed to get the upper hand on him. "Boy, she sure knows how to hit you where it hurts," he muttered.

Then with jolt and a creak the train was on the move again causing Usagi to lose her balance and fall back to her seat hard.

"Hey, you panda bot! Enough with the stopping and going already!" she complained.

Then she heard an announcement on the loudspeaker.

"Attention please! The House of Sweets will be beginning shortly, so if you want a real treat, come on down to The House of Sweets!"

Usagi upon hearing that, called out to the panda bot again. "Hey Panda! Stop the train will you?!"

"Sorry," said the panda. "But I was asked no more stop and go."

Usagi puffed her cheeks in pout. "Stupid, lousy, technological advances."

Rei then whispered to Usagi looking to be smitten with the casually dressed boy with black hair. "Hey Usagi, don't you think that guy in front of us kinda looks like Tuxedo Mask?"

Usagi felt appalled at such an idea. "No way! Not even a bit!" she yelled. "Knock it off with those crazy ideas! That jerk's absolutely nothing like him!"

Rei could only keep her mouth shut and the train pressed on.

* * *

Eventually, Usagi and Rei got off the train and had arrived at the House of Sweets. When they arrived, they saw Luna who was standing alone outside the front gates.

"Hey Luna," said Usagi as she and Rei went up to her. "Where's Harusuke and Ami?"

"They're both inside," replied Luna.

"Aw! That's not fair!" whined Usagi. "Going in without us not even waiting!"

Rei face then had a serious expression on her it as she stared at the House of Sweets. "There's an evil aura here," she said.

* * *

Inside of the House of Sweets, there was lots of people inside it. There were tables of deserts and sweets everywhere which the people happily ate. Among them, Harusuke and Ami were looking around trying to find anything suspicious.

"Well other than the large desert buffet, there doesn't seem to be anything out of place or strange," said Harusuke.

"Keep looking around Harusuke," said Ami. "Maybe we might find a clue here somewhere."

Just then, Princess Dream suddenly appeared standing on the stage.

"Good afternoon everyone," she greeted. "Welcome to the House of Sweets! Now, please make yourselves at home."

Then suddenly, Princess Dream took a big breath and shot a strange pink mist from her mouth that surround the entire room. The room then turned to a dreamlike flower garden in the middle of a forest. All the people were amazed as they admired all of the flowers.

"It's... like a dream..." said a woman.

"I could stay here forever," said another.

"Ami, are you seeing this?!" exclaimed Harusuke.

"Yes I am, but... I can't believe it!" said Ami. "Is this some kind of illusion?"

Then suddenly the people began to feel weak, so weak that they fell to the ground falling unconscious. Ami and Harusuke also began to feel weak. They tried to remain standing, but their strength failed them and they fell to the ground as well. They soon saw the cause of it all. As their vision began to black out, they saw Princess Dream smirking evilly as she was using her apple to drain away all their energy.

"Ami... her apple..." groaned Harusuke. "It's... absorbing the energy from these people... including us..."

"Rei was right..." said Ami weakly. "This is how all the people disappeared... and Princess Dream... was the..."

Ami couldn't even finish her sentence as she along with Harusuke passed out.

* * *

Rei's eyes suddenly widened sensing trouble. "Something's happened inside there!" she said. "I'm sure of it!"

"Then let's hurry inside!" said Luna urgently. "Ami and Harusuke are inside there!"

Rei then tried opening the door by pulling on the handles, but the door wouldn't budge. "It's no use! I can't get it open!" she said.

"Oh no, Ami! Harusuke!" cried Usagi worriedly. "What are we gonna do?!"

"Would you stop crying about everything?!" chided Rei. "It's getting annoying!"

"But aren't you worried about them?!" asked Usagi now sounding more upset than before.

"Of course I am! I never said I wasn't!" barked Rei.

"Maybe not, but I see how you are now! You're a cold hearted person!" Usagi bitterly wept. "You don't care about anyone, but yourself!"

Now Rei was angry. "You don't know anything about me!" she snapped. "So stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Enough!" yelled Luna. "Will the both of you stop fighting and transform already?!"

Usagi and Rei were still cross with each other, but they did as Luna asked and transformed.

"MARS POWER MAKER UP!"

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Sailor Mars immediately blasted the door down using her signature attack destroying it completely.

"Come on, let's go!" she said as she ran inside.

"I told you not to boss me around!" growled Sailor Moon as she followed.

As they went inside, unknown to them Jadeite was watching them expecting their arrival. "Yes... here come the Guardians," he smirked to himself. "Today will be their last day they interfere with my plans. Murid will make sure of that."

Soon enough, as Sailor Moon and Mars along with Luna ran down the hall, they across Princess Dream to stood in front of them.

"Welcome to the House of Sweets," she said as she bowed. "I've been expecting you two."

She once again shot the same pink mist from her mouth and the area around them changed into a landscape of a flower garden in the middle of a forest once again.

"Be careful!" warned Luna. "This is all just an illusion!"

Then Princess Dream went up to Sailor Moon holding a flower wreath in her hands. "Here's a present for you," she said sweetly.

"Oh thank you!" said Sailor Moon.

She then dipped her head a little and Princess Dream was about to put the wreath on top of Sailor Moon's head, when Sailor Mars jumped in.

"No! Don't touch that!" she cried as she snatched it away.

Suddenly, the wreath transformed into a snake which bit Sailor Mars on her forearm making her wince in pain. Then as Sailor Mars pried if off of her and threw it to the ground, the snake immediately turned into stone as Princess Dream chuckled evilly.

"Oh, how terrible," she said. "The venom is spreading through your hand and soon you'll be turned to stone just like that snake."

Sailor Moon was horrified as Sailor Mars' arm began turning to stone bit by bit just as Princess Dream said. "Sailor Mars! I'm so sorry!" she cried. "This is all my fault!"

"Stop making a fuss over this!" grunted Sailor Mars. "Especially over something so little!"

She whipped out an ofuda and concentrated using her powers as a priestess and as a Guardian. "Rin, Pyō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" She then placed the ofuda on her infected arm. "Evil Spirit, be exorcized!" The stone immediately disappeared in an instant and her arm was back to normal, much to the relief of Luna and Sailor Moon.

"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Sailor Moon as her eyes were now flooding with tears of relief.

"Come on Sailor Moon, this isn't the time to cry," chided Sailor Mars. She turned to Princess Dream. "And as for you, show us your true form!"

"Very well then," said Princess Dream. "Please wait one moment."

The dreamy landscape suddenly turned back into the hallway inside the House of Sweets. Then Princess Dreams head suddenly went inside her body and she began to levitate spinning around while playing some strange music like she was some kind of music box. As she spun, her dress changed from pink, blue, and gold, to red, black and purple and her supple skin changed to wood. Her head then soon reemerged having to have look the same in regards to hair, but she now wore a red tiara that looked like horns and her face was also wooden. She now looked like a strange an evil puppet.

"Hello there," she said as she finished transforming. "I am the monster Murid. Please to meet you."

"Pleased... to meet you too," Sailor Moon said.

"Sailor Moon... need I remind you that she's the enemy?" said Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon quickly recollected herself and glared at Murid. "Listen up you monster! You'll pay for taking advantage of the dreams of pure-hearted girls!"

"Are you one of the girls you're talking about?" asked Sailor Mars.

"Will you let me talk?!" snapped Sailor Moon in a whisper. "Anyway, I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Oh my! How scary," said Murid pretending to be frightened. "Why don't you two have another dream?"

From her mouth, she once again unleashed a pink mist that enveloped the hallway and once again, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Luna found themselves once again in a flower garden in a forest.

"Be careful! This is another one of the monster's illusions!" said Luna.

"Don't worry! I'll be fine because I'm not gonna fall for any more of those stupid traps!" said Sailor Moon confidently.

"We'll see about that..." said Sailor Mars sarcastically.

Just then, there was the sound of clopping hoofbeats coming towards their way. Sailor Moon and Mars were immediately on guard preparing themselves for a battle. Then they something that made their eyes go wide with hearts in them, for coming right towards them was a certain man in a tuxedo and mask riding on top of a white horse.

"Yay! It's Tuxedo Mask!" gushed Sailor Moon.

"Wow, how stunning!" swooned Sailor Mars. "He looks just like a prince!"

The love struck guardians immediately ran towards Tuxedo Mask much to the annoyance of Luna.

"Hey get back here!" she cried. "It's a trap! This is just what the enemy wants you to do!"

The girls were not listening. They were now riding on a merry-go-round with Tuxedo Mask giggling madly having a wonderful time.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!" yelled Luna. "It's an illusion I said!"

From behind a tree, Murid may have been a puppet, but if she was human, she would be smiling in triumph for having the two Sailor Guardians under her spell.

"This is perfect," she said to herself. "Now that I have the Sailor Guardians right where I want them, I'm going to take all their energy while they dream."

She waved her hand over the apple about to do, but then a rose shot from above and knocked the apple out of her hands. The dreamscape around them had also changed back to normal. Murid looked up to see that the real Tuxedo Mask was standing above her on a window.

"Stick to dreaming only when you're asleep Sailor Guardians," he said as he leaped out of the window disappearing from sight. "Farewell!"

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars who were still dreaming that they were riding on the horses of the merry-go-around, now realized that they riding on old dusty brooms.

"Oh boy... how embarrassing,"said Sailor Mars blushing.

Sailor Moon looked around trying to see where Tuxedo Mask was. Then she saw the rose that was by Murid. "That rose! Tuxedo Mask was here!" she said happily.

Then Murid picked up her apple. "So Tuxedo Mask broke my spell? No matter. I'll just put you back into the dream world again," she said.

Sailor Moon and Mars gulped nervously as Murid prepared to let out her mist once again.

"I think we'd better run for it!" squeaked Luna as she along with Sailor Moon and Mars took off with Murid right behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile the recent victims of Murid were still unconscious on the floor including Harusuke and Ami. Then Harusuke and Ami began to regain conscious as they both woke up.

"Oh... geez my head," groaned Harusuke. "What the heck happened?"

"We had our energy drained..." said Ami. "But I don't know how long we were unconscious."

Then they Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Luna came up to them.

"Ami! Harusuke! Are you both OK?" asked Sailor Moon.

"Yes we're fine," said Ami.

"But what happened to us?" asked Harusuke. "One minute, we were in the House of Sweets investigating, the next minute we're here."

"It's... kind of a long story," said Sailor Mars. "Not much time for explaining."

Then Murid suddenly appeared behind them. Harusuke and Ami immediately remembered.

"That apple!" cried Ami. "That apple is what's absorbing everyone's energy!"

"Are you sure?" asked Sailor Mars.

"No doubt about it!" said Harusuke. "In fact, that was the reason we ended up unconscious!"

"All four of you need to attack together!" said Luna. "Harusuke! Ami! You know what to do!"

Ami and Harusuke nodded as they both transformed.

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a faceplate covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

The four guardians stood bravely at Murid as she was surprised to see them.

"Go for the apple!" said Sailor Mercury.

"Me and Sailor Mercury and will create an opening!" said Solaris. "Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon will take advantage and take out that monster!"

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Sailor Mercury used her signature technique using her bubbles to create a mist surrounding the area and confusing Murid.

"Wh-where did they go?!" she cried as she looked around trying to see.

Solaris then appeared right behind her and then used his attack too.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

A beam of light shot from his hands around wrapped around Murid and bound her tightly. Murid struggled as she tried to get free, but she couldn't. Sailor Mars then came flying from above holding another ofuda.

"Evil spirit, be exorcized!" she yelled as she slapped the ofuda right in the middle of Murid's face. Solaris then undid his binding and Murid found that she was suddenly frozen and unable to move. Sailor Moon and Mars took advantage and both delivered the finishing blow.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

As they both unleashed their attacks, Mars' Fire Soul combined with Sailor Moon's Moon Tiara action making the attack, a fiery disc of energy. All Murid could do was watch as the disc hit the apple as the power enveloped her body making it along with her a pile of ashes.

"We did it!" cheered Sailor Moon as the energy from that was trapped within the apple was released and all the energy was returned to their rightful owners.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jadeite who was hiding had just lost his connection to the energy he stole. Not only that, but the House of Sweets which was the base for his plans began to waste away and dissipate. He growled in frustration realizing that he had once again been foiled.

"Curse those guardians!" he seethed clenching his fist. "I'll get them for this!"

* * *

After everyone had gone back to normal, Usagi and the others decided to take some time in Dream Land as a way of celebrating from their recent victory. Usagi and Rei were eating some ice cream while Ami and Harusuke walked ahead of them.

"Well done you four!" said Luna proudly. "You were all able to win today because you all fought together as a team, so make sure you remember that."

"We will Luna," said Ami.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," chuckled Harusuke. "But I think that we mainly won because Usagi and Rei weren't at each others throats for a change."

"That's true too," said Ami. "Hopefully they'll stay that way for a while."

But Ami was wrong. As they ate their ice cream, Usagi couldn't help, but notice something about Rei's ice cream.

"Hey! How come your ice cream's bigger than mine?" she asked scowling.

"Maybe it's because you eat to fast, Bun-Head," said Rei scowling back.

"Give me your cone!" demanded Usagi. "And don't call me that!"

"Make me Bun-head!" teased Rei as she made a face while running away with Usagi in hot pursuit.

Ami, Harusuke, and Luna could only look on as the two continued their chase until Usagi tripped and fell dropping her ice cream.


	13. Chapter 12

Jadeite was in the Dark Kingdom by himself avoiding Queen Beryl. He was still feeling frustrated having to have his plans foiled once again by Sailor Moon and the guardians.

"That girl's becoming quite the nuisance," he growled clenching his fist. "But I'll be rid of her soon! Just you wait!"

Then Jadiete was interrupted by the sound of a woman's laugh. Jadeite glanced behind him and saw a spout of water gush forth behind him revealing a young woman. She was young, had light skin, teal hair and eyes and wore a short sleeveless blue dress and white gloves.

"Who would have guessed that one little girl would be so much trouble for the great Jadeite?" she commented coolly. "You're starting to lose your touch."

Jadeite then knew who it was. "What do you want, Tetiz?" he asked coldly.

"Oh. You remembered my name even after all this time.," said Tetiz innocently. "I'm very flattered."

Jadeite was standing no nonsense. "So, what business does Queen Beryl's personal subordinate have with me anyway?"

"Well you certainly haven't changed much have you?" said Tetiz feigning disappointment. "You responses to me are always so cold every time I come to express my love and admiration for you."

"I'm afraid I have no time for such nonsense," scoffed Jadeite trying his best to ignore her. "Go back the way you came and get out of my sight."

"Aw please don't be like that," pouted Tetiz. "And here I came here today to offer my services to you. I've come up with the perfect way to gather energy for our Great Ruler."

Jadeite wasn't ignoring Tetiz anymore. "What did you say?!"

"Now I have your attention," smirked Tetiz. "Let me tell you my plan, I call this one... Operation Romantic Cruise."

* * *

That night, Usagi was watching television in her room when she saw a T.V. advertisement that caught her interest. The advertisement showed a cruise ship cutting through the waves in the sea with dozens of couples having a great time on it.

"A night on the open sea..." a woman's voice said. "Together in your own little world, just the two of you."

"The perfect time to rekindle an old spark or fan an old flame," said a man's voice. "On a romantic cruise for lovers."

"Our maiden voyage begins tomorrow," continued the woman's voice. "Join us and let your dreams come true."

Usagi sighed dreamily. "I wanna go, too," she said to herself.

* * *

The next day after school, the cruise was the talk of the entire school. Everyone was talking about wanting to go and having a romantic time.

"Man... I would love to ride on a cruise ship at least once," said Usagi as she stared at the picture of the cruise ship on her desk. "Just imagine sailing away by the light of the moon."

"I know what you mean," said Naru. "But sadly, tickets have been completely sold out for a month.

"I still don't see what the big deal is," said Harusuke. "I mean come on, it's just a giant boat going from one place to another."

"That because you have no sense of romance, Harusuke!" snapped Usagi.

"Yeah! Stop being such a spoil sport!" pouted Naru.

Harusuke rolled his eyes and said nothing more. Just then, Umino walked up to them.

"Hey you guys," he said as he picked up the picture looking at it. "Checking out that romantic cruise eh? That does seem pretty nice! A luxury liner with room for six hundred and sixty six passengers and supposedly as the ship travels from Tokyo to Yokohama, the view of the stars is enough to make any man or woman fall in love!"

Usagi and Naru stared at Umino feeling as if Umino just killed their romantic dreams.

"Well now you've gone and made me seasick," grumped Usagi. "Thanks a lot Umino."

Umino was surprised. "Wait a second, you actually wanted to go on that cruise for real Usagi? Well that's a darn shame," said Umino.

Usagi and Naru were puzzled as to what Umino meant, but then they realized.

"Wait a second Umino! Are you meaning to say..." began Usagi.

"That you have tickets?!" finished Naru.

"I did," replied Umino. "But I don't have them anymore because I gave them to my neighbor."

"How on earth could you pass up on something so incredible?!" said Usagi.

"Well were still in middle school and minors. We can't exactly go without a parent or guardian," said Umino. "Plus it sets sail at a time way past my curfew."

Naru and Usagi stared at Umino blankly while Harusuke was surprised, but amused.

"That's probably the most responsible thing I've ever heard you say," said Naru.

"Exactly," said Harusuke. "So maybe you two should take a page from Umino's book and forget about that cruise."

"Actually, now that I think about it," said Umino. "I believe that there's a lottery going on in the shopping district with two tickets to that cruise as the grand prize."

Upon hearing Umino say that, before anyone else could react, Usagi had grabbed her bag along with Harusuke by the wrist and in an incredible speed and strength raced out of the room leaving Naru, Umino, and the other students in the dust.

* * *

At the shopping district, Usagi was at the lottery stand desperately trying to win the tickets. The object of the lottery was to spin the machine until a ball came out. If it was a golden ball, you win the tickets. Usagi tried again and again to win, but she lost each and every time. She was spinning again reaching her tenth try.

"I'm going to get it this time!" she said determined as she furiously spun the machine to get the golden ball to come out. Sadly, what came out was a red ball, not a golden one. "Aw man... I lost again..." she grumped.

"Sorry little lady," said the shopkeeper brightly as he handed her a packet of tissues. "But hey, here's a packer of tissues as a consolation prize!"

Harusuke was waiting for Usagi on the other side of the crowd as Usagi pushed her way through.

"So I take it that you lost?" he asked.

Usagi sadly nodded her head. "Geez! Harusuke, this is so frustrating!" complained Usagi. "It's practically next to impossible to win those tickets!"

"Not unless you either get lucky or if you can see which ball is going to come out," said Harusuke. "But other than that, you're pretty much right on the impossible part."

Just then Rei happened to be walking by holding a bag of groceries. "Harusuke? Usagi? What are you two doing?" she asked.

"Oh hey Rei," said Usagi. "You won't believe this, but this shopkeeper is having a lottery where the winner gets two tickets to a romantic cruise tonight! But I've played this thing about ten times and I haven't won."

"But... I don't get it," said Rei. "Why would you two even want those?"

"Don't look at me. Usagi's the one who wants the tickets," said Harusuke.

"Oh, come on you two. Aren't you even interested just a little bit?" asked Usagi. "Wouldn't you two want to go on it with a special someone?"

"Of course not!" said Rei. "Need I remind you that we're Guardians Usagi. We don't have time to waste on nonsense like this!"

Usagi could only look sheepish as Rei walked past her with a huff. Harusuke then nodded his head.

"Well you gotta give Rei this much," he said. "She sure can be as real as Luna when it comes about duties. Just what I'd expect from her."

But Harusuke would soon take back that statement, for Rei then walked up to the counter of the lottery giving the shopkeeper a couple thousand yen surprising both of the Tsukino siblings.

"I'd like to give it a try too please," she said.

"Sure thing!" smiled the shopkeeper.

Rei then placed her hands together like she was praying and appeared to be in deep concentration. Then he made the Rin symbol with her hands and Harusuke immediately knew what Rei was doing.

"No... she wouldn't!" he thought.

Then Rei placed her hand on the handle on the lottery machine and spun it as fast as she could. Then she suddenly stopped. A small ball came out of the machine. The shopkeeper, Usagi, and Harusuke looked at they couldn't believe their eyes, for the ball that came out was the golden one. The shopkeeper grabbed his bell and began ringing it like a madman.

"We have a winner!" he yelled. "Congratulations! You just won the grand prize which is two tickets for the romantic cruise!"

Rei jumped up and down with joy. "Yeah! I did it! I won!" she whooped.

Harusuke and Usagi could only at her deeply baffled.

"Rei... what happened to not wanting to waste time on useless nonsense like this?" muttered Usagi.

"Not only that, but she used her powers to cheat," added Harusuke.

* * *

At the park, Usagi was desperately trying to come up with a compromise with Rei regarding the tickets while Harusuke and Luna sat on a bench watching the two.

"Come on Rei! You even said that you weren't even interested with those tickets!" said Usagi.

"I still don't see why I should give them to you," said Rei.

Usagi hummed trying to come up with a good reason. She then had an idea. "I know! How about we got together!" she suggested. "It'll be lots of fun!"

"You supposed to go with a boyfriend!" said Rei. "Now lay off will you?!"

Usagi then smirked. "And you don't have anyone to bring because you don't even have a boyfriend!"

"Oh shut up!" snapped Rei. "Besides unlike you, I can easily get a date for the cruise."

"Oh brother. There they go again," sighed Harusuke.

"Come on you two, cut out already!" begged Luna.

Then Ami came up. "What's going on you two?" she asked.

"Oh it's just their usual silly fight," said Luna.

"Only this time, they're fighting over two cruise tickets," said Harusuke. "I don't even get why it's so important."

Then when Rei saw Ami, she then had an idea. "Hey Ami! Perfect timing!" she said. "Could you come with me for a second?"

Ami then went over to Rei feeling confused as to what Rei wanted, but then Rei grabbed her by the hand and dragged her away much to Usagi's anger and annoyance.

"Hey you! Get back here! I'm not finished talking to you!" she yelled. "Mark my words, you'll ever be able to find a boyfriend in time!"

"Usagi, will you just let it go already?" said Harusuke. "I mean it's just a cruise. Get over it."

"No way! Not when Rei was being so rude!" said Usagi grimly. "In fact, we're following her! Let's go Harusuke!"

Usagi then grabbed Harusuke by the arm and then raced away in hot pursuit of Rei with Luna toiling far behind.

* * *

Eventually, Usagi with Harusuke and Luna along for the ride followed Rei and Ami to a cafe where they sat alone at a booth. Usagi with Harusuke carrying Luna in his arms, squeezed into a booth behind them, so Rei and Ami wouldn't notice.

"Usagi. What are we doing here?" asked Harusuke. "Don't tell that you plan to-"

"Shh! Be quiet!" hushed Usagi. "I'm trying to hear them!"

"So what's up Rei?" asked Ami. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come along for the cruise that's going on tonight," replied Rei as she showed Ami the tickets.

Ami was surprised. "What?! Me? But why? Usagi really wanted to go and Harusuke would a better candidate," she said.

"No way! I mean come on! Can you imagine that dork in a romantic setting?" sighed Rei. "And even if I wanted to ask Harusuke, he'd never go for it. Not only that, but you can do nautical research and it'll be a great learning experience for you." Rei then sighed dreamily. "And maybe, I can find a great and hot boyfriend just like Tuxedo Mask."

"I don't know," said Ami doubtfully. "Are you sure it's OK?"

"Of course it is! Now please say that you'll go," begged Rei. "Please, please, please?"

Ami was still feeling uncertain about this sudden invitation, but then she smiled. "All right then. I'll go," she said.

"So that's how it is," growled Usagi under her breath having to have overheard everything that Rei and Ami said. "Not only does Rei not have a boyfriend, but she's inviting Ami instead of me?! Do they think I'm just gonna stand idly by while they go on that cruise?! Well think again! Because I'm gonna get on that cruise ship and no one's is gonna stop me!"

Luna and Harusuke could could shake their heads.

"Oh Usagi... why do you have to be so stubborn at things like this?" sighed Harusuke.

"If only she could show this much determination at being a Guardian," said Luna.

* * *

Later that night, everyone was boarding on the cruise ship ready to go and have a romantic and wonderful time. They all were dressed in beautiful dresses and smashing tuxedos. Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna had just arrived to the ship as well hiding behind some crates nearby.

"Man. There sure are a lot of people going on board," said Harusuke.

"That right. And we're going onboard too," said Usagi. "No matter what it takes!"

"And how are you going to do that, Usagi?" asked Luna.

Usagi grinned. "I thought it would be obvious," she said smugly. "For situations like this, that why I have this!" She then whipped out the Disguise Pen, much to Luna's and Harusuke's surprise and shock.

"Usagi! You can't do that!" cried Luna. "The Disguise Pen is only supposed to be used for fighting good and Guardian business!"

"Yeah! And in case you haven't noticed, this is the furthest thing from those things!" added Harusuke.

"Come on you two, don't be so serious," said Usagi as she raised up the Disguise Pen and activated its powers. "MOON POWER! Transform into a beautiful photographer!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Usagi changed. Her hair was now completely short, she now wore a blue and white striped tank top with a long sleeved orange jacket, tan pants, and blue sneakers. She also was carrying a photographer's case over her shoulder. Usagi then opened her camera case and put Luna inside it much to her reluctance. Usagi then threw the Disguise Pen to Harusuke which he caught.

"Alright then Harusuke, your turn!" she said.

"Now just a minute!" said Harusuke indignantly. "If you think I'm going on that boat, you're crazy!"

"Fine then! You can just stay behind while I have all the fun!" smiled Usagi as she took off towards the boat.

"Hey! Usagi! Come back here!" yelled Harusuke.

But it was no use. Usagi had already snuck onto the boat through a door no one was watching. Harusuke then sighed pinching his nose.

"Good grief! That girl is going to be the death of me!" he sighed with resignation as he then raised up the pen. "SOLAR POWER! Change me into a photographer!"

Harusuke then changed as well. He wore green sneakers, gray jeans, and a blue t-shirt with a white logo on it. His hair was hidden under a red cap turned backwards and he also was carrying a camera. Only was carrying a camera stand and wore a camera around his neck. Then when no one else was looking, he followed Usagi in hot pursuit going through the door. As the passengers continued to board the ship, Jadite and Tetiz under the disguise as a captain and assistant captain watched with pleased smiles.

"Take a look Captain Jadeite, all of our young victims are climbing aboard by the dozens," said Tetiz. "It looks like the plan is progressing smoothly."

"I'm really must say, I'm impressed with you Teitz," complimented Jadite. "It's hard to believe that this cruise ship is actually a broken-down old ship that's been enchanted by your seawater magic."

"Thank you Jadeite," said Tetiz. "With my magic, it was no problem at all."

A young sailor then appeared saluting the two.

"Captain! We are ready to set sail from port!" said the sailor.

"Good! Let's depart!" commanded Jadeite.

At his command and with the sound of its blaring horn, the ship slowly pulled out of port and sailed towards the sea. Jadeite then looked down at all of the people who were now all boarded on the ship

"Let the flowers of your love blossom, all you silly human fools!" he chuckled to himself.

* * *

Ami and Rei were walking around, checking to see what the cruise ship had to offer and to find boyfriends. (apparently). As they walked, the ship jolted and rocked making them stumble a little.

"Aw geez! I picked the wrong night to wear heels!" complained Rei. "How can anyone be OK on a rocky ship like this?!"

"You know I've noticed something," said Ami as she glanced around at the many couples. "From what I could see looking around, it seems that we're the only two girls that came here all by themselves."

"You're right," agreed Rei. "I knew this would be a some romantic event, but I didn't think that there would be all couples! I mean you'd think that there'd be some single guys around here!"

Ami chuckled. "I don't think that we'll be finding boyfriends Rei," she smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Usagi and Harusuke were in the engine room trying to stay hidden from watchful eyes. Usagi then set down her case and opened it, so Luna could get some fresh air.

"Where are we now?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Usagi. "I think this is the engine room."

"It is, but... something's not right here," said Harusuke. "Shouldn't the engine room be a lot more noisy?"

"Yeah... you're right Harusuke," said Luna. "The engine room isn't supposed to be this quiet. Especially with a ship this big."

"Well... maybe it's just idling for now," said Usagi.

Luna then jumped out of the case and looked out the window at the crashing waves. "I doubt that," she said. "We're moving at full speed."

Harusuke took a gander at the window as well. "Hey you're right. That sure is strange."

"Oh come you two, you worry too much," said Usagi. "I'm sure that they have some kind of state-of-the-art silent engine installed." She then began to fiddle around with her camera. "That aside, I wonder where Ami and Rei went?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Harusuke. "They could be anywhere on this ship."

Suddenly there all heard a voice.

"Who goes there?!" it demanded.

Luna immediately jumped back inside the case and Usagi and Harusuke jumped in surprise and fear. Then they saw Jadeite under his disguise as a captain step out from below a staircase. Usagi upon seeing Jadeite immediately blushed and she had hearts in her eyes like when she saw Tuxedo Mask.

"Oh wow! He's a major cutie!" she squealed in her head.

From inside her case, Luna's fur began to stand on end and her claws were gripping the bottom of the case.

"What is this intense evil aura I'm sensing?!" she thought to herself.

And it wasn't just her that had a bad feeling. Harusuke also felt something was off and his hands began to get clammy.

"What the heck...? What's this feeling I have?" he thought. "For some reason, I feel like there's something dangerous about this guy."

"Reporters huh?" he wondered as he looked at the two from their feet to their heads. "I'm sorry, but this is a restricted area. It's dangerous here."

"Sorry about that," said Usagi shyly. "We both got separated from our crew members when we came on board, and we got lost."

"I see," said Jadeite. "That's quite the problem."

"Well... here's an idea!" said Usagi brightly batting her eyes. "Maybe we all can look for our friends together!"

"Usagi! No!" whispered Harusuke harshly.

Jadeite was a bit put off by Usagi's attempt to flirt with him, but he agreed. "Uh... sure. Alright then," he said. "However, I'd like to make an announcement to the whole ship that you both got separated from your friends. But if I do so, it would ruin the beautifully romantic mood that the other guest are enjoying."

Usagi then hugged Jadeite's arm. "You do have a good point," she said as she rubbed her cheek on his should.

"Besides, I'm perfectly happy with just being with you," she thought dreamily to herself.

Jadeite was now feeling more put off and at the same time being worried for some reason. "Something about this woman bothers me," he thought to himself. "What is it?! It's like I feel the need to be cautious around this girl."

Harusuke at this point was feeling a bit worried and slightly irritated from Usagi's behavior. "What the heck is that girl doing?!" he thought to himself. "Making goo-goo eyes at a complete stranger! I better break this little loving moment up before I get sick."

He was just about to say something, when Tetiz still under her disguise as well came up to them. "Excuse me Captain," she said. "But it's nearly time now."

"I see," said Jadeite feeling relieved. He then pulled away from Usagi and gave her a friendly salute. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now," he said.

"That's OK," said Usagi disappointedly. "See you later."

Then Jadeite and Tetiz lleft heading to their quarters leaving Harusuke and Usagi by themselves.

"Oh man! And it was just getting to the good part!" complained Usagi.

"Forget about that!" snapped Harusuke. "How dare you make goo-goo eyes at a guy you just met?! Seriously! Are you really that boy crazy?!"

Usagi was just about to argue back when Luna popped out of Usagi's case. "Hey you two! We got trouble!" she said. "I know what's going on now! This ship is fueled by evil energy and I get the feeling that the captain is the cause of it all!"

"Luna are you sure?" asked Usagi. "It couldn't be the captain! He's was really nice!"

"I'm sure of it!" said Luna. "I've been getting a bad feeling ever since he showed up!"

"Me too!" said Harusuke. "My hands were getting all clammy and everything!"

"Come on! You're both being worryworts!" said Usagi. "There's no way that the captain is the bad guy!"

Harusuke then tip-toed over to the window and peeked in. His eyes then widened in surprise and horror. "Then how do you explain that?!" he exclaimed.

Usagi and Luna then peeped in through the window as well and they saw Jadeite and Tetiz standing in front of what looked like a blue orb showing all the people who were inside of the ship.

"The time is near," said Jadeite.

"Yes, the energy of love from all the couples onboard, has almost reached its peak!" said Tetiz. "And when it does, we'll collect the energy from all the passengers at once!" She then turned to Jadeite smugly. "So, do you agree that my plan was a good one?"

"If it works, you'll have my praise," said Jadeite.

Tetiz smiled evilly. "I'm sure that ninety-nine percent of my plan will work," she said. "And if it does, maybe you should start paying a little more attention to me, Master Jadeite."

"I'll consider it," replied Jadeite.

Outside of the room, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna tried to listen in on what the two were saying, but they couldn't hear a single word.

"What are they saying? I can't hear anything!" complained Usagi.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure is not a good thing!" said Luna. "That guy has to be a monster!"

"But... he's my future boyfriend," whined Usagi. "And so handsome too..."

"Oh come on Usagi," sighed Harusuke. "Can't you stop being boy crazy for one second? Seriously."

Then when Usagi turned back to peep through the window, she gasped. "Harusuke! Luna! Look!"

They did so to find that Jadeite and Tetiz along with the blue orb had disappeared without a trace.

"They're gone!" cried Usagi. "Where did they go?!"

"I don't know, but you can bet that they're up to something terrible!" said Luna.

"Then what are doing standing around?! Let's go find and stop them!" said Harusuke. "Before it's too late!"

Then three of them took off running in search of Jadeite and Tetiz hoping to stop them in time before they could proceed with their plans.

* * *

Meanwhile in the dining hall, Rei and Ami were sitting at table eating the food. Rei was eating all of hers at a fast pace noisily eating and even gulping down her drink in two seconds. Some of the couples stared at Rei appalled while Ami ate her food quietly trying not to be, so embarrassed. She could well remember how they got to this point.

 _Rei and Ami were standing on the balcony looking out towards the sea not having any luck finding a boy to hang with. Then Rei suddenly had an idea._

 _"Hey Ami! I know what we could do right now!" she said excitedly._

 _"What is it?" asked Ami._

 _"Since that they're so many couples here, there's bound to be some of them who are fighting right?" said Rei. "If we can find some guys who have been recently dumped by their girlfriends, then we can grab them on the rebound!"_

 _Ami sighed with exasperation. "Rei I don't think that's going to work."_

 _"Oh come on Ami!" said Rei as she took her hand. "Where's your sense of romance?! Let's go!"_

 _As Rei dragged her along, Ami sighed to herself with exasperation. "I knew I should've stayed home and studied," she muttered to herself._

Sadly, Rei and Ami still had no luck finding any boys and, so to drown her troubles, Rei decided to pig out much to Ami's embarrassment.

"Hey Rei... can't you eat a little more quietly?" asked Ami quietly.

"Don't tell me what to do!" snapped Rei as she stuffed another bit of food in her mouth. "I've gotta take advantage of this trip somehow! Who needs boyfriends anyway?!"

Then there was a chime of the loudspeaker as Tetiz spoke making an announcement. "Attention please! Would everyone please gather in the reception hall? A wonderful show that we prepared for you, is about to begin!"

Rei then stopped eating. "Hey, you think that we should check it out?" she asked.

"Yes we should!" said Ami with relief. "Anything to get you away from the food!"

* * *

On the balcony, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna heard the announcement as well.

"Did you hear that?!" asked Usagi. "She just said the reception hall!"

"We should head over there!" said Luna. "That has to be where the monsters are!"

"Then let's go!" said Harusuke. "We got bad guy butt to kick!"

And so they raced to the reception hall as fast as their feet could carry them.

* * *

At the reception hall, all of the couples had gathered around eager to see the show that had been prepared for them. Ami and Rei were also there eager to see the show as well. Then the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on the stage revealing Jadeite and Tetiz who was now wearing a purple Chinese dress.

"Welcome to the show everybody," she said. "Thank you all for coming. Now please enjoy as you watch the most romantic show in the world!"

With an evil chuckle, she waved her hands and then transformed into her true form. She now had white skin and lost all of her facial features excepts for glowing red eyes with a small crescent more mark below her right eye. She wore a dark blue sleeveless bodysuit, a gold headdress, had spikes on her gloves, and had long hair, but now colored black. At the very same time, a disco ball above them began to glow brightly shining its lights all over the room. All the people were amazed, while Ami and Rei were shocked.

"No way! Is that..." began Ami.

"Yes! It's a monster!" said Rei.

Tetiz laughed as she worked her magic and began to drain the energy from all the people in room. "Now continue your romantic dreams in hell!" she crowed as all the magic energy was sucked into the disco ball. Jadeite. Soon enough, all of the people had their energy drained leaving Rei and Ami the only two left standing and Jadeite shed his disguise revealing his true self.

"No way! It's Jadeite!" murmured Ami.

Tetiz and Jadeite were surprised to see the two girls that were left.

"It seems that you made a miscalculation Tetiz," said Jadeite. "You've stolen the energy from these couples, but it didn't effect these two girls most likely because they don't have romantic partners."

"It can't be!" Tetiz growled as she glared at Rei and Ami. "Why didn't you two come without boys?!" she demanded.

"Shut up! We have our reasons!" snapped Rei who was feeling insulted. "We could have boyfriends if we really wanted to!"

Ami nodded in agreement who was also feeling a bit insulted.

"Whatever! I doubt it!" scoffed Tetiz as she beckoned to the sailors that we nearby. "Show these two the door!"

The sailors walked towards Ami and Rei and transformed into strange water monsters. Rei and Ami were a bit freaked out, but that wasn't going to stop them from fighting. Rei immediately grabbed a chair and swiped it at one of the water creatures cutting it in half. However, it had no effect as the two halves of the monster then formed into two more. The two girls stood back to back, as the monsters closed in on them.

"Aw man! There's too many!" cried Rei. "We're in trouble!"

"And we can't transform out in the open in front of everyone!" said Ami. "What'll we do?!"

"Master Jadeite," said Tetiz. "I may have made a minor miscalculation in may plan, but we've managed to collect lots of human energy. Queen Beryl will be pleased with us."

"Agreed," said Jadeite. "But what should we do with these two girls here?"

"I can take care of them if you wish," said Tetiz. "It should be very simple to make quick work of them."

"Very well," said Jadeite. "Make it so."

* * *

Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna were flying down the halls hoping to reach the reception room in time. Soon enough, they could see the end of the hall with the sign pointing towards the direction to where the reception hall was.

"There is it you two!" cried Luna.

"Yeah we know!" said Usagi. "You ready Harusuke?"

"You bet Usagi!" said Harusuke. "It's hero time!"

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a faceplate covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Jadeite had created a portal about to head back to the Dark Kingdom to leave Tetiz to her business, when two voices were heard from above.

"Stop right there!"

"Stay where you are and don't move!"

Everyone immediately looked up and Ami and Rei could not believe their eyes at who they saw.

"It's Sailor Moon and Solaris!" cried Ami.

"Impossible!" cried Tetiz. "How did they even get on board?!"

"That doesn't matter! What matters is what you're doing!" said Solaris. "How dare you target all these couples and go after the energy their love creates?!"

"That's right!" said Sailor Moon. "Do you have any idea how precious love is?! Some girls can't even find boyfriends! It's so sad!"

Feeling that Sailor Moon was talking about her, Rei felt insulted. "What did you say?!" she growled.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she proclaimed. "And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!" he proclaimed. "And in the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"So, you're Sailor Moon and Solaris eh?! I'll destroy the both of you!" shrieked Tetiz as she pounced right at them. She stretched her arms and grabbed Sailor Moon's neck and then she along with her came crashing out the window.

"Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris.

He was just about to jump out the window to try and help her, but then Jadeite barred his way. "Where do you think you're going? I'd be more worried about myself if I was you," said Jadeite.

Solaris snarled, but then grinned from beneath his faceplate. "So now you wanna fight? Fine by me!" he said. "I've been looking to get a little payback!"

* * *

As Sailor Moon fell down from the deck, she managed to land on her feet as did Tetiz. Tetiz then used her seawater magic and huge large spouts of water erupted from the sea.

"Be careful Sailor Moon!" warned Luna. "That monster has the ability to control water!"

"Take this!" yelled Tetiz as she swung her arm controlling one of the spouts of water to shoot straight at Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon immediately jumped out of the way as the water pierced right through the metal of the deck. Tetiz then attacked again and again using the spouts to try and hit her and Sailor Moon dodged them trying not to get hit.

* * *

Solaris and Jadeite were locked in a heated battle throwing punches and attacks at each other. Solaris was trying his best to land a blow, but Jadeite was either blocking or dodging. Then Jadeite went on the attack by using the same attack he used on Solaris before. This time Solaris saw the attack coming and blocked Jadeite's hand with his own.

"Nice try, but I ain't falling for the same thing twice!" he smirked.

"Not bad," said Jadeite. "But this fight isn't over yet!"

Jadeite grunted as he threw another punch, but Solaris dodged again by tilting his head. Jadeite attacked again and again, and Solaris kept on dodging. Then when Jadeite threw another punch, Solaris dodged it and then threw a wicked right cross right at Jadeite's face connecting right on his cheek. Jadeite was sent flying out window with Solaris following in hot pursuit.

At the very same time, Ami and Rei had just transformed into Sailor Mars and Mercury and had just dispatched all of Tetiz's minions.

"All right, that takes care of them," said Sailor Mercury. "Let's go Sailor Mars! We gotta hurry and help Solaris and Sailor Moon!"

"Damn straight!" barked Sailor Mars still feeling salty from Jadeite's and Tetiz's comments. "No one makes fun of me for not having boyfriend and gets away with it!"

* * *

Back outside, Sailor Moon was running out of places to run and Tetiz was preparing to use her spouts of water to attack again. It seemed that the Moon warrior was going to be finished, but then Sailor Mercury and Mars quickly came to the rescue.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

Sailor Mercury used her technique blanketing the area with bubbles.

"Damn it!" growled Tetiz as she tried to see through the bubbles, but to no avail.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Sailor Mars then jumped in next using her Fire Soul. The attack hit Tetiz dead on causing the water witch to shriek in pain from the burning flames.

"Sailor Moon! Now's your chance!" cried Sailor Mercury! "Finish her off!"

"OK!" acknowledged Sailor Moon as she took off her tiara turning it to the very same white disk and took aim at Tetiz. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The disc zipped through the air heading right for Tetiz piercing her right in her midsection. Tetiz shrieked in agony and in a bright burst of light, she was reduced to nothing more, but a puddle of water. Another monster had been defeated. Then Jadeite and Solaris landed in front of them with Jadeite chuckling and Solaris panting.

"Well, well," he said. "I guess I underestimated you Guardians, but then you've gotten a lot more skilled since we last met."

"It's the end of the line Jadeite!" said Sailor Moon.

"Yeah! We're not letting you get away this time!" said Sailor Mars.

"Don't let your guard down girls!" warned Sailor Mercury. "He's very powerful!"

"He's still going down!" said Solaris. "And we're gonna make sure that he does!"

"Insolent brats!" growled Jadeite. "This ends now!

He raised his hand and a dark ball of energy formed in his hand about to attack. Solaris immediately made a ball of energy of his own preparing to unleash his attack as well. It seemed that there was going to be a major collision, but then suddenly Jadeite disappeared.

"What the heck?! He disappeared!" cried Sailor Moon.

"Did he run away?" wondered Sailor Mars.

"I don't know," said Sailor Mercury. "I doubt it..."

"It looked more like someone teleported him," said Solaris. "But who could have done that and why?"

* * *

Jadeite suddenly found himself back in the Dark Kingdom where he found himself standing at a horrifying and terrifying sight. There in front of him was an image Queen Beryl who was not looking happy at all.

"Jadeite. You not only used one of my most precious monsters without my permission," she said with venom in her voice. "But now no thanks to your incompetence, she's now been killed!"

"Y-you're mistaken Queen Beryl!" stammered Jadeite trying to make an excuse. "This was Tetiz's idea from the very beginning!"

"I will hear you excuses at the palace," said Queen Beryl. "You've caused enough trouble for today. If I was you, I would choose my words carefully, because depending on your answer, you will pay most severely!"

Jadeite gulped. "Y-yes ma'am," he said meekly.

And with that, Queen Beryl vanished. Jadeite then clenched his fists seething with anger.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "Sailor Moon, Solaris, all those guardians! They're all going to pay for this!"

* * *

Back at the ship, because of Tetiz's spell now lifted, all of the people had their energy returned and the ship had returned to it's original state as a rusty hunk of tin. A few moments later, the coast guard had arrived to pick up the people from the boat, so they could bring them safely home. Usagi and the others watched as the people board the coast guard's ship.

"So much for our romantic cruise," sighed Usagi disappointedly. "No love connection for us."

"Well I ain't giving up!" said Rei determined. "The next time there's a cruise like this, I'm gonna find a boyfriend take on it with me!"

"Yeah! And I'll be right behind you!" said Usagi.

"As if you would be able to," scoffed Rei. "Especially with an outfit like yours!"

"What'd you say?!" growled Usagi. "Jean jackets are making a comeback you know!"

"Oh brother. There they go again," said Harusuke shaking his head.

"Those two are never going to learn, are they?" sighed Luna.

"I think I'll stick to studying for now," said Ami as she whipped out a book and began to read it.

While Harusuke was wondering where Ami got the book, Luna sighed in exasperation as Rei and Usagi continued to fight.


	14. Chapter 13

_This chapter was an idea came up by Sandshrew Master 317 and an original! Hope you guys like it!_

* * *

In the Dark Dimension, Jadeite was all by himself pacing around livid and frustrated. He was still angry having to have not only been defeated by the Guardians again, but having to have let one of Queen Beryl's most trusted demons be killed at the hands of them.

"I can't believe those Guardians managed to defeat one of Queen Beryl's strongest," he thought to himself. "And because of that, Queen Beryl is not happy with me. There's got to be away for me to get in her good graces! But how? The only way to do that if that if I collected more energy. The question is to how to go about it."

He thought and he thought and he thought some more. Then he had an evil idea. "Yes, that will work," he said to himself. "It may come with the risk of getting Queen Beryl more cross with me, but it'll be worth it once I've gathered enough energy for our Great Ruler!"

"Are you sure it would be wise to go off on your own?" asked a voice. "Especially since Queen Beryl is rather displeased with you?"

Jadeite jumped and turned around and a young man appeared before him. He wore the exact same outfit that Jadeite wore, only the trims on his outfit were a yellow color and his shoes were black.

"And what do you want Nephrite?" asked Jadeite narrowing his eyes. "Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?"

"I just wanted to warn you before you do anything drastic," said Nephrite. "If you do something like this, I can't guarantee how Queen Beryl will react. Her patience with you has already grown thin."

"I appreciate your concern Nephrite, but I don't need it," said Jadeite. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself. Besides, this plan can't possibly fail. This plan will not only collect energy, but it will also put a stop to those Guardians! Now if you don't mind, I have some energy to collect.

And with that, Jadeite disappeared leaving Nephrite standing alone. All he could do was shake his head with pity.

"Oh Jadeite," he sighed. "You always were such a prideful and hasty fool."

* * *

At the Juuban Middle School, the after school bell had rung and Usagi and Harusuke were packing their bags getting ready to head home. As they opened their lockers to get their shoes, they noticed a couple of girls running past them.

"Come on! We have to hurry home!" said a girl. "Otherwise we're gonna miss the show!"

"I know! Don't worry!" said the other. "We still have a few minutes before it comes on!"

Usagi and Harusuke watched as the two girls raced away feeling curious.

"I wonder what that was all about?" wondered Usagi.

"I guess some people just love watching their favorite shows on TV," shrugged Harusuke.

Just then, Umino came rushing towards the entrance. He appeared to be in a big hurry.

"Hey Umino! What's-" began Harusuke.

"Sorry Harusuke! Can't talk! I gotta hurry home!" said Umino. "Can't afford to be late! I gotta a show to see!"

Umino then raced away leaving Usagi and Harusuke puzzled.

"OK. Now this is strange," said Harusuke. "First those girls, and now Umino?"

"Yeah. This is weird even for a guy like Umino," said Usagi. "What is going on with those guys?"

Then Naru came up to them. She looked very excited.

"Hey, Usagi! Harusuke! Have you heard the latest? There's a brand new show on TV that's got everyone talking around the school!" she said.

"What show?" asked Usagi.

"I"m surprised that you don't know," said Naru. "This show is called IheartTV and it's talk a show that gives you great love advice."

"What kind of love advice?" asked Usagi showing interest.

"You know, how to get that special to like you and how to go about telling them how you feel and stuff," said Naru. "The woman who hosts it is named Rana Kurusugi. She's a great love advisor and most of the people who have watched her show have already gotten luck with finding a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"Seriously?! That's awesome!" said Usagi excitedly. "Maybe if I watch that show, it'll give me some great advice about how should I get that special someone to be my boyfriend!" She began to daydream about her two main crushes, Tuxedo Mask and Motoki." The thought alone made her eyes practically turn into hearts. "That settles it! I'm gonna watch that show too!"

Harusuke sighed. "And once again Usagi's turned into a lovesick puppy," he muttered.

"Come on Harusuke! Let's go!" said Usagi. "We gotta get home as soon as possible! We can't miss that show! We can watch it together!"

"Sorry Usagi, but... I'm gonna have to pass," said Harusuke. "I'm pretty sure that I told you this before, but love isn't really my thing. Besides, I got homework to do."

"Oh come on Harusuke, don't be like that," said Naru. "Besides, you never know, maybe the show will help you get some ideas for when you have a crush on a girl."

"Well... I guess you have a point there," said Harusuke. "But still, I gonna take a rain check on that. Sorry, but no thanks."

"Suit yourself then," said Usagi. "While you're busy hitting the books, Naru and I are going to watch that show, so we can have bright futures with boyfriends!" She then turned to Naru "Hey Naru, you wanna come with us to our house? We can watch the show from my room!"

"Sure! I'd love to!" said Naru.

"Then it's settled!" said Usagi excitedly. "Let's hurry then!"

And Naru and Usagi ran to the Tsukino's place with Harusuke shaking his head exasperatingly and following close behind them. "I will never understand what's the big deal about love," he said to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile at a TV studio inside of town, a young woman was powdering her cheeks and putting on her make-up making sure that she'd looked extra pretty. She had tan skin, wore a maroon business suit, and had black hair tied into a bun. When she finished, she looked at herself in the mirror and did a once-over making sure nothing was out of place.

"There," she said smiling. "Absolute perfection."

Then she heard a voice in her head.

"Aijou? Can you hear me?"

The woman knew who that was. "Yes Master Jadeite, I hear you," she said.

"Good. Now listen carefully, you cannot afford to fail on this mission," said Jadeite. "This is my last chance to redeem myself to Queen Beryl. Make sure that you drain as much energy as you can from the humans."

"And what about the Guardians?" asked Aijou.

"You need not worry about them," said Jadeite. "I've no doubt that my plan will take them out of the equation. Just make sure that you go through with the plan. Is that understood, Aijou?"

"Understood Master Jadeite," acknowledged Jadeite. "I won't let you down."

Just then, there was a knock on Aijou's door and a cameraman came in. "Miss, you're on in five minutes," he said.

"Alright then," said Aijou. "I'm coming. Let's get this show started."

* * *

Soon enough, Harusuke, Usagi, and Naru had made it back to the Tsukino's house and Usagi and Naru went straight to Usagi's room. They immediately turned on the TV and they switched it to the channel IheartTV was on. When it came on, the intro for IheartTV had barely started.

"Alright! We're just in time!" said Usagi.

"Awesome!" said Naru. "Make sure the volume is high enough, so we can hear."

Usagi did so and right then, the intro of IheartTV was over and right then, Aijou appeared on the TV.

"Goof morning, good afternoon, and hello all you viewers!" she said brightly. "This is IheartTV! I'm your host, Rana Kurusugi, and I'll be answering all of your questions about love and romance."

Usagi and Naru squealed in delight excited to watch the show, however unknown to them at the time, Luna happened to be sleeping nearby on Usagi's bed. Due to Usagi and Naru and the blaring noise of the TV, she woke up with a start. When she saw that it was Usagi and Naru who was making all the noise, she felt a tad cranky, but she was too tired to tell Usagi to keep down the noise. Not to mention that she couldn't talk with Naru around. So, she decided to go sleep in Harusuke's room. She quietly got up and while Naru and Usagi were watching the show, she slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Harusuke was in his room busily at work doing his homework. As he did his work, he heard a scratching on his door. He then got up, walked over to the door, and opened it to find that Luna standing there.

"Oh hey Luna," said Harusuke. "What's up?"

"Usagi and her friend are over watching some show," yawned Luna. "It's causing too much of a racket, so if you don't mind Harusuke, can I stay in your room for a bit?"

"Sure thing Luna," said Harusuke. "Make yourself at home."

Luna then came into Harusuke's room and lied down on his bed while Harusuke went back to doing his homework.

"Honestly, can't a cat try to get some sleep without having to be woken up?" complained Luna.

"Yeah. I must apologize for that Luna," said Harusuke. "Usagi and Naru are probably just excited because of that new show that popped up. Something called IheartTV or something."

"IheartTV? What's that?" asked Luna.

"It's just some talk show that's supposed to give love advice," said Harusuke. "From what I heard, some of our schoolmates have been watching it and have been using the advice to get themselves boyfriends and girlfriends. Personally, I prefer to stay away from that kind of thing."

"I see," said Luna. "You know Harusuke, not that I admire you for your diligence and everything, but... if you don't mind me asking, how come you're not interested in anyone?"

Harusuke stopped doing his homework and looked at her. "What do you mean, Luna?"

"Well... I know that Usagi's got her fair share of boys that she likes and even Rei's wanting to have a boyfriend, but I'm curious as to why you're not interested in anyone," said Luna. "I mean do you not like girls or something?"

"Well..." hummed Harusuke thoughtfully. "It's not like I don't like girls, I'm just waiting for the right one to come along that's all. I'm not even sure if I have the time for a girlfriend, considering the fact that I'm trying to balance out being a normal kid and being a Guardian. And I'm sure that there will be some girls that peak my interest, but for now I'm happy with being a single guy. Besides, I don't need some talk show host's advice on how to deal with a crush. I'd would prefer to do it my own way. "

Luna stared at Harusuke. Then she smiled. "That's a very mature way of thinking Harusuke," she said. "So much more so than Usagi."

Harusuke scratched his cheek feeling embarrassed. "Well... I wouldn't go as far as being mature," he chuckled. "Anyway, I'm almost done with my homework. I'll join you in a second."

And with that, Harusuke went back to doing his homework. Luna watched as he did feeling pretty impressed with him. Then with a small yawn, she curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

* * *

Back with Usagi and Naru, the two girls were still watching IheartTV with eager eyes. Aijou was just telling the viewers about how to get a certain someone interested in you.

"To get that special someone to you like you," she said. "All you need to do is tell them that you love them and then give em a pick on the cheek! And flowers or chocolates would be a nice touch too!"

Usagi and Naru both had notepads and pencils and immediately wrote down what Aijou said so that they wouldn't forget. However, unknown to either of them at the time as they were watching the show, Aijou was casting a spell on them and every other viewer that was watching slowly draining their energy.

"And most of all," continued Aijou. "Never forget, as long as you do those things and if you have a lot of love in your heart, I'm sure that whoever you love will respond to you back! Well, that's all the time I have today. Bur before I go, I just want to take the opportunity to tell all you lovebirds out there, that I'm going to be making a special appearance at a dance that's happening at the Shan-Shan plaza for my next show! If you're interested in receiving more advice, or if you want to me in person, or if you want to dance the night away with your lover, I'll see you there! Until then, I'm Rana Kurusugi from IheartTV saying see you later and good luck!"

"Did you get that Usagi?" asked Naru.

"Every single word!" said Usagi. "That Rana really knows her stuff!"

"I know right? Not to mention that she's going to be here in Juuban tomorrow! That's gonna be so cool!" said Naru. "And thanks to the advice Rana gave us, how could we possibly fail in getting a boyfriend?!"

"Yeah! Let's give it our all and get our special love interests to love us, so Rana will be proud and so we'll have dates for the dance!" cheered Usagi.

* * *

That night when Aijou went off the air, Jadeite was by himself staring at the large ball of the recently drained energy take shape in his hands.

"Yes... Yes... Such beautiful energy," he said to himself. "And this has been only a taste of it."

Then Aijou appeared. "Master Jadeite, the TV showing has been a success," she said. "All of the humans who were watching the show are now under our spell. The humans will be in a hypnotic state desperate to gain the affection of the one they love and they all will show up at the dance. And the while they're being affectionate towards each other, their energy will be drained away."

"Yes Aijou. And when you make your special appearance tomorrow, we will drain the energy made from hose foolish feelings of love and greed of wanting the affections of their love. This energy will be much stronger than before back when I was working with Tetiz," smirked Jadeite. "With this energy, I'll get into Queen Beryl's good graces for sure! And even take out those lousy Guardians as a bonus!"

* * *

The next morning, Harusuke woke up ready for another day at school. He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and was ready to start the day, but little did he know, he was going to be in for a big surprise. He had just finished getting ready for school and he decided that he would wake up Usagi just to make sure that she would get to school on time. He was just about to knock on her door, when the door opened. Harusuke was surprised to see that Usagi was already dressed and ready to go to school.

"Hey Harusuke. Good morning," said Usagi.

"Well... this is certainly a surprise," said Harusuke. "You managed to get up and even got ready for school, Usagi. Is there a special occasion going on today?"

"You could say that," said Usagi brightly. "Now come on, let's hurry up and get to school."

And with that, Usagi merrily skipped away leaving Harusuke a little surprised.

* * *

A little later, the two Tsukino's arrived at the school. Everything seemed to be normal or so Harusuke thought. They had just walked through the gates, when a strange set met their eyes. All around them, they were couples gazing lovingly into each others eyes looking very lovey dovey. Some of them were confessing their love to one another while others were giving the one they loved either a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. There was even couples inside of the school as Harusuke and Usagi made their way to the classroom.

"Oh wow. Everyone's acting so affectionate to one another," said Harusuke. "I wonder if there's some kind of national holiday going on or something?"

Just then, Umino entered the room carrying a large stuffed teddy bear which was practically the same size as he was. He appeared to be struggling as he carried it into the classroom. After a great deal of effort, Umino slammed the teddy bear onto Naru's desk panting tiredly. Naru was surprised.

"U-umino?! What is this?!" she exclaimed.

"Naru... this... is my gift to you," panted Umino. "To show you... how much that I love you! I love you... with all my heart... so... please be my girlfriend!"

Harusuke's and Usagi's eyes widened in surprise. Normally given her relationship with Umino, Naru would be annoyed and tell Umino to bug off. This time, Naru looked more touched rather than surprised.

"Umino... did you really get this for me?" she asked. "And did you say... that you loved me?"

"Yes I did," said Umino. "With all my heart and every fiber of my being! And I also wanted to ask you to the dance at the Shan-Shan plaza tonight, if you'll have me. If you're still no convinced, I even wrote a poem if you want to hear it!"

Naru shook her head. "There's no need for that!" she said happily. "Because I love you too!"

Umino gasped with surprise and joy while Harusuke's mouth practically dropped to the floor.

"SAY WHAT?!" he exclaimed.

"Really?! You really love me Naru?!" asked Umino who was blushing madly.

"Yes Umino my love," said Naru. "If you'll have me... I would love to be your girlfriend and your date, if you would be my boyfriend that is!"

"Sure!" said Umino as he grabbed Naru's hands and gazed at her lovingly in the eyes. "I'll love you until the day I die!"

"Oh Umino..." sighed Naru as she and Umino entered in a loving embrace.

Seeing this scene, Harusuke couldn't help but feel utter disbelief and shock for what he had just witnessed. "What the heck is going on here?!" he thought to himself. "Naru would never accept Umino's confession like that! What on earth is she thinking?!"

Just then, Ms. Haruna entered the room. "All right class," she said. "Take your seats. Class is going to get started now."

But no one heard or listened to her. They were too busy being lovey-dovey with each other to pay any attention to Ms. Haruna. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Ms. Haruna cleared her throat and spoke up even louder.

"I said, class is in session! Take your seats!" she spoke loudly.

Once again, no one listened nor did they hear her. Now Ms. Haruna was starting to get cross. She took a deep breath and was just about to yell, when suddenly someone came bursting through the window causing her to scream in surprise. It was an unknown young man who Harusuke didn't know. When Ms. Haruna saw the man, she couldn't help but scream like a giddy schoolgirl and had hearts in her eyes.

"Oh my gosh! Yukari!" she cried.

"Who the heck is that?!" cried Harusuke. "And how the heck did he jump through the window just now?!"

"My lovely Haruna," said Yukari. "I have come all this way just to see you. I wanted to tell you... that I love you and I was hoping that you'd be my date for the dance at the Shan-Shan!"

He then held out a huge bouquet of roses. which made Ms. Haruna blush a bright shade of pink. Ms Haruna's eyes welled up with tears of joy.

"Yes! Yes I will!" she said. "I love you too my darling! Let's be lovers forever!"

Ms. Haruna and Yukari then embraced each other in a loving embrace. All Harusuke could do was stare at them. He felt baffled and confused before, but now he was in a state of utter disbelief.

"What... in the blazes is going on here?!" he cried. "Everyone is acting so weird!"

Then he realized something. A certain sister of his was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the classroom, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

"Usagi? Usagi? Usagi, where did you go?!" he called.

He looked down towards the hall and didn't see her there either. Only couples of students lovingly looking at each other. Then he looked out the window and then he spotted her. There was Usagi skipping merrily out of the gates with the same lovey dovey grin on her face like the others.

"I'm gonna go straight to Motoki and tell him how I feel about him!" she said merrily. "Better look out Motoki, because here I come!"

"Usagi! Get back here!" cried Harusuke as he immediately raced out of the classroom and outside of the school in hot pursuit.

* * *

Harusuke tried his best to catch up with Usagi, but unfortunately, he lost sight of her.

"Dang it all! Where'd she go?" wondered Harusuke as he tried to look around for her. "She's got to be around here somewhere!"

Harusuke looked around searching everywhere for Usagi. Then he saw a familiar face walking by. It was none other than Rei. Harusuke was relieved to see her.

"Hey Rei!" he called out as he ran up to her. "I need your help! Usagi and everyone else is acting so strange! To make things worse, I've lost Usagi! Do you have any idea where she could have gone?"

Rei said nothing. Then she turned towards Harusuke. So some reason, when she looked at him, Harusuke could see that Rei's eyes were filled with a mysterious wistfulness.

"Um... Rei? Are you OK?" asked Harusuke.

Then suddenly before Harusuke had a chance to react, Rei lovingly wrapped her arms around Harusuke's neck and kissed him right on the cheek. Harusuke's eyes widened and seemed to be frozen in shock. Then his face turned bright red with embarrassment and steam erupted from his head.

"R-r-r-rei?! What are you doing?!" he exclaimed.

Rei giggled mischievously. "Isn't it obvious Harusuke? I'm showing how much I love you," she said as she kissed him on the cheek again.

Harusuke was now completely flustered and very embarrassed. "W-w-wait a minute! This is way too sudden!" he yelped. "I mean..."

"But Harusuke... this is the only way that I can show how much I love you. And I was also hoping that you would be my date for the dance at the Shan-Shan plaza tonight," said Rei in a begging tone. "Don't you feel the same way about me?"

"Um... well... I um... uh..." stammered Harusuke.

Rei continued to stare at him with begging eyes waiting for Harusuke to respond. Then she began to inch closer and closer to Harusuke's face going for another kiss. This time, she wasn't going for his cheek. She was inching closer and closer to his lips. It seemed that Rei was going to kiss him, but then Harusuke stopped her by putting his hand between his lips and Rei's blocking hers. He then pushed her away gently and raced away as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Wait Harusuke! Come back my love!" Rei called.

But Harusuke didn't stop. He ran and he ran until he was out of sight.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luna was walking through town. As she did, she could see the many different couples that was acting affectionate towards one another.

"I wonder what's gotten everyone is such a mood?" she wondered. "They seem to be acting like Usagi whenever she's thinking about some boy."

Just then, Luna saw a certain someone skipping merrily down the street with a love sick look in her eyes. She appeared to be heading towards the Game Center.

"It's Usagi," she said to herself. "I wonder what's she doing there? She should be in school."

She then went over there to investigate. She then peeked in and she saw Usagi going up to Motoki. She was blushing up to her ears in red and was playing with her fingers.

"Um... Usagi? What's going on?" asked Motoki. "Did you want something?"

"Well um... you see," said Usagi bashfully. "I was... wondering something. Are... you seeing anyone right now?"

"No. Not really," replied Motoki. "Why?"

"It's... like this Motoki," said Usagi. "I... I... I love you Motoki!"

Motoki gasped from Usagi's sudden confession and blushed. Luna's jaw dropped to the floor in shock.

"Is... is this true Usagi?" he asked. "Do... you really love me?"

"Yes," said Usagi. "And... I just wanted to also ask... would you be my boyfriend and go to the dance with me tonight over at the Shan-Shan plaza?"

"There's no way that his Motoki guy will say yes," thought Luna. "There's no way."

Motoki paused and then took Usagi's hands with his. "Yes. Of course I will," he said smiling.

"WHAAAAAAT?!" yowled Luna.

"Really?!" exclaimed Usagi excitedly. "You really mean it?!"

"Sure. Of course I will my love," said Motoki. "Just consider me your boyfriend and your date from now on."

"Alright!" cheered Usagi as she embraced Motoki happily. "I'm so happy!"

As they hugged, Luna could only stare in utter shock "Something's definitely wrong here!" she thought to herself. "That boy would never accept Usagi's feelings like that! Not to mention everyone else is acting strangely too! Which could only mean one thing! There's trouble afoot!" She immediately raced raced out of Game Central. "I've got to find the others!"

* * *

Back with Harusuke, he had stopped by a bus stop catching his breath.

"Oh man... that was close!" he said to himself. "If I didn't recover from my shock when I did, Rei would have kissed me for sure! First Usagi and the others are acting totally wacko and then Rei shows up and not only kisses me on the cheek, but she almost kisses me on the lips! This is all totally weird!"

"Harusuke! There you are!" said a voice. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Harusuke looked back and he saw yet another familiar face, Ami. He felt relieved to see her.

"Ami! Whew! Am I glad to see you!" he said as he came up to her. "Listen Ami, I think that we have a problem! Everyone's acting totally crazy and lovey dovey and stuff, including Rei and Usagi! You've got to help me find out what's going on and help me find Usagi! If you know where she is, please tell me!"

"I think I just saw her at the Game Central in town," said Ami.

"That makes sense!" said Harusuke. "Usagi would always go there to see Motoki! Of course! Come on Ami! Let's go over there and-"

Harusuke was expecting that he along with Ami would head for the Game Center to find Usagi, but Ami had other ideas. She immediately grabbed a hold of Harusuke's hand forcing him to stop.

"What is it Ami?" asked Harusuke. "Is there something wrong?"

Ami said nothing. Then Ami suddenly embraced Harusuke in a hug making Harusuke freeze.

"Oh no... Don't tell me," thought Harusuke. "Please tell me it's not what I think is..."

He found that out soon enough. For right then before Harusuke could react, Ami did something that not even Harusuke would expect her to do. While blushing madly, she gave a kiss right on his cheek causing Harusuke to blush bright red and make steam erupt from his head once again.

"A-a-ami?! You too?!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Harusuke," said Ami shyly. "I know this isn't like me at all, but... I really, really, really, love you! And... I'd want you to be my boyfriend and my date at the dance at the Shan-Shan tonight."

Harusuke didn't know what to say nor did he know what to do. All he could do was stare at Ami completely baffled.

"Is... that a no?" asked Ami. "Do you doubt my love for you? If that's the case, then allow me to show how much my love is for you!"

She then closed her eyes and slowly began to inch close to Harusuke's face slightly puckering her lips. Harusuke's blushing face slightly paled.

"Oh no! Not again!" he thought.

He tried to pull away, but Ami kept a firm grip on him. Just when Ami was about to kiss him, Harusuke did the same thing he did with Rei by blocking Ami with his hand. Then with a little more force, he pried away from Ami and raced away once again leaving Ami in the dust.

"That cinches it!" said Harusuke. "Something is definitely going on here! Ami would never act that way! There has to be something wrong with her along with everyone else and I think I know why. I gotta find Luna and tell her what's going on!"

As he ran, he headed straight towards the Tsukino house hoping to find her. He would find her soon enough, for right when he was about to turn a corner, a certain black cat raced out right in front of him. Harusuke tried to stop, but it was too late. He and Luna slammed right into each other causing the both of them to fall hard to the ground.

"Ow... geez! That really hurt!" groaned Harusuke rubbing his back. Then he noticed Luna. He immediately rushed to her side taking her into his arms. "Oh my gosh! Luna! Am I glad to see you! Are you OK?"

Luna shook her head shaking off the recoil from bumping into Harusuke. When she saw that she was in Harusuke's arms, she was relieved. "Harusuke! Thank goodness I found you! We've got big trouble!" she said. "Everyone's acting all lovey-dovey and crazy around here, including Usagi!"

"You're telling me!" said Harusuke. "Wait... where's Usagi?! Do you know where she is?!"

"She's going to some kind of dance with Motoki," replied Luna.

"With Motoki?! Why with him?!" asked Harusuke incredulously.

"It's because Usagi asked him out," said Luna. "What's even more shocking is that he said yes."

"Say what?!" yelled Harusuke. "Usagi asked out Motoki and he said yes?! That... that can't be true!"

"Yup. It's true." said Luna. "Based on seeing that along with every other person acting strangely, I know that something is definitely wrong. The Dark Kingdom has to be behind it! We must get Rei and Ami! We're going to need them if we're going to save Usagi."

"Um... yeah. About that Luna, somehow I'm afraid that Rei and Ami won't be much help," said Harusuke. Then explained to Luna what had happened between him, Rei, and Ami.

Needless to say, Luna was shock stricken. "No way! Ami and Rei are under their spell too and they tried to kiss you?! Wait a minute, you didn't kiss them did you?!"

"No, of course not!" cried Harusuke blushing. "If anything, I was the kissee here! I was able to stop them before they had a chance!"

"In any case, this is bad," said Luna grimly. "Not only has Usagi fallen under the Dark Kingdom's spell, but now Ami and Rei too? How could this have happened?"

"If I had to make a guess, it had to have been that show last night," said Harusuke. "I remember how everyone's been talking about it in school lately. Usagi and the others must have watched the show hypnotizing them."

"You mean that IheartTV show you've been talking about last night?" asked Luna.

"Yes. Not only that, but that host, Rana Kurusugi is having some kind of dance at the Shan-Shan plaza and I'm pretty sure everyone is going to be there." added Harusuke.

"Then if what you're telling me is true," said Luna. "That host must no doubt be another monster planning to drain the energy from the people who watched it. We've got to go over there and stop them. And since Usagi and the others are down for the count, you're going to have to deal with the monster on your own, Harusuke."

"But what about Usagi and the others?" asked Harusuke. "Can't we help them?"

"The only thing we can do to help them right now is to defeat that monster," said Luna. "I know you're worried about your sister and your friends, but that should be our main focus. Do you think you can do that?"

Harusuke was still worried about Usagi and the others, but he nodded and said bravely, "Sure thing Luna. I'll beat that monster and save Usagi and others. Leave it to me!"

Luna smiled. "Good. Now let's get going," she said.

Then she and Harusuke raced off towards the Shan-Shan plaza.

* * *

At the plaza, everyone who was affected by the spell cast by Aijou was gathered around ready to dance the night away and to meet Rana Kurusugi,. Among them, Usagi, Rei, and Ami were there too each other a respective boy. Everyone felt excited. Then there was the sound of music which was the theme song from Aijou's show and Aijou stepped worth from the entrance of the Shan-Shan with a big grin on her face.

"Hello everybody!" she said. "I'm so glad that you all were able to make it! Are you ready to dance the night away with your lover?!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered in response.

"Good! Then come on in and let's get this dance started!" crowed Aijou.

The doors then opened and everyone went inside. The dance then began to get underway. As everyone began to have fun and dance their hearts out. Aijou smirked to herself and chuckled evilly.

"Looks like I have a full house," she said to herself. "Now is the time to drain all of their energy."

She then snapped her fingers and some spotlights shone down on the crowd. As they did, the lights began to slowly suck away all of the energy from the people that were dancing. This went on for about a few minutes or so, until finally the people were staring to get tired. Some of them were already on the floor unconscious while others were trying their best to stay standing and dancing. Even Usagi, Rei, and Ami who were dancing with their dates began to feel tired as well. At the rate they were going, they would soon fall unconscious too.

* * *

Harusuke and Luna raced to the Shan-Shan as fast as their legs could carry them. Soon they arrived, just in time to see the last person in the crowd inside faint from having their energy drained.

"Oh no!" cried Harusuke. "We're too late!

"We can still stop the monster that's behind this!" said Luna. "Harusuke! You have to transform! Hurry!"

Harusuke nodded to Luna and raised his hand into the air.

"SOLARIS GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining it's light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in it's light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a faceplate covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Aijou chuckled evilly as all the energy was finished being drained from her victims. "That takes care of that," she smirked. "Now I have to report back to Jadeite and take the energy to him."

"Stop right there!" said a voice. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Who said that?!" demanded Aijou as she looked towards the entrance.

There standing there was Solaris.

"You're evil scheme ends here Rana!" he said. "How dare you play matchmaker and take advantage of all these people who wanted to gain the affection of their special loved one! I bet even Cupid himself would be ashamed of what you're doing! I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who fights for love and justice! I am Solaris! And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"So you're Solaris huh?" said Aijou. "Master Jadeite said you would show up. Where are your little friends the Sailor Guardians? Did I scare them off?"

"As if! They're... away on other business!" said Solaris quickly making up a lie. "Besides, I can take you out all by myself!"

"Is that so?" asked Aijou. "Let's see then!"

Then Aijou transformed into her true form. Solaris braced himself to whatever ugly monster Aijou was truly was, but then he gasped. Aijou's hair had undone and became fiery red color. Her skin had also become lighter becoming pale, her eyes turned into a violet purple and slitted and her outfit had changed into a dark pink gown and she also grew a pair of black wings. Needless to say, Solaris was surprised to see Aijou's true form.

"Are you shocked?" asked Aijou smugly. "Shocked and frightened of my true form?"

"Actually, I'm not," said Solaris. "If you don't mind me saying so, you look pretty for a monster."

Aijou blushed a bright shade of red from embarrassment and with slight anger. "How dare you insult me?! I am not pretty!"

She then went on the attack. With a mighty flap of her wings, she unleashed a barrage of arrows at Solaris. Solaris immediately jumped out of the way dodging the feathers. Aijou kept on flapping her wings firing her feathers and Solaris kept on dodging.

"I can't keep dodging like this!" Solaris thought to himself. "Not to mention that I can't really fight here. If I do, Usagi and the others will be caught in the crossfire! I gotta lead this monster away from them."

"What's wrong Solaris? Having trouble?" taunted Aijou.

"Not really! I was just wondering if shooting feathers is all you can do, you one trick pony! Solaris shot back.

Aijou growled in anger. "Then let's see how you fare against this?!" she yelled as she fired around barrage of feathers.

Solaris was about to move to dodge the blow, but then he saw someone lying behind him. It was Usagi.

"Oh no! If I move, Usagi will get hit!" he thought.

He immediately picked her up and jumped out of the way just in time, but that left him wide open to attack which Aijou took advantage of. She immediately swooped towards Solaris and swung one of her wings at him. Solaris still carrying Usagi immediately took the force of the blow by turning his body making him cry in pain as he fell to the ground with Usagi hard.]

"Oh no! Solaris!" cried Luna.

Aijou seeing Solaris down and out decided to end it with a final blow. She materialized a bow and arrow from her hands and took aim towards Solaris.

"Now it's time for you to die Solaris!" she crowed. "Take this!"

She then fired the arrow, Solaris looked back see the arrow coming straight for him. The arrow was coming so fast, that Solaris knew that he wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Not only that, but Usagi was still next to him. He instinctively shut his eyes and shielded Usagi and thought he was done form, but then suddenly, something shot out from above hitting the arrow and snapping it in half saving Solaris and Usagi.

"What?!" cried Aijou.

Solaris peeped open one eye surprised that the arrow didn't hit him. Then he saw the reason why. There sticking into the ground next to him, was a red rose.

"Wait a second... that means..."

Solaris then looked up and saw his savior. There standing from above the door was Tuxedo Mask.

"Tuxedo Mask! You saved me!" said Solaris.

"Remember to be careful Solaris," said Tuxedo Mask. "And make sure to protect all the love in the hearts of people."

And with a wave of his cape, Tuxedo Mask disappeared.

"Hey! Come back here!" yelled Aijou. "You got some nerve interfering!"

Solaris then seeing Aijou distracted took advantage and went on the attack. He set down Usagi gently and with a mighty leap, took into the air straight at Aijou. Aijou had just turned back only to have Solaris' fist collide with her cheek sending her flying to the the ceiling with a mighty thud. She then fell to the floor completely stunned by the blow.

"Solaris! Now's your chance!" cried Luna.

"Right!" replied Solaris as he landed to the ground. "I hope you're ready monster, because it's payback time!"

Solaris clapped his hands together creating a large ball of yellow light in his hand and took aim at Aijou.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Solaris punched the ball of light making it shoot straight at Aijou. Aijou looked up in time to see the attack coming right for her. The attack hit her straight on and with a shriek of agony, she was destroyed in an instant.

* * *

Back with Jadeite, he was just about to head back to the Dark Kindgom with the energy he gather, but then suddenly the ball of energy disappeared in a burst. Jadeite growled in anger.

"No! Aijou failed me?!" he cursed. "Curse those guardians! If I live to see the day, I will defeat them! Just you wait!"

* * *

The energy that was stolen had all returned to their victims and everyone had regained conscious including Usagi and the other girls. Soon enough, Harusuke, Usagi, Ami, Rei, and Luna were all walking home with Harusuke and Luna explaining what had happened. (With some things left out)

"Man... that was weird," said Usagi. "I can't remember anything."

"You're telling me," said Rei. "I still can't believe we all fell for that monster's spell all because we all were watching that dumb show. It's so embarrassing."

"You should be grateful that Harusuke was there to save you," said Luna. "If he didn't, you all would have been in a lot of trouble."

"Yes. You're right," said Ami. "Thanks a lot Harusuke. You really saved the day and us."

Harusuke couldn't help, but blush a little. "Aww shucks, it was nothing," he said. "Just doing my duty as a guardian."

"By the way Harusuke," said Rei. "You said that we were all acting lovey dovey when we were under the spell right?"

"Yes."

"We... didn't do anything while we were under the spell did we?"

Harusuke gulped and suddenly remembered back when Rei and Ami kissed him on the cheek making him blush a bright red.

"Well...um... nothing," he said. "Don't worry nothing happened."

"Wait a second, what was that? You hesitated for a minute Harusuke," said Rei.

"You're not lying to us are you?" asked Ami.

"Um... no. I'm not," said Harusuke feigning innocence trying to lie. "Whatever would give you that idea?"

"For one thing you're starting to look like me when I failed a test," said Usagi narrowing her eyes. "And that's not something you normally see every day. Are you suuuure you're not lying to us?"

"Of course not Usagi! Nothing happened! You're just imagining things!" said Harusuke hastily.

All three of the girls were now glaring suspiciously at Harusuke. and he began to sweat nervously thinking that the girls had seen through his bluff.

"Harusuke..." they spoke in a low and somewhat threatening tone.

Harusuke gulped sensing the anger in their voices. He then decided that there was only one thing left to do. He looked at his bracelet.

"Oh my gosh would you look at the time!" he said. "It's getting late and we should get home and do our homework!"

And then Harusuke dashed away. The three girls chased after him in hot pursuit demanding answers.

"Hey! Harusuke, get back here!" yelled Usagi.

"You owe us an explanation!" Ami called. "So come back here!"

"If you won't tell us anything, that means something did happen!" Rei yelled. "Get back here and tell us what happened!"

"I told you nothing happened!" Harusuke yelled back. "So give it a rest already!"

"Oh dear. It would seem that this is going to be a long night," sighed Luna as she watched the three girls chase Harusuke into the sunset in the town of Juuban.

* * *

 _I would like to thank Sandshrew Master 317 for this idea. If you liked what you read, feel free to leave me a review and a like!_

 _Dragoman out!_


	15. Chapter 14

In the Dark Kingdom, the entire court was in attendance as Jadeite stood in front of Queen Beryl once again, awaiting for she had in mind deciding his fate and punishment.

"Jadeite, while it's true that you've collected a great deal of energy on Earth for our Great Ruler," said Queen Beryl. "But it's also true that you've failed me several times. Perhaps the greatest and most disappointing failure of all is that you've been unable to defeat those infuriating nuisances of Guardians, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Solaris. I've even heard that you went behind my back to try and gather energy, only to have Solaris thwart your plans all by himself."

"Please Queen Beryl, in my defense I-" protested Jadeite.

"I do not want to hear your excuses!" snapped Queen Beryl glaring at him with an evil and angry intent. "Defeat Sailor Moon and the other guardians before they cause anymore trouble! Or else you shall receive the 'Sentence of Eternal Sleep.' "

The entire court was now abuzz with fearful murmurs and whispers. Jadeite especially felt terrified at those words, so much so that his hands were clenched at his sides trembling.

"As I'm sure you're well aware, Jadeite," continued Queen Beryl. "Those who receive this punishment, are plunged into the deepest depths of darkness, never to awaken again, so this will be your last chance to redeem yourself. For your sake, I hope you succeed."

Jadeite ground his teeth and didn't say anything more as he set off on what may be his final mission.

* * *

It was late at night at the Tsukino's house. Usagi and Luna were staring up in the sky looking at the stars and finding constellations.

"Wow... what a beautiful night," sighed Usagi. "I can even see some constellations up there. Cygnus, Sagittarius, Libra, and even the constellations of Motoki and Tuxedo Mask." She then giggled madly covering her face in embarrassment. "What am I saying? How could I have fallen in love for two different guys?! What a flirt I've become!"

Luna sighed exasperatingly as she let out a small yawn. "I wouldn't worry about that. Your crushes are usually one-sided," she said. "Not only that, but they're also like bubbles in the ocean. They only last for a moment."

"You just don't understand how tough it is to be in love Luna," said Usagi. "But... it does make me wonder... what if Motoki and Tuxedo Mask are the same person?"

She then began to imagine Motoki wearing Tuxedo Mask's outfit, but then her thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sound of evil laughter. Then, a large projection of Jadeite appeared in the sky.

"Hear me now! I am Jadeite!" he said his voice echoing throughout the city. "Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and even Solaris! I hereby challenge all four of you! Come to the Haneda Airport at one AM tomorrow night at Runway F. Or else..."

He then took a deep breath and unleashed a fireball from his mouth setting the entire city ablaze. Usagi's eyes widened in horror while Luna hissed in anger. Jadeite then snapped his fingers and the flames instantly disappeared.

"That fire was nothing more, but an illusion," he said. "But if you're late or don't even bother to show up, I'll turn Tokyo into a sea of flames for real and burn it to the ground. Count on it."

The projection of Jadeite then vanished.

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi, Harusuke, Rei, and Ami all met up just on top of the steps.

"Jadeite no doubt is going to make good on his threat," said Luna grimly. "If we don't show up, he'll set the whole city fire, hurting millions of innocent lives!"

"You don't have to tell us that," said Harusuke. "One thing's for sure, Jadeite's got a massive bone to pick with us. What are gonna do?"

"We go!" said Rei immediately. "Whenever evil issues a challenge, we must rise to confront it!"

"But we'd be walking right into a trap," pointed out Ami.

"Maybe you're right Ami, but even so, we have to!" said Rei.

"What do you think Usagi?" asked Luna.

"We should go and fight the bad guys, right?" Rei asked Usagi.

"No wait, we should come with a plan first," interjected Ami.

Usagi pondered and thought until she finally spoke. "Well I say... I'm too scared and I honestly don't want to go at all."

Harusuke, Rei, Ami, and even Harusuke all fell over in surprise.

"What kind of response is that you chicken?!" snapped Rei indignantly.

"Now, now. Take it easy Rei," soothed Harusuke calming her down. "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea how we should act on this either. On the one hand you're right, we can't just stand by and do nothing. However, on the other hand Ami's right too. There's a strong possibility that Jadeite's got a trap waiting for us. So no mater what we do, Jadeite's got something planned which means that there's only one thing we can do right now."

"And what's that Harusuke?" asked Luna.

"Go home, get some sleep, and prepare ourselves," said Harusuke. "That way we'll have some time to think and we'll be at full strength. At least... that's what I think anyway."

The girls stared at Harusuke, then Luna sighed. "I hate to say this, but Harusuke's right," she said. "We should all go home and try to rest up."

"Yeah. I agree," said Ami. "We should all try to rest up and prepare. Good call Harusuke."

"Unlike a certain meatball-head we all know," mumbled Rei.

"What'd you say?!" growled Usagi.

"Enough you two," sighed Luna. "Let's just go home and get some sleep. Make sure you're all ready for the battle."

Everyone nodded and then they all went to their respective homes to get some sleep as much as they can.

* * *

The next day, Usagi and Harusuke went to school just as they always have. It was now after school and they found that their classmates were all huddled around a radio listening in on a news broadcast that was talking about Jadeite's challenge last night.

"Last night, a mysterious figure had suddenly appeared in the sky," the radio said. "Authorities believe the strange image was projected into the atmosphere as a part of malicious prank to frighten the public. However, the police plan to station officers over at Hanada Airport tomorrow night, so they will be ready to protect Tokyo from any dangers that might arise."

The whole classroom became abuzz with excitement.

"Whoa... that sounds totally awesome!" said a boy.

"We should go to Hanada Airport too!" said another.

"Yeah! Let's check it out!" said a third. "I wanna see some action!"

"Oh great, just when you think things couldn't get anymore complicated," muttered Harusuke.

"This is going to be a problem," said Luna who was standing on the windowsill and hiding behind Usagi and Harusuke. "If these kids come to the airport, they could get caught in the crossfire."

"Yeah. You're right. Maybe this is a sign that we shouldn't go after all," said Usagi brightly.

"Usagi you can't be serious," said Harusuke looking at his sister.

"I wasn't Harusuke, relax!" said Usagi. "I was just kidding!"

Then Umino, Naru, and Yumi came up the two Tsukino siblings.

"So what do you two think about this?" asked Naru.

"Do you think it's some kind of prank?" asked Yumi.

"No way! It can't be!" interjected Umino. "I'm absolutely certain that it was an alien from outer space who's come to this planet to give humanity a warning about its corrupt ways before it's too late!"

"Oh come on Umino! You must have read way to many science-fiction manga," sighed Naru.

"But whatever's going on, it sounds exciting!" smiled Yumi. "Let's get a put together a big group and go to Haneda Airport tonight to see what happens!"

Then Ms. Haruna came storming in having to have heard everything. "Now just a minute!" she said sternly. "You middle-schoolers have no business being out so late at night! Especially with what's going on over there!"

"Ms. Haruna's right," agreed Harusuke. "We really shouldn't go."

"But why not?" asked Naru indignantly.

"Because it's dangerous!" replied Harusuke.

"But how can you be so sure about that Harusuke?" asked Yumi.

"Do you know something that we don't?" questioned Umino.

Harusuke wasn't sure how to respond, but then Usagi cut in.

"Harusuke doesn't know anything!" she snapped. "But if you have time to go out and play all night, wouldn't it be better to spend the time studying instead?!"

Everyone stared at Usagi with blank stares including Harusuke completely baffled at what she just said. Ms. Haruna then placed a hand on top of Usagi's head checking her temperature.

"No fever... but she's speaking so sensibly," she murmured. "Miss Tsukino, are you sure you're feeling OK? Maybe you should lie down at the nurse's office."

"Hey! Is it really out of the ordinary that I'm starting to make sense for once?!" said Usagi indignantly as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Why is everyone being so mean to me?!"

She then began to sob and wail much to Harusuke's chargin, but he was relieved that Usagi managed to take the heat off of him.

* * *

After they left the school, Harusuke took Usagi to the Game Center to see Motoki as a means of cheering her up. Usagi then explained to Motoki what had happened in class and Motkoi couldn't help, but burst into laughter.

"Hey! You don't need to laugh," grumped Usagi. "Besides, don't you think that was mean of them?"

"I hate to be the one telling you this, Usagi," said Motoki. "But I agree with your teacher. It's part of your charm to have your own unique point of view about things. Personally, I like girls that have unique personalities like that."

"Really?! You think so?!" gasped Usagi with her eyes sparkling like gems.

* * *

Harusuke and Usagi were on their way home. Usagi was now skipping merrily feeling very happy about what Motoki said to her.

"I see that you're feeling a lot better now," chuckled Harusuke.

"He said he likes me, he said he like me," Usagi merrily sang as she continued to skip along.

"That's no exactly what he said, but whatever," thought Harusuke. "At least she's happy."

Then there was trouble. Perhaps Usagi forgot to tighten her shoes properly or perhaps Usagi was kicking her legs too high as she skipped. Anyhow, Usagi's show came flying off of her foot. She flew high into the air and then came falling down right smack on someone's head making the person yell in pain. Usagi and Harusuke immediately went over to the person about to apologize, but then they saw who Usagi's shoe landed on. It was the casually dressed boy with black hair.

"You again?!" Usagi and the boy exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh no," sighed Harusuke face-palming himself. "Of all people..."

"This is about the second time you've hit me with your shoe!" glared the boy. "Are you trying to hurt me?!"

"Oh please," scoffed Usagi. "It was your fault for standing there like a numbskull."

"Technically, you were one who sent your shoe flying at him," muttered Harusuke.

"Talk about rude! Can't you keep your shoes on and just pretend to be even a little well behaved?!" snapped the boy.

Usagi stuck out her tongue. "No way I'm doing that because I got an awesome guy out there who likes me for who I am," she said smugly.

"You've got to be kidding me," scoffed the boy. "That guy must be a total loser."

"He's not!" snapped Usagi. "He's way more charming than a jerk like you!"

"Like attracts like," said the boy simply. "Even a cracked pot has its cover and every bun-head has her loser."

The boy's words pierced Usagi's heart like an arrow. A few seconds passed. Then Usagi's eyes began to well up in tears.

"You're... so mean!" she sobbed. "Insulting me is one thing, but how could you say such a thing to Motoki?!"

The floodgates of Usagi's eyes then opened and Usagi began to sob her eyes out. She was sobbing so loud, that some people heard her and gave the boy disapproving looks. Harusuke especially was cross with the boy.

"What the heck is your problem?!" he demanded. "Making my sister cry is low, even for you!"

The boy began to get flustered unsure of what to do. Then he decided to make a hasty retreat.

"Sorry, but... something's come up!" he said frantically. "I gotta to go now!" He then threw Usagi's shoe at Harusuke making him catch it. "Here's your shoe back! See ya! Bye!

And with that, the casually dressed boy raced away leaving Harusuke appalled and Usagi still crying.

"Hey! Get back here you!" he yelled. "Come back and apologize to my sister you insensitive creep!"

* * *

At the Hanada Airport it was already nightfall, but the airport was still very much active. Dozens of police officers were all around the airport standing guard and on patrol on the lookout for anything suspicious. At the very top of the building, Jadeite appeared ready to make preparations for his showdown with the guardians.

"I have no use for you humans," he said. "Why don't you all take a nap?"

With a wave of his hands, he unleashed a strange mist that spread throughout the airport causing all the guards that were there to fall to the ground unconscious.

Jadeite then smirked evilly. "Now... come and get me, guardians."

* * *

Meanwhile, Usagi, Harusuke, Ami, Rei, and Luna were all running to the monorail that was enroute to Hanada Airport as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Come Usagi, hurry up!" called Rei. "Or we'll leave you behind!"

"Stop being so bossy!" Usagi shot back.

"Guys, now's not the time to be arguing!" chided Ami.

"Ami's right! If you got time to argue, then you got time to run!" said Harusuke.

Soon enough, they reached the station, but they found that it was very dark. There wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere.

"Oh no, did we miss the last train?" wondered Usagi worriedly.

"Oh well," shrugged Rei. "We'll just have to take a taxi then."

"Do we even have money for one of those?" asked Harusuke.

Just then, the door to monorail suddenly opened by itself surprising everyone.

"The door... it opened!" gasped Ami.

"Looks like we can scratch the taxi," said Harusuke. "but I don't know if this is a blessing or something else."

"What do you think we should do?" asked Luna.

"Well, since Jadeite's graciously sent us an invitation," said Rei smirking bravely. "I say we accept."

Before anyone could say anything else, Rei stepped inside of the monorail. Then everyone else followed suit also stepping inside. Then the doors suddenly closed behind them and the monorail was on the move. It zipped along on its rail taking the five passengers to their destination. Soon enough, the monorail's doors opened once again having to have arrived at the Hanada Airport.

"I don't like this," said Luna. "We might've just stepped right into the enemy's trap."

"Well, there's no turning back now, Luna," said Harusuke. "We have to do this in order to stop Jadeite. Nonetheless, we should proceed with caution. Come on everyone."

The five of them then got out of the monorail and sneaked into the building of the airport. They peeked around a corner to find that there were several cops standing around everywhere.

"There sure are a lot of police officers here," murmured Usagi.

"It looks like nothing's happened yet," said Rei.

"If nothing's happened yet, then why do I feel so uneasy?" said Harusuke.

"Don't let your guard down," warned Ami. "There's no telling what could happen."

Then suddenly two police officers sneaked up behind them and raised their batons preparing to strike them down. Luckily, Rei was able to sense them behind her.

"Look out behind you!" she cried.

Ami and Usagi gasped and looked back in time to see the two officers bringing down their batons. Harusuke immediately got between them and was able to catch their batons protecting the girls from harm and pushed them back. Rei then gave them a sharp kick knocking them both to the floor stunning them. Then they were immediately surrounded by the other officers.

"This way! Quickly!" yelled Rei spotting an opening.

She ran ahead with the others following close behind her with the policemen in hot pursuit.

"Why are these police officers attacking us?!" cried Usagi who was now terrified. "What's wrong with our government, hiring people to attack innocent young girls like this?!"

"Usagi! Less talking, more running!" cried Harusuke. "And don't forget there's a boy here for that matter!"

The five continued to run until they were outside close to the runway. Then Ami stopped and looked back at the cops who was still coming towards them.

"Ami, what are you doing?!" yelled Harusuke.

"Something's not right!" said Ami. "There's something strange about these cops!"

Then Ami whipped out her Transformation Pen.

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Harusuke's jaw dropped seeing Ami transform in front of the charging cops.

"Wait! What the heck are you-?!" he began.

Then Rei joined in whipping out her Transformation Pen.

"All right! I'm in, too!" she said. "MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"What in the world are you guys doing?!" exclaimed Harusuke. "Whatever happened to secret identities?!"

"Trust me Harusuke, you and Usagi just hurry and transform," said Sailor Mercury. "Hurry!"

"Oh man, are we really the last ones?" wondered Usagi.

"Oh to hell with this, our secret identities have flown out the window anyway," sighed Harusuke. "Let's go, Usagi!"

"Um.. OK then!" said Usagi as she and Harusuke transformed as well.

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a faceplate covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

The four guardians now fully transformed stood bravely at the stunned cops. Sailor Mercury then pressed a button on her earrings summoning her blue visor and computer and quickly scanned the policemen. After a few seconds, she gasped.

"I knew it! These policemen aren't real humans!" she said. "They're nothing more, but clay golems!"

"So, that was the reason why you had us transform," said Solaris. "I never would have guessed that."

"If that's the case, then I'm not holding back!" said Sailor Mars as she put her hands together index fingers pointing creating a fireball. "MARS FIRE SOUL!"

As Sailor Mars unleashed her attack, all of the policemen were set on fire groaning in agony. As they turned to ash, they were revealed to be made of clay just as Sailor Mercury said.

"Well what do you know, Sailor Mercury was right!" said Luna. "They really were made of out of clay."

"Sailor Mars, you were pretty awesome!" said Sailor Moon.

"Naturally," said Sailor Mars smugly.

"That was pretty impressive, but try not to let it go to your head," smiled Solaris.

Then they heard the sound of evil laughter coming from above. They all looked up and then saw Jadeite on top of the building looking down at them.

"So, you're finally here, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Solaris!" he cackled. "And to add to that, you've shown me your true identities!"

Everyone gasped including Luna.

"Oh no! We've been outed!" cried Sailor Moon.

"I knew it!" said Solaris. "It was nothing more, but a trap and now Jadeite knows our secret identities!"

"The joys of life are short-lived and its ordeals many," continued Jadeite. "But that won't be a problem for you four since your lives are ending today!"

"Oh no! They say beauty is short-lived," gasped Sailor Moon dramatically. "So does that mean that he's planning to go after me because I'm so beautiful?!"

"And what exactly about you is beautiful?" Sailor Mars asked flatly.

"Oh come on, you can't deny that I'm more beautiful than you are," said Sailor Moon innocently.

"Alright then, I'll humor you because you're dumb," smirked Sailor Mars. "In what part of you is beautiful?"

"Well for one thing, there's my nose," said Sailor Moon pointing to hers. "Clearly, it's way more beautiful than yours."

Sailor Mars laughed. "Sorry to say, the monkeys over at the Ueno Zoo have you beat!"

"Hey! There's no need to be so mean!" whimpered Sailor Moon.

"I told you two, that this isn't the time to be fighting!" chided Sailor Mercury. "We still have an important mission to fulfill! So we can't afford to lose here!"

"Right, sorry," said Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars.

"Well, you gotta give them credit though," said Solaris. "At least they're upbeat."

"Enough chit-chat! I'll send you pathetic kids to depths of hell!" roared Jadeite who clearly had enough of their banter.

He put his hands together and shut his eyes using his powers. Suddenly, from a few feet away from our heroes, a jet suddenly turned to their direction and began coming straight towards them.

"No way! He's controlling the jet!" cried Solaris.

"And it's gonna crush us!" cried Sailor Moon.

"Run, quickly!" cried Luna

The five then took off running with the jet hot on their heels. As they ran, another jet turned to their direction and began chasing them too trapping them on both sides.

"There's another one coming!" cried Sailor Moon.

"Man! Jadeite's not pulling his punches is he?" panted Solaris. "I gotta admit, I'm actually impressed."

"This isn't the time to be impressed with the enemy Solaris!" cried Sailor Moon. "Someone has to do something!"

"I agree!" said Sailor Mars. "I'll use Fire Soul!"

"No! Don't do that!" cried Luna. "Do you know how much an airplane like that costs?! Even a lifetime of all your allowances put together wouldn't be able to pay for it!"

"Seriously?! It costs that much?" asked Sailor Mars surprised. "Talk about expensive!"

"Then there's only one thing left to do!" said Sailor Mercury. "We keep running!"

"Say what?!" everyone else exclaimed.

The jets then came at them again forcing them to start running once again. To make things worse, they were getting close to the edge of the runway.

"This sucks!" whined Sailor Moon. "It's one thing to get run over by a car, but I'll never be able to live down being run over by an airplane!"

"Damn it!" cursed Solaris. "And we're out of runway! If we don't do something quick, we're done for!"

Jadeite laughed with triumph. "Now it's the end for you!" he crowed.

Then suddenly a rose shot right by his cheek causing him to inadvertently loose focus causing the jets to come to a complete stop much to our heroes surprise. Then they all heard a voice.

"Picking on these teenagers is your idea of fun eh?"

Jadeite then he looked behind him to see Tuxedo Mask standing there with his cape billowing in the wind.

"It's Tuxedo Mask!" cried the sailors happily.

"He sure has a nasty habit of showing up at the last minute," smirked Solaris. "Oh well. Better late than never."

"So it's you once again, Tuxedo Mask," smirked Jadeite. "I'll send you to hell along with those teenagers."

"You'll pay for the crimes of using innocent people to carry out your evil deeds!" said Tuxedo Mask defiantly.

The two squared off staring at each other daring for one to make a move. Jadeite then made the first move unleashing strange lightning from his hands.

"Die!" he yelled.

Tuxedo Mask leaped high into the air dodging the attack, but Jadeite knew he would do that. He too leaped into the air and tackled Tuxedo Mask making the two of them fall right into the water with a mighty splash.

"Tuxedo Mask!" our heroes cried.

They immediately ran to the edge of the water hoping to see that their masked comrade was alright, but then Jadeite reemerged from the surface of the water cackling evilly.

"No way! Jadeite's still alive!" said Sailor Mars.

"So then... what happened to Tuxedo Mask?!" cried Sailor Moon.

Then a single rose floated up on the surface of the water as Jadeite cackled triumphantly.

"Too bad for you! Your last hope, Tuxedo Mask, is now dead!" he spat. "Go on and cry you pathetic kids! Do you always need a grown man to do everything for you?! Women are always shallow, useless creatures." He turned to Solaris. "As for you Solaris, you're a man and yet you're needing women to fight your battles for you?! You're just as pathetic!"

"First of all, that is downright sexist!" snapped Solaris. "Secondly, you're wrong! We don't need Tuxedo Mask to crush a monster like you!"

"Yeah! Only old-fashioned idiots would still believe in nonsense like that!" said Sailor Mars. "Those days are long gone!"

"That's right!" agreed Sailor Mercury. "Denigrating women is a relic of the feudal age!"

"And don't forget the men too!" added Solaris.

"Yeah! Down with sexism and discrimination!" said Sailor Moon.

The four heroes then put their hands together in a team hand-stack.

"Let's show this arrogant jerk what we're made of!" the four heroes said bravely as they stood ready to fight Jadeite.

Jadeite was not impressed. "You foolish brats! Behold my power!" he yelled.

He waved his hands once again regaining control of the jets making them head towards our heroes once again. The four heroes took off running once again.

"Listen you guys!" said Luna. "Don't get distracted by the airplane! Jadeite's the only enemy!"

"That's right! He's the one controlling the planes!" said Sailor Mercury.

"Then let's combine all of our powers and take Jadeite down!" said Sailor Moon determinedly.

"Hear, hear!" agreed Solaris.

"In that case, since we're all in agreement, you can run and be the decoy," said Sailor Mars slyly.

"Wait! Why me?!" exclaimed Sailor Moon.

But before she could protest, Sailor Mercury was already unleashing her special technique.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

A thick blanket of mist and bubbles spread throughout the area hiding the Guardians and blinding Jadeite. Then Sailor Moon came running from the mist with the jet still chasing her.

"This isn't fair you guys!" she shrieked. "Why am I the one that's always running?!"

"Damn it!" cursed Jadeite as he tried to see in the mist. "Where'd the other three go?!"

Then he saw Sailor Mercury.

"Come and get me Jadeite!" she cried. "If you can that is!"

Jadeite then the sent the other jet after Sailor Mercury. However while he was distracted, Sailor Mars sneaked up behind him and whipped out an ofuda and placed it on Jadeite's back. Then suddenly, the jets turned around and to Jadeite's surprise, they came after him. He immediately took off running.

"What's going on here?!" he cried. "Why are they coming after me?!"

Then he stopped for he saw our four heroes along with Luna standing in front of him.

"Don't underestimate what we teens can do!" said Sailor Moon.

"Yeah! We don't just stand around and cry when we're faced with a serious problem!" said Solaris.

"I... I don't understand!" cried Jadeite in disbelief. "Why aren't my mental powers working?!"

"Because your evil will never control us!" said Sailor Mars.

"You've fallen into your own trap, just as you deserve!" said Sailor Mercury. "We'll never be fooled by you!"

"Now you're gonna pay for your countless evil deeds!" said Sailor Moon. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!" added Solaris.

Sailor Moon then took off his tiara turning it into a disc of energy, while Solaris clapped his hands making a ball of light for and look aim with his fist.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris then unleashed both of their attacks. The two attacks merged together creating a large golden disc. Jadeite crossed his arms to defend, but the attack him dead on sending him stumbling to the ground. Then he felt the ground below him rumble and heard the sounds of jets whining. He looked up to see the jet he was controlling was right on top of him. For the first time ever, he let out a scream of terror as jet's wheel loomed over him then he saw nothing, but darkness.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl sat in her throne having to have seen and heard everything and she was not happy. Jadeite then appeared before her. He was battered and wounded, but he was still very much alive.

"You fool! You had the nerve to run back here to me?!" growled Queen Beryl hotly.

"Queen Beryl, please listen to me..." said Jadeite. "I've discovered the true identity of the Sailor Guardians!"

"I will hear no more excuses!" snapped Queen Beryl as her eyes began to glow eerily. "You're a disgrace to the Dark Kingdom! Now sleep for all eternity!"

"No! Queen Beryl, please...!" begged Jadeite.

But it was no use. Queen Beryl shot a strange beam from her eyes and Jadeite was encased in a strange crystal completely frozen in it. Everyone who was present in the throne room was shocked at what had now befallen on the poor man. Then a black void opened up and the frozen Jadeite disappeared inside it, never to be seen again.

"Mark my words!" proclaimed Queen Beryl. "All useless failures will be disposed of!" She then turned to who would be her next commander.

"Nephrite! You will be the one to carry out my next plan for now on," she said. "Is that understood?"

Nephrite then stepped into the spotlight and bowed respectively. "Yes my queen," he replied. "Jadeite always was an incompetent fool, but you can count on me."

* * *

At the runway, our four heroes were desperately looking out towards the sea hoping to find any sign of Tuxedo Mask who had fallen into the water when he was fighting Jadeite, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"My poor Tuxedo Mask!" whimpered Sailor Moon who was just about to cry.

"I know you're sad, but we can't stay here forever," said Luna sadly. "We have to accept that he's gone."

"No way! I won't!" sobbed Sailor Moon.

Solaris then placed a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder giving it a loving squeeze.

"It's gonna be OK, Sailor Moon," said Solaris. "Tuxedo Mask was a noble man and he will forever be in our debt."

"I appreciate the concern and kind words, my friends," said a voice. "But there's no need for that."

Everyone turned around and they could not believe their eyes. There standing there was Tuxedo Mask alive and well.

"Tuxedo Mask!" cried Sailor Moon joyfully. "You're still alive!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily!" smiled Tuxedo Mask.

"I'm glad you're alright Tuxedo Mask," said Sailor Mercury. "But I'm curious: why do you always risk your life to come and save us whenever we're in trouble?"

"I know why!" said Sailor Moon giddily. "It's because you love me right?"

Solaris looked at her disapprovingly. "Yeah. That is definitely _not_ the reason why," he said flatly.

"Just who are you?" asked Sailor Mars. "Tell us who you are!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't reveal my identity just yet," said Tuxedo Mask. "But listen well: Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Solaris, cherish the bond that exists between you four and there will be nothing you all can't do. Until then, farewell!"

And with a jump and a wave of his hand, Tuxedo Mask took off into the air with his cape billowing in the wind. The girls gazed at the man in wonder and even Solaris had to admit that Tuxedo Mask looked kind of cool as the man disappeared into the starry moon-filled sky.


	16. Chapter 15

In the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite stood before Queen Beryl discussing his own ideas of gathering energy.

"Jadeite was failing because took energy from anyone and everyone he could," explained Nephrite. "But that's nothing more than a waste of time and effort."

"I see. Since you're in charge, I trust that you have a better plan then Nephrite?" asked Queen Beryl as she was concentrating on her scepter.

"Yes I do," said Nephrite. "Unlike Jadeite who kept on targeting people indiscriminately, I will obtain all the energy we need from just one single victim."

Queen Beryl raised a brow. "Really? And how will you accomplish that?"

"The stars above govern the fate of every single human in the world, defining the destiny for each one of them. It is also the same with their energy." said Nephrite. "There's a moment in every person's life when their energy level reaches their highest peak. Therefore, I will analyze the motions of the stars and then target the person whose energy is going to increase the most."

"Well, you certainly seem confident," snickered a voice from above him.

Nephrite turned around and looked up and behind him to find another man who was another one of Queen Beryl's general's floating above him. He too wore the same outfit as Nephrite did and Jadeite before, but his had green trims. He also had peach blonde hair kept in ponytail, and he had emerald green eyes. When Nephrite saw this man, he was not amused.

"What do you want, Zoisite?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "And why are you even here?"

"I just thought I should warn you," said Zoisite with a sly grin. "That kind of overconfidence has brought down many you know. Just ask Jadeite."

Nephrite was standing for no nonsense with this man. "Get lost," he growled. "When I do find that person whose energy will increase, I will infiltrate the human world and exploit their weaknesses. And just so we're clear, I certainly will not need any help from you!"

Zoisite chuckled mockingly. "That's funny because right now, I'm picturing you crawling back to Queen Beryl, battered, defeated and in tears."

Nephrite looked at Zoisite with a threatening glare ready to tear him a new one.

"My, my. How scary," said Zoisite as he disappeared in a veil of flower petals leaving the throne room.

Queen Beryl then looked at Nephrite. "I'll leave the rest to you then, Nephrite," she said. "Do not fail me."

Nephrite gave a bow to her and then disappeared setting off on his important mission.

* * *

In a woodland area just outside of the city of Tokyo, a lone mansion stood. It was very big, very old, and it seemed to have stood there for quite some time. This was the place that Nephrite had chosen as his base of operations. As he stood in a big spacious and empty room, the room darkened and a projection of Earth surround by various different stars appeared above him. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

"Stars that see all. Stars that know all," he said. "Oh celestial orbs, grant me your mystic power."

The earth in the center of the projection began to pulse with light. Then a beam of light shot from it shining right in the middle of Nephrite's forehead making a premonition of his first victim appear in his mind. It was a young girl wearing an outfit for tennis that blue eyes and brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"Yes. The noble archer Chiron is about to fire his arrow right into the center of the Milky Way," he thought. "And Sagittarius' target is you, Rui Saionji! Your energy shall be mine!"

* * *

At the school inside the tennis courts, the very girl in question was getting ready to practice for an upcoming tennis tournament. A crowd of students was watching and cheering her on hoping that she would win even though it was only a practice match. Among them was Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke. The girl that Rui was facing set up the tennis ball throwing it into the air and with a swing of her racket, hit the ball towards her direction. In an incredible speed, Rui raced towards the direction where the ball was going and swung it hard making the ball shoot towards the other side in an incredible speed and force. The girl dove towards it with her racket trying to send the ball back, but it was too quick for her and she ended up missing it. Everyone cheered wildly including Usagi and Naru.

"Alright! She did it!" whooped Usagi and Naru.

"That was incredible!" commented Harusuke. "I've never seen anyone move that fast!"

"That was an awesome match, Sis!" called out Naru.

Rui looked back at Naru and smiled and Naru waved. Usagi on the other hand looked at Naru a bit surprised.

"Hey! Naru! You never told me about that?!" she complained.

"Told you about what?" wondered Naru.

"You know what!" grumped Usagi. "The fact that you and Rui Saionji are sisters! How can you hide things from one of your best friends? Just for that, I'll punish you."

"Oh man Usagi," sighed Naru. "Don't be so dumb."

Usagi's face then went red with anger. "Hey! It's not very nice to call people names either!" she snapped. "Don't be so mean!"

"She's right though, Usagi," said Harusuke. "You know as well as I do that Naru's an only child. I mean come on, both her and Rui even have different last names."

"Oh... right," said Usagi sheepishly. "But then... why do you keep calling her Sis, Naru?"

"You know... I'm curious to know too," said Harusuke. "Why is that, Naru?"

Naru then explained. "Well... her mother has been a long-time customer at our jewelry store," she said. "When we were little, me and Rui have always played together. We may have been one year apart, but she's always been looking out for me just like a real big sister would."

"Ah. So that's why she calls you Sis. I get it now," said Usagi.

"I must admit, that's actually pretty nice having a non-blood related sister," said Harusuke.

Then there was a sudden roar of a car's engine catching the attention of all of the students including Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru. A bright red flashy sports car then pulled up just outside of the courts and a young man wearing a fancy suit comprised of a pair of white pants with a yellow button-down with a blue over-coat stepped out of the car and came up to the fence seeming to watch Rui practice. He was of course Nephrite, but nobody knew this yet. Upon seeing him, Usagi and Naru's eyes along with most of the other girls immediately turned into hearts feeling in love with the man while Harusuke raised a brow.

"Wow! What a hot guy!" they all squealed.

"Who the heck is that guy?" asked Harusuke. "And what's with the car and the fancy getup?"

"You don't know? He's the president of some new company that just opened up around here," explained a giddy girl.

"So he's super rich then?" wondered Harusuke. "Doesn't seem all that to me."

Then with a great leap, the man jumped over the fence while doing a flip and landed right in court making Rui and her practice partner look at him with surprise.

"Um... excuse sir," said Rui's partner. "But you can't just walk into the court right now!"

The man then turned to Rui. "Put your weight behind the ball," he said.

Rui looked at the man feeling puzzled.

Then the man then turned to Rui's partner and walked over to her. He then held out his hand. "Please, may I borrow your racket?" he asked politely.

Rui's partner blushed madly and handed her racket. "Um... sure. OK."

Nephrite then faced Rui with the racket in hand. "Now, serve the ball!" he ordered.

Rui tightened her racket not backing down, she then served the ball using her signature swing. Nephrite was able to easily counter it, by swinging his racket and hitting the ball with a great force. Rui tried to counter, but the ball hit her right at the wrist knocking her racket out of her hand. Everyone who was watching was shocked as Rui held her wrist in pain.

"Oh no! Sis!" gasped Naru.

Nephrite then walked over to Rui. "That serve was so slow, a fly could've landed on it," he said. "Not to mention there was hardly any attack in it."

"Just... who are you?!" demanded Rui.

"My name is Masato Sanjoin," replied Nephrite. "I'm a tennis coach and I can help you."

He then bent down to pick up Rui's racket. As he did, Nephrite surreptitiously placed a spell on Rui's racket implanting something inside. Then he handed it back to Rui.

"Focus on putting your weight behind the ball," he said to her. "Remember that."

"Um... OK," said Rui doubtfully.

Then Nephrite turned to the other tennis players. "I need someone to receive please!" he said.

A young boy then came up. "Right here! I'll do it!" he said. "But... could you please go easy on me, Rui?"

Rui didn't respond. She just stood with her eyes glazed, but focused. She threw the ball into the air in a serve and the struck it with her racket with all of her strength. The ball shot through the air like it was bullet. The boy tried to counter it, but the ball was too much for him as it shot right past into the base of his racket. The ball had so much speed and force that it knocked the poor boy flat on his back and as it hit the ground, the ball dug into it making a small hole. Usagi and the others were amazed and Rui felt very pleased with herself. She turned beside her to thank Nephrite, but to her surprise, Nephrite had mysteriously disappeared. Unknown to her, he was now standing from above on the rooftop of the school.

"Rui Saioji. The more you use that racket, the more your energy will increase," he said to himself smirking. "And the more I can steal."

Rui kept on playing against the other male players defeating one after another with her newly found ability. Soon, all the boys that had played against her had been defeated and all of them couldn't help, but be terrified of her. Rui felt even more proud of herself than before.

"This feels awesome!" she said to herself.

Everyone who was outside of the court was amazed including Usagi.

"She's totally awesome!" she said with amazement.

"I'll say," said Harusuke. "She's stronger than she ever was before!"

Naru however was feeling a bit worried. "I don't know. Something doesn't feel right," she said to herself. "Rui seems... different."

* * *

Later that night, Luna was at the Game Center again standing in front of the Sailor V game.

"Codename zero-zero-nine-one, this is Luna," she said as she placed her paw on the screen. "Passphrase: 'The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes.' "

"The moon's rice cakes are sticky," responded the sound wave.

"And they puff up when you toast them, as well," finished Luna.

"I have good news for you Luna," said the sound wave. "We've uncovered information regarding the enemy we're up against."

"Are you certain about that?" asked Luna.

"Yes. The enemy's organization goes by the name "Dark Kingdom", " said the sound wave. "They're trying to collect human energy."

"I've been meaning to ask you," said Luna. "Why would they want human energy?"

"I'm not sure," replied the sound wave. "We're still unclear as to what their master plan is. But whatever it is, I'm sure that it would be bad for us. Make sure that you and the Guardians do whatever you can to stop them at any cost."

"Understood," said Luna.

* * *

The very next day, Luna and the Guardians all met up at the Hikawa Shrine to discuss the new information Luna obtaied.

"The Dark Kingdom huh?" said Rei.

"That sounds like a fitting name," said Harusuke. "Although it sounds pretty typical."

"We need to prepare ourselves for when we face them," said Ami.

"Well, I say we bust in there and crush those evil jerks!" said Rei.

"But... we're not really capable of doing that yet, Rei," said Ami.

"Yeah. It's not like we can just march right in and beat them all up and claim victory," said Harusuke. "We practically know next to nothing about them other than their organization's name."

"I'm afraid Harusuke and Ami are right," agreed Luna. "You all need to prepare for that confrontation by studying and training yourselves."

"Wait a second! I have an idea!" said Usagi brightly. "Why don't we train using tennis?! There's this really cool and hot tennis coach named Masato Sanjoin and maybe he could help us out!"

Everyone all gave Usagi a blank stare.

"Dagnabbit Usagi," sighed Harusuke pinching his nose. "It figures you'd be thinking about that guy at a time like this."

"So, does this mean you've given up on Tuxedo Mask?" asked Rei slyly smirking.

Usagi then gasped and became very deep in thought. "That's right," she said. "Who do I choose then?"

"You know, I'm really glad that Ami, Rei, and Harusuke are a part of this team," sighed Luna. "Because if it was just you Usagi, I get the feeling the Dark Kingdom would have taken away all of humanity's energy a loooong time ago."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" asked Usagi indignantly.

"She means that there was probably a mix-up with you being a guardian," said Rei.

"What?! How could you guys say that?!" cried Usagi how feeling upset.

"Now hold on you two," said Harusuke. "Don't you think you're being a little too hard on Usagi?"

"That's right," said Ami. "Especially since she's been a big help time and time again."

Usagi's eyes sparkled and she immediately hugged her brother and her blue haired friend. "Oh Harusuke! Ami! Thank you! You two are the only people who understand me!" she cried. "So what do you say the three of us go play some tennis?"

"Uhh... sorry, but I'll have to pass," said Ami. "I have to go cram school."

"And tennis isn't really my thing," said Harusuke. "So you can count me out too."

* * *

Back at the courts, Rui was still practicing her swings going up against one player after another. At this point, Nephrite's influence had changed her making her become more and more aggressive towards her fellow players. Some of them were either scared of her or couldn't even play anyone. Rui had just recently beaten a girl by breaking her racket. She smirked triumphantly as she stomped on the girl's broken racket.

"Rui... maybe... we should stop..." begged the girl.

"What's the matter? I brought you a spare racket, so let's continue," said Rui. "Get back up on your feet."

Naru who was watching Rui's strange new behavior now felt really worried. "Something's definitely wrong with Sis," she said to herself. "She's never acted like this before now."

* * *

Later that day, Naru called Usagi over to discuss her worry over Rui. She had just poured some tea and she along with the Tsukinos were sitting on the floor with some tea.

"Thanks for coming over on such short notice Usagi," said Naru. "Sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry about it," said Usagi. "I'm glad to help. So, what's up?"

"I don't know, but... it's Sis. She's been acting very strangely over the past couple of days," said Naru. "For some reason, she's become a lot more aggressive when she plays tennis and not in a good way. Out of all the times we've spent together, she's never acted like this. It's... as if she's become a different person."

"Do you think that she could be on edge because of the big tournament coming up?" asked Usagi.

"That's what I first thought too," said Naru. "But... I'm starting to get the feeling that it's more than that. I even asked her about what was going on."

* * *

 _Naru walked up to Rui hoping to talk to her._

 _"Hey Sis? Are... you feeling OK?" she asked. "You know... if there's something bothering you..."_

 _Rui then turned around and glared at Naru. "This has nothing to do with you," she said coldly. "Leave me alone."_

 _Naru gasped not sure how to respond, but she also felt a slight painful feeling in her chest. "Oh, OK. Sorry about that," she said._

* * *

"I've never seen Sis act that way toward me before," continued Naru. "If makes me wonder if something really terrible happened to make her act that way. She won't even say a word to me..." Naru's eyes began to fill with tears until they began trickling down her cheeks. "What could have happened to her?" she wept. "What could have happened to Sis?"

Usagi could see how worried Naru was and felt sorry for her. She then got a tissue and then gave it to Naru.

"There, There Naru," she soothed. "It'll be OK. In fact, why don't we do some digging and find out what's going on. I can help you."

"Usagi... are you sure?" sniffed Naru.

"Of course I will," said Usagi. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out together."

* * *

Usagi and Naru then walked to a tennis school where Rui attended. The sun had already gone down and it was getting dark.

"So is this where Rui goes to get tennis lessons?" asked Usagi.

"Yes. She comes here to train everyday after school is over," explained Naru.

As Usagi gazed at the front entrance of the gates, she was beginning to feel a little worried.

"I'm starting to get a really bad feeling," she thought to herself. "Could a monster behind all this?" Then an idea popped into her head which made her smirk slyly. "Wait a sec... if a monster is behind all of this and if I really do a good job here, I'll be able to prove to Luna and Rei how valuable I am and it'll shove their words down their throats!"

Naru looked at Usagi feeling puzzled by her strange grin. "Usagi? Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" said Usagi shaking her head.

Then suddenly, they heard a cry of pain. They immediately rushed through gates to find that at the courts, Rui was torturing two boys that were supposedly pros. One boy was knocked down to the ground while the other stood trembling in fear. She had a sinister look in her eyes and she squeezed the ball in her hand.

"What's the matter boys? I thought that you both were supposed to be pros?" she taunted. "What kind of pros can't even return a serve like that?"

"Oh come on! Give us a break!" cried one of the pros.

Rui wasn't listening. She gripped her ball and raised it up about to serve again, when Usagi and Naru rushed in stepping between her and the pro players. The pro players seizing their chance, immediately took off running.

"Move out of the way!" Rui barked angrily.

"No way Sis! Not until you stop acting like this!" yelled Naru.

"Get out of the way, Naru!" yelled Rui who was now getting madder than ever.

"I won't!" said Naru firmly.

"Naru's just worried about you, Rui!" said Usagi. "Please, you have to listen to her!"

"Just shut up!" roared Rui as she gripped her racket emitting a powerful aura. "Get out of my way!"

With a mighty swing of her racket, she unleashed a huge shock wave of energy sending Usagi and Naru flying into the bushes. Not to faraway, Nephrite who had seen everything, saw his chance.

"Her energy is at its peak!" he thought. "Now Tesuni! Arise and drain all of her energy!"

At that moment, Rui's racket began to glow in a strange light and from it a strange ghoul came out and then grabbed its hands on Rui draining her energy entirely. All Rui could do was stand there frozen unable to move. Soon all of her energy was drained and the ghoul had become a monster. It was tall in appearance wore a black body suit with a wide red feathered collar extending to her shoulders, and had ghastly white skin with pointed ears, green pupiless eyes, and box-like brown hair.

Usagi gasped. "I knew it! It's a monster!"

She quickly looked at Naru and saw that she was unconscious. Then she quickly hid behind the corner and prepared to transform.

"All right then, time to prove myself!" Usagi said to herself. "MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

"Now all your energy belong to me as well as the great ruler!" cackled Tesuni evilly.

"Stop right there!" said a voice. "Monsters like you aren't allowed to score an ace!"

Tesuni turned and saw that our hero had arrived on the scene.

"How dare you use tennis for your own evil ends?! Even Navratilova would be upset!" she continued. "I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Heh. Whatever," scoffed Tesuni not impressed.

She made a racket made of fire with a dark ball of energy form in her hand. With a mighty swing, she launched the dark ball right at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon tried to run away, but it was too late. The dark ball of energy hit her square in the back. The next thing Sailor Moon new, she was encased in a large tennis ball. She appeared to be a girl in a mascot costume. She tried to get back up, but all she could do was roll around. Tesuni chuckled as she walked up to her and then used some kind of telekinesis to make Sailor Moon float up into the air until she was high above the court.

"Hey! Put me down!" shrieked Sailor Moon.

"You asked for it!" smiled Tesuni.

Sailor Moon then found herself dropping to the ground making her shriek even more. Then when she hit the ground, she began to bounce uncontrollably all over the court unable to stop herself.

"I should have asked the others to help!" she cried as she bounced. "Why'd I have to go and prove myself?!"

"Too bad for you kid!" smirked Tesuni. "But it serves you right!"

Sailor Moon continued to bounce all over the courts being able to stop herself until finally, she stopped. She felt very dizzy and very bruised. Tensuni was about to send her bouncing again when something shot right past her cheek scrapping her cheek.

"Who did that?!" she demanded.

She turned around and saw the very person. There calmly sitting on a bench, was Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Moon was happy to see him while Tesuni was cross.

"Leave now otherwise you'll end up just like her," she growled.

Tuxedo Mask got up. "That actually looks like a lot of fun," he smirked. "Mind if I join her?"

Tesuni then chuckled. "Fine then! I'll show you just how fun it is!" she cackled as she served a dark ball at Tuxedo Mask.

Tuxedo Mask immediately jumped up into the air and took out a cane. He took careful aim and then his cane extended until it hit Tesuni right in the sternum of her chest hard making her fall flat on her back hard on the ground. At the same time, the ball that was around Sailor Moon had disappeared.

"Yay! Way to go Tuxedo Mask!" cheered Sailor Moon. "Thank you for saving me!"

Tuxedo Mask then landed next to Sailor Moon as Tesuni struggled to her feet. "Stay on your guard, Sailor Moon," he said. "It's not over yet, so get ready!"

"Right!" acknowledged Sailor Moon sounding determined, but inside she was giddy with love. "I can't believe I get to fight with Tuxedo Mask!"

"Curse you!" growled Tesuni. "Take this!"

She created another ball with her racket, this time being a fireball, and launched it at the two. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon immediately jumped out of the way dodging the blast. Tesuni then fired a volley of balls of fire making them go everywhere. Sailor Moon ran left and right dodging them all, but then she tripped and fell flat on her face. Tesuni saw this opening and fire a large fire ball at her. Sailor Moon looked in time to see the fireball right on top of her, but luckily Tuxedo Mask swooped in and carried her out of the way just in time. As they flew into the air, Sailor Moon couldn't help, but feel moved and admired by how Tuxedo Mask looked.

"Let's end this match together with our next move," Tuxedo Mask said.

"Right!" said Sailor Moon snapping out of her daze.

As they landed in the ground, Tesuni fired another fireball, but Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask dodged the attack with grace. Tuxedo Mask then saw an opening and threw a rose right aiming right for her. When the rose made contact, its petals stuck all over Tesuni's face blinding her. She tried to get the petals off, but she couldn't.

"Now Sailor Moon!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.

Then suddenly, Tuxedo Mask was wracked with pain causing him to fall to his knees. Sailor Moon was just about to attack, but then she saw Tuxedo Mask on the ground. Feeling worried, she immediately began to rush over to him.

"Tuxedo Mask are you alright?!" she cried worriedly.

"I'm fine!" Tuxedo Mask yelled. "Don't worry about me! Destroy that monster before it's too late!"

Sailor Moon was worried, but she knew that dealing that dealing with the monster came first. She took off her tiara making it transform into a disc and then took aim at Tesuni.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Sailor Moon launched her disc making it zip towards right at Tesuni. Tesuni had finally got some of the petals off to see again only to see that Sailor Moon's Moon Tiara Action was coming right for her. Then the attack hit Tesuni piercing right through her.

Solaris, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Luna had arrived in time to see Tesuni disappear into nothingness and the energy she had taken be returned to Rui. They were amazed and surprised.

"Well what do you know?" murmured Sailor Mars.

"Sailor Moon did it!" smiled Mercury. "Sailor Moon destroyed that monster all by herself!"

"Unbelievable! I didn't think she had it in her," said Solaris. "But still... I'm proud of her all the same!"

"It seems she's finally starting to act like a guardian in her own right," chuckled Luna.

Sailor Moon looked back wanting to thank Tuxedo Mask for helping, but she was surprised to see that Tuxedo Mask had disappeared. She felt worried. "I hope Tuxedo Mask is OK," she said to herself. "He looked pretty bad."

* * *

The next day, Naru, Harusuke, and Usagi were back at the tennis courts watching Rui. She had finally gone back to her old self and playing just as she always was.

"I just talked to Sis the other day and it seems that she doesn't remember a thing about what happened during the last few days," said Naru. "I wonder what happened?"

"Well, what does it mater as long as she's doing OK?" smiled Usagi.

"I agree," said Harusuke. "It's as they say 'Don't fix it if it ain't broke.' "

Rui then came up the three. "Hey Naru. Do you want to play a set with me?" she asked.

Naru smiled. "Sure! That sounds like a lot of fun! But... go easy on me OK?"

As Naru and Rui went off to play, Usagi and Harusuke stood by and watched. Usagi sighed dreamily. "Oh, wouldn't be great if I could play tennis with Tuxedo Mask?"

Harusuke sighed. "I... don't see that happening, Usagi," he said.

Then suddenly they heard Naru. "Usagi! Harusuke! Look out!" she shrieked.

Before Harusuke and Usagi could respond, a tennis ball smacked Usagi right in the middle of her face. Usagi now having a red mark on her face dizzily fell to the ground.

"Wah! Usagi!" shrieked Harusuke.

"Are you OK?! Pull yourself together!" cried Naru.

But all Usagi could utter in response was a dizzy moan as she passed out unconscious.


	17. Chapter 16

It was around evening in the town of Juuban. Usagi, Harusuke, Rei, and Ami were walking around a park admiring the scenery with Ami as their guide.

"Wow... it's so nice and quiet here," said Rei as she gazed into the lake.

"I'll say. This is the perfect place to have a date," agreed Usagi.

"Of course you of all people would say that Usagi," chuckled Harusuke. "But I will agree that this park is one of the most beautiful I've seen. Although I'm kinda surprised that you know a place like this, Ami."

"Really? I guess I never told you," said Ami. "I sometimes come here to read on my way to cram school."

They soon came up to a man that was tending to the tulips in a flower garden. He was bit old for his age, wore a gray button-down with tan pants with white shoes, and wore a white safari-style hat.

"Hello Mr. Kokuritsu," greeted Ami.

The old man turned around and when he saw Ami, he smiled warmly. "Ah. Ami. Good to see you," he said.

Ami then introduced him. "Guys, allow me to introduce an old friend of mine," she said. "This is Mr. Kunitachi Kokoritsu, the caretaker of this park."

"No way! Really?" gasped Usagi with wonder. "You're in charge of taking care of this whole enormous park all by yourself?"

Kunitachi's smile then turned into a sad frown. "Yes I am, but... I'm afraid I won't be for much longer," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Ami.

"The landowner of this park has sold it to a developer," Kunitachi continued sadly. "They plan to to build a large business complex here."

The teenagers looked at Kunitachi feeling surprised, but at the same time feeling sorry for the old man.

"That's such a shame," said Ami.

"I know. Especially for the wildlife that's living here," said Kunitachi. "Once this place is gone, the animals have any place to live. It makes you wonder where they'll go once this place is gone. It's quite the problem."

"It's really too bad," said Usagi. "This is such a nice park."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" asked Harusuke. "Like have you tried to reason with the developers or get a petition or something?"

Kunitachi shook his head. "Believe me boy, I tried," he said. "But the developers wouldn't listen. Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to accept it and move on."

And with that, Kunitachi sadly went back to tending his tulips while the teens watched on with worry. Rei however had other things going on in her mind.

"If this place is really closing down," she thought. "Then I'd better find a date and enjoy it while I still can."

* * *

Meanwhile, Luna was searching for Usagi and the others at the Game Center unaware that they were at the park, but the four were nowhere to be seen.

"Geez. Where did those kids go?" she wondered to herself. "I haven't seen them all day."

Then there was trouble. Luna was so wrapped up in finding the teens that were wasn't looking where she was walking. She didn't realize until she heard the sound of horn. She looked up to find that she not only walked in the middle of the street, but a large truck was speeding straight towards her. Luna let out shriek of terror and it seemed that she was going to be roadkill, but at the last moment, someone whisked her away and got her back on the sidewalk just in time. Luna was dazed and confused, but luckily she wasn't hurt.

She looked up wondering who her rescuer was and she was surprised to see that it was the black-haired boy who had saved her. Normally he would wear his casual clothes, but this time he was wearing a gray tracksuit green sleeves that were rolled up.

"Are you alright?" asked the boy. "Thankfully, you don't look injured."

Just then, Usagi and the others came up and Usagi upon seeing the boy was less than pleased to see him.

"Just what do you think you're doing to my Luna?!" she demanded crossly.

"I was just saving her from getting hit by a truck!" snapped the boy. "If it wasn't for me, she would have been roadkill! You should learn to take better care of your cat, bun-head!"

"That is none of your business!" Usagi snapped back snatching Luna back by the paws. "You should know that Luna isn't like any other cat you know! She's really special, so keep your grubby mitts off of her!"

"Usagi! Stop it!" said Rei.

"Yeah. We should be thanking him for saving Luna," added Ami.

"Why are you two taking his side?!" grumped Usagi. "He's practically my worst enemy!"

"Not to mention he still needs a lecture for the other day," said Harusuke.

Just then, Motoki came out of the Game Center.

"Hey everyone! What's going on?" he asked. Then he saw the boy. "Oh! Hey Mamoru! It's you!"

"Hey there Motoki," said the boy. "What's up?"

Usagi's face paled with horror as soon as she saw this exchange. She didn't want to believe it nor could she, but it was true. "Motoki..." she choked out. "Don't tell me... you.. know this guy?"

"Sure we do!" said Motoki brightly. "Me and Mamoru go to the same college together."

Usagi then looked back at Mamoru now feeling more urked and shocked by this revelation. "No way... You're... a college student?!"

"Yes I am. Is it really that shocking to you bun-head?" asked Mamoru. "Or do you have some kind of hearing problem?!"

Usagi growled about to give Mamoru an earful, but then Harusuke then walked up to him. Rei, Ami, and Motoki were worried while Usagi smirked darkly.

"Looks like Harusuke is at least on my side," she cackled. "Get em Harusuke! Show that jerk who's boss!"

Harusuke then spoke. "Is it true?" he asked. "Did you really save Luna from being run over and you're a college student?"

"Yes. I did and am," said the boy. "What? Are you gonna yell at me like bun-head too?"

"To be perfectly honest, I was going to considering the fact that you made Usagi cry the other day," said Harusuke. "But... since you saved Luna...and the fact that you're apparently smarter than you look, I'll let it slide this time." He then bowed respectively. "And thank you for saving our cat, Luna. It means a lot."

The boy, Rei, Ami, and Luna were surprised at Harusuke. Usagi however was livid.

"Hey! Why are you thanking that jerk, Harusuke?!" she cried angrily.

* * *

Meanwhile at the mansion in the woodlands, Nephrite stood in front of his projection again using his powers to consult the stars.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said to himself. "Oh celestial orbs, grant me your mystical power."

The projection of the Earth began to flash and once again fired a brightly colored beam of light right in the middle of Nephrite's forehead. He began to see another vision of his next target. K

"Albiero, also known as Beta Cygni is now at its brightest for the first time in over a century. And the person whose energy will be increased up its peak because of this, is none other than... Kunitachi Kokoritsu." Nephrite chuckled evilly. "Once his energy has reached its peak, I shall take it! For the sake of our Great Ruler!"

* * *

Inside of the Game Center, Usagi was venting out her anger by playing the Sailor V game with Ami and Luna was the spectators. Usagi was doing well so far, but then an unknown attack hit her and she lost her last life resulting in a game over.

"What?! Dang it! It got me again" cried Usagi in frustration. "I'm gonna play again!"

"Usagi, should you really be wasting your money like this?" asked Ami worriedly.

"You're right! Give me another quarter!" said Usagi holding out her hand.

Ami and Luna sighed exasperated. Meanwhile, Harususke and Rei were with Motoki talking about Mamoru.

"So... you're telling us that Mamoru not only goes to college at his young age, but he's living by himself too?" asked Harusuke.

"Yeah. It's a pretty expensive condo too," said Motoki. "Not to mention that his family's rich."

"Man, as if we don't have enough rich people around here," commented Harusuke.

"Wow. That's cool," said Rei with amazement. "He also goes to the same college as you right, Motoki? He has to be pretty smart to get into such a tough college. Make me wonder how he got in."

Motoki was a little put off while Harusuke raised a brow.

"Yeah... I guess so," said Motoki. "Hey Rei, why do you want to know so much about Mamoru anyway?"

"Oh nothing! No particular reason!" said Rei hastily as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're smitten with Mamoru," said Harusuke suspiciously.

Rei blushed an even darker shade of red. "What?! What are you talking about Harusuke?! I'm not into him!" she said completely flustered.

Then she remembered the park that was going to be closed down. This gave her an idea making her go into her own little world. "Mamoru Chiba... He'd be the perfect boyfriend for me..." she thought. She then placed on foot on a stool making her strike a Captain Morgan pose while Harusuke and Motoki looked at her more baffled by her behavior more so than ever. "That's it! I've made up my mind!" Rei continued to herself. "I'm gonna go on a date with Mamoru at that park before it closes!"

Then the stool that Rei had her foot on suddenly slipped causing Rei to fall right to the floor smacking her head. Harusuke and Motoki quickly rushed over.

"Rei! Are you OK?!" asked Motoki.

"Yeah. That looked like it hurt!" said Harusuke worriedly.

"No... not really..." whimpered Rei as rolled on the floor holding her head with pain.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the park, Kunitachi was still there watching as all the bulldozers and earth movers destroy the park acre by acre.

"There must be someway to save this park and the wildlife it's gone," he said to himself. "But how?"

"Why can't you save it?" asked a voice. "You are against this complex being built are you not?"

Kunitachi felt his heart jump and immediately turned around behind him to see that Nephrite was walking towards him under his human disguise.

"Wh-who are you?" he demanded feeling a bit frightened. "Why are you here?"

"Someone who is also against this complex being built," said Nephrite as he came up by Kunitachi's side. "Humans have stopped respecting nature and its environment almost entirely. You need to show those arrogant humans the fury that Mother Nature possesses."

"Me? But... why me?" puzzled Kunitachi.

Nephrite looked at the old man and then held his hand over his head. "Because... it's your duty," he said.

Then a blinding flash of light, Nephrite cast a spell inserting a monster inside of Kunitachi's hat causing the man to stumble. Nephrite then hid behind a tree waiting to see what would happen. Kunitachi still feeling stunned leaned against a tree for support feeling very different. As he gazed at the bulldozers and earth movers destroying his park, he then became furious and remembered Nephrite's words. It was time someone did something and who better than him.

At that moment, a swarm of butterflies blanketed around the site. They appeared to be harmless, but then they began to swarm around the construction equipment breaking the lights and the control panels of the earth movers and bulldozers. The workers tried to shoo them away, but the butterflies were relentless and began harassing them. The workers then began to panic unsure of what to do and they ran away in fear.

Nephrite looked on with interest. "Using my monster's power, Kunitachi can control animals and insects in any way he desires," he said to himself. "And the more he uses that ability, the more his energy will increase."

He then walked away from the scene chuckling evilly and disappearing into the forest.

* * *

The next day after school, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home eating ice cream. Harusuke was eating his in moderation while Usagi was eating hers as fast as she could.

"Usagi, take it easy," chided Luna. "You're going to end up gaining weight again."

"Not to mention that you might get a brain freeze from eating so fast," said Harusuke.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," said Usagi. "Besides, I gotta eat it quickly before it melts."

Then Luna saw something or rather someone. "Hey you guys, look! Isn't that Rei over there?" she asked.

Harusuke and Usagi looked sure enough, it was Rei. She was standing behind a corner looking giddy and seeming to be waiting for something.

"Hey you're right! It is Rei! But what's she doing over there?" wondered Usagi.

"You got me," said Harusuke.

The three then went over hiding behind a mailbox watching Rei. Then in the distance on the other side of the corner, they saw Mamoru who happened to be walking down the sidewalk towards Rei. Then Rei suddenly ran out from behind the corner and then tripped over a broken piece of sidewalk making her fall flat on her face. To make things when worse, Mamoru happened to step on her head making her let out a squeak of pain. Mamoru immediately jumped in surprise.

"Oh man, that looked like it hurt," said Luna.

"I don't know what Rei's up to," said Usagi. "but she sure is acting clumsy."

Harusuke smirked teasingly. "Oh yeah? Well look who's talking Ms. Pot calling the kettle black."

"Hey! Are you all right?!" asked Mamoru after lifting his foot.

"Yeah. I think I'm OK," said Rei as she lifted her head up.

She was expecting Mamoru to help her to her feet, but he simply walked right past her. "Alright then," he said. "Have a nice day."

Rei immediately got back on her feet and ran after Mamoru until she stopped him by hugging his arm. "Wait a second!" she gasped.

As soon as Mamrou saw Rei's face, he recognized her. "Wait a sec. Aren't you one of Bun-head's friends?" he asked.

"Yes. My name is Rei Hino," she said. "We met the other day at Dream Land and also, please just call me Rei." She then gazed at Mamoru lovingly while he felt a little awkward. "You... didn't get hurt did you?"

"Uhh... no. Of course not," said Mamoru.

"I'm so sorry about this trouble," said Rei. "Let me make it up to you by buying you some coffee."

Now Mamoru was confused. "Um... what are you sorry about?"

"For... uh... for making you step on my head," said Rei hastily trying to maintain her cool.

Mamoru was still feeling confused and awkward by Rei's advances, but he decided to take up on Rei's offer. "Well, I guess I could join you," he said.

"Really? That's great!" said Rei happily.

And with that, Mamoru and Rei walked off to go get some coffee with Rei hugging Mamoru's arm much to his chargin. Harusuke and Luna felt very confused. Usagi however was infuriated for some reason.

"Just what does he think he's doing linking arms with Rei like that!" she said indignantly. "He's way too old for the likes of her and needs to find someone his own age!"

"You know Usagi," said Luna. "That Mamoru guy isn't as bad a person as you think he is. He did save my life after all."

"Yeah. It's not like it's a date or anything," said Harusuke. "I mean they're just going to get coffee."

"What are you two talking about?! There's obviously an improper relationship going on here!" said Usagi. "My student handbook even says that something like this is unacceptable!"

"First of all, Rei doesn't even go to our school Usagi," said Harusuke. "Secondly, what does it even matter? It's none of our business what Rei does and neither is who she goes with that matter."

"It is our business!" said Usagi stubbornly. "Rei could be in danger! We've got to follow them! Come on you guys!"

And before Luna and Harusuke could stop her, Usagi had raced ahead in pursuit of Rei and Mamoru.

"Oh brother," sighed Luna. "I really don't like where this is going."

"No kidding," said Harusuke pinching his nose. "The way I see it, Usagi's most likely green with jealously over Rei and Mamoru."

* * *

A few moments later, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna had followed Rei and Mamoru all the way to a cafe. They bent down just below the windows, so Rei and Mamoru wouldn't see them.

"Man... What could those two be talking about?" mumbled Usagi. "I wanna go in and see, but I don't have any money!"

"It's your own fault for spending your allowance on ice cream," pointed out Luna.

Usagi then had an idea "I know!" she said as she pulled out the Disguise Pen. "I'll just turn myself into a waitress and..."

"Oh no you don't!" interrupted Harusuke trying to take the pen. "You absolutely cannot do that!"

"And why not?" grumped Usagi holding her pen away from him.

"You know why Usagi!" said Luna. "The Disguise Pen is only supposed to be used for good and for Guardian business!"

"So? I'll be a good waitress," said Usagi. "And I'll only use it for just a little bit..."

"No way! I don't want a rerun of what happened back when Jadeite rigged that cruise ship!" said Harusuke sternly. "I've said it before Usagi and I'll say it again-"

"Usagi? Harusuke? What are you two doing here?" asked a familiar voice behind them.

The three jumped and then turned around to find that Umino had suddenly appeared.

Usagi felt irritated upon seeing Umino. She was just about to tell Umino to go away, but then she suddenly had an idea. A sly idea. "Hey, Umino... Do you have any cash on you?" asked Usagi sweetly.

"Um... Yeah I do," said Umino. "Why?"

Usagi then went beside Umino and whispered in his ear sweetly. "Then how would you like go on a date with me, right now?"

Umino was surprised as he gasped with joy. "What?! Seriously?! You mean it?! Yes! I would love to!"

"Great!" smiled Usagi. "What do you say we go to that cafe right there?"

"You bet!" agreed Umino.

"Now wait just a second!" said Harusuke indignantly. "You can't just-"

But it was no use. Umino and Usagi had walked into the cafe and were gone. Harusuke and Luna looked at each other and sighed more exasperated than before.

"Usagi's gonna be using Umino to spy on Rei and Mamoru, isn't she?" groaned Harusuke.

"Without a doubt," said Luna. "I'm not gonna stick around and watch this..."

"Me either," said Harusuke.

And with that, the two of them walked away from the cafe.

* * *

Inside of the cafe, Rei and Mamoru were sitting at a table by the window sipping their coffee. Rei was trying her best to get into Mamoru's good graces, so she could go through the next phase of her plan.

"Do you want some sugar?" she asked.

"No thanks. I'm alright," replied Mamoru.

"Oh that's alright," said Rei blushing sheepishly. "I don't usually take sugar with my coffee either. It makes it taste gross. So... Mamoru... I was wondering... if you have any free time today? 'Cause there's this great place that I know. Would you... like to go see it with me?"

"Sure. I don't mind," said Mamoru.

"Really?! Alright!" said Rei happily. "This is great!" she thought to herself. "Everything's going just as planned!"

Not too far away, Usagi watching from another booth trying to listen in on Mamoru and Rei's conversation, but she couldn't hear anything that they were saying.

"Darn it! I can't hear anything they're saying from over here either!" she complained. "I knew I should've gotten a closer booth!"

She then began sipping her juice from a straw, but what she didn't know was that Umino was drinking from the exact same cup from a different straw. As soon as she saw Umino, she immediately stopped drinking let out of yelp of disgust and surprise.

* * *

Meanwhile Luna and Harusuke were walking back towards the house not wanting to have anything to do with Usagi's scheme.

"Man, am I glad we got away when we did," said Luna.

"No kidding," said Harusuke. "I love Usagi, but there's no way that I'm gonna be a part of her hair-brained scheme this time."

"And I do feel kinda sorry for poor Umino," added Luna. "That poor boy really thinks he's going on a date with Usagi."

"Yeah and all because Usagi's getting in Rei's business about being with Mamoru," said Harusuke. "Rei's free to go with whichever boy she wants. I mean sure Mamoru's kind of a jerk to her, but that's only because she starts it most of the time."

"Speaking of Rei, I'm surprised that you're taking this so calmly Harusuke," said Luna. "I would have thought that even you'd be a little worried about those two being together."

Harusuke felt puzzled. "What would give you that idea, Luna?"

"Don't you have some interest in Rei? I mean after all, she did proclaim her love to you and even kissed you on the cheek a while back," said Luna teasingly

Harusuke then remembered and blushed. "Hey! That was only because she was under the influence of a monster at the time!" he said. "It wasn't really her back there! Not to mention Ami was the same way too!"

"No need to get defensive Harusuke," chuckled Luna. "I was only teasing."

Before Harusuke could protest, he then saw someone out of the corner of his eye. There was Ami was walking all by herself looking to be deep in thought and worried about something. Harusuke and Luna came up to her.

"Hey Ami!" said Luna.

Ami looked up. "Oh. Hi Luna. Hi Harusuke," she said absently.

Harusuke could see that Ami was worried about something. "Hey Ami. Is there something wrong?" he asked. "You look a little blue. No pun intended."

"Well... you see... it's like this," said Ami. "You know how I introduced you all to Mr. Kokoritsu yesterday, and how the park is going to be torn down?"

Harusuke and Luna nodded.

"Well... I just heard about this today," continued Ami. "The construction company that's supposed to be taking down the park has mysteriously quit."

"What? But isn't that great news Ami?" asked Harusuke. "The park's not gonna be torn down now."

"I know, but... that's not what's bothering me, " said Ami. "It has to do with Mr. Kokoritsu."

* * *

 _Kunitachi had just left after talking to an associate of the company. The associate had just told him that all the construction workers has quit shutting down the project and because of that, the park would now stay where it was with Kunitachi still being its caretaker. Ami happened to overhear and was_ _happy. When their meeting was over, Ami went over to Kunitachi about to congratulate him, but Kunitachi glared at Ami seeming to be in an angry mood.  
_

 _"From now on, I don't want you just coming to the park for no good reason," he said. "You don't deserve the gifts that Mother Nature has to offer! Now get out!"_

* * *

"No way! The park manager said that?" asked Luna.

"Yeah, he's never been that strict before," said Ami. "I wonder what happened to him."

"It does seem a little strange that he would say those things after yesterday," said Harusuke. "Not to mention that all the construction workers would just suddenly quit. Maybe we should go check on Mr. Kokoritsu and see if he's alright."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Ami. "I mean I don't wanna be a bother to him."

"Come on Ami," said Harusuke. "Mr. Kokoritsu's your friend. Besides, the park is something for everyone to enjoy and he can't just kick everyone out just because he says we don't deserve it. We all have a right to go into that park and he can't say anything otherwise."

Ami then gave a small smile. "Alright then," she said. "Let's go."

* * *

Soon, the three arrived at the park looking for Kunitachi. As they walked along the path, they saw a young man walk past them. He had short wavy black hair, wore a white button-down with a blue tie with teal pants, and he was smoking a cigarette. He was the associate that Kunitachi was speaking to earlier.

"Oh brother," he sighed to himself sounding annoyed. "This park project's really starting to bug me. Especially with the unreliable construction company. Do they really expect me to believe that insects and animals attacked them? Come on."

He then took the cigarette out of his mouth and dropped to the ground and walked away. Then suddenly from the trees and bushes, a swarm of squirrels pounced on the man and attacked him. The man let out a scream of terror and as he took off running out of the park.

"I'm sorry!" he shrieked. "I won't come to this park ever again!"

When the man was out of the park, other squirrels appeared their eyes glowing in a bright red. Ami, Harusuke, and Luna had seen everything and were shocked as was surprised.

"What in the world?!" exclaimed Ami.

"Those squirrels just attacked that guy!" said Harusuke. "I know squirrels are wild animals, but I don't think they're supposed to be that wild!"

"Those squirrels are filled with evil energy!" said Luna. "This has to be the work of the Dark Kingdom!"

"Oh no... Then if that's true," gasped Ami. "Then they must have gotten to Mr. Kokoritsu too!"

"That would explain his sudden change in behavior and this!" said Harusuke. "We've got to find him right away, so we can help him!"

* * *

In the middle of a lake at the park, Rei and Mamoru were enjoying themselves in a rowboat admiring the scenery.

"Wow. I never knew that a park like this existed," said Mamoru with wonder.

"Yeah, but it's gonna be torn down soon which is very unfortunate," said Rei sadly. "They're gonna turn it into some kind of office complex."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Mamoru. "It's such a nice park though, filled of natural beauty."

"You really think so?" puzzled Rei.

"Of course I do," said Mamoru. "I also believe that we humans have a duty to take better care of Mother Nature."

Rei was surprised to see Mamoru so passionate about the park and that made her fall in love with Mamoru more.

* * *

Close by at shore, hiding behind a tree in a secluded area, Usagi was still spying on Rei and Mamoru now feeling more livid than before upon seeing the two in a rowboat.

"Just what could those two be talking about out there?!" she growled her hand balled into a fist. "I need to find a way to get closer to them!"

Oblivious as to what Usagi's true intentions were, Umino blushed bright red thinking that Usagi had other ideas as to why she brought him to this place.

"Usagi... you're being very bold by bringing me to this place," he gushed. "I mean... we're middle school students and should take it slow... but then again a smooch wouldn't hurt either!"

He then turned around and puckered his lips expect a kiss from Usagi, but to his surprise, Usagi had disappeared leaving him all alone.

"What the! Usagi, where'd you go?!" he cried. "What about the smooching?!"

* * *

Ami, Harusuke, and Luna were running around in search of Kunitachi, but then they heard a rustling of bushes coming from behind them. They turned around to find that Usagi had suddenly appeared just coming out of the bushes.

"Usagi!" cried Ami as she along with Harusuke and Luna ran up to her.

"Hey you guys! I didn't realize you were here too!" said Usagi brightly. "Let me take a wild guess, I'll bet you guys were worried about those two are being alone together too, aren't you?"

"Would you stop talking nonsense?!" snapped Luna angrily. "We have a serious problem!"

"She's right! This isn't the time to be playing spies!" added Harusuke.

"Usagi, something really bad is going on in this park!" said Ami.

"Something bad? Like what?" asked Usagi.

She would soon get her answer, for right then Kunitachi suddenly appeared and he was not happy to see them.

"You again?!" he growled. "All you ungrateful humans, abusing the gifts that Mother Nature has given you! The only way to make up your insolence, is with your deaths!"

Sensing that Kunitachi's energy was at it's peak from afar, Nephrite immediately took action. "Now's the time!" he thought. "Petasos! Do it now!"

A strange symbol appeared on Kunitachi's hat, and just like before a black ghoul came out and drained all of the energy from Kunitachi. The teens and Luna could only gasp in horror as the ghoul took shape and became a monster. She was purple-skinned, long pointed ears, dark brown eyes, had leaves on her wrists, her lower body was a light green color, wore an amber-brown corset of some sort, and had long green hair.

"It's a monster!" cried Harusuke.

"Hear me, animals of the park!" proclaimed Petasos. "Attack the humans! Do it for the sake of the Dark Kingdom!"

At her command, a swarm of birds burst out from the trees and prepared to attack.

To make things even worse, Kunitachi had become a deathly white and his hair having to been revealed brown had turned into a ghastly white color.

"Oh no! Mr. Kokoritsu!" gasped Ami horror stricken. Then that horror quickly changed into anger. "Unforgivable! You'll pay for this!" she cried as she whipped out her transformation pen. "MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

"Come on Usagi!" said Harusuke spoke urgently to Usagi of whom of which was standing there a bit frightened. "Let's go too!

"Yeah! Stop standing there and transform already!" said Luna.

"I know that! Geez!" complained Usagi.

Then the two siblings transformed too.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Back at the lake, Mamoru suddenly gasped feeling a sharp pain go through his mind making him groan in pain.

"Mamoru?! Are you OK? What's wrong?!" asked Rei feeling concerned.

Then she heard the fluttering of wings and the squawks of birds. She looked back to see that the birds that Petasos has summoned were flying straight at them.

"Look out!" cried Mamoru as he covered Rei trying to protect her.

The birds shot right past seeming to attack them causing the boat to capsize with Mamoru and Rei with it.

* * *

Back with our three heroes, a swarm of butterflies were attacking Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury and Solaris, while Luna was being attacked by a swarm of squirrels. They tried their best to fend them off, but they kept on coming. Sailor Merucry then used her attack.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

By unleashing a wave of bubbles and creating a mist, Sailor Mercury's attack was able to weaken and calm down the butterflies and squirrels making them drop harmlessly to the ground. Sailor Mercury then glared at Petasos.

"We've stopped the animals, and now we're gonna stop you!" Sailor Mercury said fiercely.

"Wow! Sailor Mercury's all fired up!" said Sailor Moon in amazement.

"I'll say," said Solaris. "Remind me not to get her mad.

"In that case, why don't you try this?!" hissed Petasos as her hand changed into a strange flower opening up to reveal a ball of vines. "HAND FLOWER!"

She then shot the ball at Sailor Moon. The ball of vines then exploded into a net ensnaring Sailor Moon. Then before Sailor Mercury and Solaris could react, Petasos attacked Sailor Mercury next.

"PETASOS ROPE!"

Her hair transformed into vines and wrapped around Sailor Mercury forcing her back. Solaris then dashed straight at Petasos.

"You monster!" he yelled. "You let her go right now!"

"I don't think so!" smirked Petasos. "HAND FLOWER!"

She fired her attack at Solaris, but he managed to jump out of the way. "Nice try, but I ain't falling for a trick like that!"

Petasos growled in annoyance. Then she smirked again. She once again prepared to fire her Hand Flower, but this time she had another target in mind. Kunitachi. Solaris saw this and immediately raced toward him, he stepped in the way of the net and then was ensnared as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rei and Mamoru managed to make it dry land after their boat was tipped over.

"Rei? Are you alright?" panted Mamoru.

"I'm fine," choked Rei. "What about you?"

"I'm alright," said Mamoru smiling. "Just a little wet that's all."

Rei was relieved, but that was short-lived as she suddenly sensed something. Something evil.

"What an intense evil aura..." she thought to herself. "That could only mean one thing..." She then turned to Mamoru. "Listen, I have to go do something. You stay here alright?"

* * *

Sailor Mercury winced in agony as the vines grew tighter and tighter around her body and there was no one else to help her. Solaris and Sailor Moon were still ensnared in vines while Luna was dazed from her scuffle with the squirrels.

Petasos cackled in triumph. "I'll get rid of you first."

The vines tightened even more making Sailor Mercury yelp in agony. Then when she opened an eye, she saw Kunitachi lying on the ground unconscious. She then glared at Petasos refusing to give in.

"I can't give up... not now," she thought to herself. "I have to save Mr. Kokoritsu!"

She fought against the vines trying to break free of them, but then...

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

A fireball then came flying burning through the vines setting the three heroes free. Sailor Mercury and Solaris managed to break the vines thanks to the fire, but Sailor Moon on the other hand was frantic as the vines caught fire. Petasos then retracted her vines turning back to hair.

"Hot, hot, hot!" she screamed as she managed to get the vines off of her before she caught fire.

Sailor Mars then jumped on the scene.

"Sorry I'm late you guys," she said. "Are you all OK?"

"We're OK," said Solaris. "Thanks a lot Mars."

"Speak for yourself!" snapped Sailor Moon indignantly. "Couldn't you've come up with a better way to free us than that?! You almost set me on fire!"

"That's a fine way to thank someone that saved your life!" Rei snapped back. Then she saw Petasos. "So you're the one who interrupted my date!"

"You'll pay for taking advantage of Mr. Kokoritsu's kindness!" said Sailor Mercury.

"And for turning a beautiful park into a place of evil!" said Sailor Mars.

"And for manipulating the wildlife for your own twisted ways!" said Solaris.

"And now in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!" said Sailor Mercury and Mars.

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!" said Solaris.

"Hey! No fair!" whined Sailor Moon. "Mars and Mercury stole my catchphrase!"

"Oh just go with it!" chided Solaris. "You can worry about copyright claims, later!"

"I've had just about enough of you humans!" hissed Petasos as she prepared to fire her Hand Flowers. "I'll kill you all!"

Just then a rose came flying shooting right into Petasos' face causing her to cry in pain and to be temporarily blinded. Sailor Moon and the others looked to where the rose came from and there standing on a branch of a tree was Tuxedo Mask.

"Thanks Tuxedo Mask!" blushed Sailor Moon.

"Now's your chance Sailor Moon!" said Tuxedo Mask. "It's up to you now!"

"Got it!" said Sailor Moon as she took off her headband and transformed it into a white disk taking aim. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Petasos looked in time to see Sailor Moon launch her attack right at her. She disc pierced through her and in an instant, Petasos was destroyed and all the energy that was drained from Kunitachi had returned to his body making his body return to normal. Tuxedo Mask smiled proud of the teens for another job well done.

"Farewell Guardians," said Tuxedo Mask. "Until we meet again..."

And with a wave of his cape, Tuxedo Mask was gone leaving the Sailor Guardians swooning for him, especially Sailor Moon.

"He's so dreamy..." sighed Sailor Moon.

Solaris could only sigh and shake his head. "Girls... Go fig."

* * *

After a while, Kunitachi had regained conscious and Usagi and the others had returned to their normal forms.

"Ami? What's going on?" groaned Kunitachi. "What happened to me?"

"It's all right now, Mr. Kokoritsu," reassured Ami. "You have nothing to worry about. You were just having a bad dream."

Then they saw Mamoru who was still all wet from head to toe due to falling in the lake. "Man, what a day," he complained. "Talk about a terrible experience."

"Mamoru!" gasped Rei who had forgotten about him. "Are you sure you should up?"

"Don't worry Rei," said Mamoru. "I'm OK now."

Rei then whispered to Usagi and Rei. "Hey. You know what? I think that Mamoru is secretly Tuxedo Mask," she whispered to them.

"Oh come on Rei, you can't be serious," said Harusuke.

"Yeah! There's is no way that a jerk like him could be Tuxedo Mask!" snapped Usagi.

"Tuxedo Mask?" wondered Mamoru who had overheard them. "Who's that exactly?"

"Oh don't mind her, that's just a superhero that Usagi came up with!" said Harusuke hastily. "Right Rei?"

"Yes! Of course!" agreed Rei sweetly. "He's just a superhero!"

Just then, Umino came walking by still searching for Usagi. As soon as the two locked eyes, Umino immediately came over and Usagi gulped.

"There you are Usagi!" said Umino. "I've been looking all over for you. What do you say we finish our date now?"

"What are you talking about Umino?! Stop making things up!" said Usagi immediately denying.

"What are you talking about Usagi? You're the one who asked me out!" protested Umino.

Usagi gasped in horror while Rei and Mamoru looked sly at her.

"Oh, so that's your type of man?" Mamoru smirked. "Way to go Bun-head."

"No, it's not like that!" said Usagi indignantly. "Harusuke, help me out here!"

"Sorry Usagi," said Harusuke shrugging. "You kinda dug yourself a hole on this one."

"But... you guys have the wrong idea!" shrieked Usagi as her voice echoed throughout the park.


	18. Chapter 17

It was another day in school at Juuban Public Middle School. Although things could have been better in Home Economics. Usagi, Naru, and along with most of the other female students were sitting through a lecture by the Home Economics teacher, Ms. Akiyama. She was teaching the class how to make darts in fabric. However, the lecture was so boring, that everyone was starting to grow bored. Everyone that was except for Usagi. She however had fallen asleep.

Not only that, but during the lecture, Ms. Akiyama didn't notice she was boring her students. She was off in her own little world feeling excited and embarrassed about something. So much so that her cheeks were flushing pink with embarrassment.

After class, Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke all went out for ice cream. Usagi couldn't help, but let out a huge yawn as she ate her ice cream.

"You certainly seen tired today, Usagi," said Harusuke. "What happened? You stay up late or something?"

"Not really," said Naru. "She just slept through Home Ec class that's all. Then again I can't really blame her. Say Harusuke, have you noticed something?"

"Noticed what, Naru?" puzzled Harusuke.

"It's Ms. Akiyama," explained Naru. "She was acting totally distracted today."

"You're telling me," yawned Usagi. "That Home Economics class was totally boring. It made me tired and sleepy."

"I think just about any form of school will make you sleepy, Usagi," said Harusuke flatly. "Anyway, what do you mean by distracted Naru?"

"Well... she was teaching us how to make darts in fabric which we already learned," explained Naru. "And as she was going on about the lesson, she would sigh for some unknown reason and then look out the window totally embarrassed."

"That does seem a bit unusual," said Harusuke.

"Right? And she used to be really passionate about sewing too!" said Naru. "I just don't know what could be wrong with her. I wonder what could be wrong."

Then suddenly Umino popped up from the beside the table. "Well, I can answer that for you!"

Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke were so surprised, that they almost dropped their ice cream cones. "Why are you always popping out of weird places and scaring us all the time?!" they yelled.

"Sorry about that," apologized Umino as he pulled his memo book flipping through its pages. "Anyway, I believe the reason for Ms. Akiyama's strange behavior is strongly connected to her recent engagement."

"Her engagement?!" asked Usagi and Naru surprised.

"You mean... as in she's getting married?" puzzled Harusuke.

"Correct. Ms. Higure Akiyama is also thirty-four years old and still unmarried, but she has a strong desire to change that status," continued Umino. "Her greatest dream is to marry her beloved in a beautiful wedding ceremony while wearing a beautiful wedding gown she had sewn herself."

"Seriously? That's... actually sounds pretty nice," said Harusuke. "Although it sounds like some kind of fairy tale."

"Well... it is pretty far from ideal situation," said Umino thoughtfully. "but as long as they love each other..."

"Oh please Umino," scoffed Usagi. "Give me the ideal or nothing at all." She then stood up holding the ice cream cone over her head like she was the Statue of Liberty. "I believe in impossibly high standards! If the guy's handsome, then go for it and take a chance! In fact, my goal is to be married by the age of twenty-five!"

"Well that's nothing short of being shallow," muttered Harusuke as he and Naru ate their cones pretending not to hear her.

"Oh no! Usagi wants a handsome guy!" cried Umino who was now in tears very upset. "I'm doomed!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ms. Akiyama was just leaving the Juuban Dressmaker shop. As she left the store, she couldn't help, but gaze at the fabric that was on display on the window longing to use that for her wedding dress. Just then, Ms. Haruna came up to her.

"Hey Ms. Akiyama!" she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hello Ms. Sakurada," said Ms. Akiyama. "Nothing special. I was just looking around is all."

Ms. Haruna then grinned mischievously. "Oh, I get it. You were thinking about your fiancé, weren't you?"

"What?! Don't be silly," said Ms. Akiyama blushing giddily. "I wasn't thinking about him at all!"

Ms. Haruna then saw the fabric that was on display on the window. "Wow... what beautiful silk!" she said. "You're planning to wear a dress that you made by yourself for your wedding right?"

Ms. Akiyama smiled shyly. "Yes. I am, but I can't seem to find any silk that I like. However I did manage to find a design that I love."

Ms. Haruna then took hold of Ms. Akiyama's hands and looked at her determinedly surprising her. "Well, make sure you don't give up! No matter what happens, you have to hang in there and finish that wonderful dress, so that you can have the amazing wedding you deserve!"

"Th-thank you Ms. Haruna," said Ms. Akiyama. "That really means a lot."

"Yeah well... I am counting on finding my future husband at your wedding reception, if you get what I mean," said Ms. Haruna blushing sheepishly.

"OK then..." said Ms. Akiyama. "I'll try my best then."

"And I'll try my best too!" said Ms. Haruna.

And the two women walked away. Little did they know, beside them was a red sports car. In that sports car, was Nephrite under his human disguise having to have heard everything the two were talking about taking an interest.

* * *

Nephrite soon returned to his mansion in the woods and stood in front of the projection of Earth and its stars once more and began to use his powers to find his next victim.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said to himself. "Vega, who hails from the Lyra constellation, its tears fill the heavens, floating alone yet unable to travel in the vast galaxy. By the light of Vega, the person who will shine the most and will gain the most energy... is none other than Higure Akiyama! And she will become my next victim!"

* * *

The next day, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home from school. As they walked, they happened to pass by the Juuban Community Center where a wedding was taking place.

"Hey. Harusuke, check it out!" gushed Usagi excitedly. "There's a wedding going on! Look how beautiful that bride is!"

"I can see that," said Harusuke. "That guy's definitely lucky to have a pretty girl like her."

"Ooh. I'm so jealous," said Usagi sighing. "That really is the dream of every young girl in love! I hope I get married some day."

Harusuke could only chuckle and roll his eyes. Then some men came up lifting a very large sign and setting it down just beside the gate. The sign had a picture of a young woman in a wedding dress on it and that large words saying: "Your Handmade Wedding Dress Contest."

"Hey Harusuke! Look at this!" said Usagi excitedly.

Harusuke then read the sign. "It says here that whoever wins for best hand made dress gets a lavish all-expense-paid wedding reception."

Usagi was excited. "Wow! A lavish wedding reception?!" she cried. "I can picture it now! And I know exactly who my groom would be~! Tuxedo Mask and Motkoi~!"

She then began to imagine herself in a wedding wearing a dress and being married to Tuxedo Mask and Motoki making laugh giddily.

"Usagi you can't be serious," said Harusuke flatly. "I hate to burst your bubble, but first of all, you can't marry two guys at once. That's two timing. Secondly, you don't know anything when it comes to sewing. You can't even stay awake in Home Ec class that practically teaches sewing."

Usagi immediately snapped out of her daydream. "Aw man... Harusuke why'd you have to go and spoil it," she grumped. "But... you're right. There's no way that I'll be able to make a dress."

Just then, the siblings heard a familiar voice next to them.

"Hold on a minute! You're telling me that whoever wins gets an all-expense paid wedding reception?! But what if you don't have any- I mean what if you haven't decided on a specific date to have it?!"

Usagi and Harusuke looked and there standing there practically yelling at the man who was in charge of the event was Rei.

"Please calm down miss," said the man. "The prizewinner can choose to have the ceremony any time they want."

"All right!" cheered Rei excitedly. "I'd better hurry up and make my move then!"

She then started walking off until she ran into Usagi and Harusuke. She nearly fell over feeling surprised to see them.

"Usagi?! Harusuke?!" she cried.

"Hey Rei," said Usagi slyly. "Whatcha doin?"

"Oh! Um... nothing!" said Rei. Then she suddenly had an idea. "Hey hold on a second. Your mom is a housewife isn't she?!"

"Yes she is," said Usagi. "But what does that have to do with it?"

Rei then chuckled flashing sly grin. "In that case... Usagi? Harusuke?"

"Um... what is it Rei?" asked Harusuke.

Then before the two Tsukiuno's could react, Rei suddenly began pushing them from behind.

"Hey! Wh-what's the big idea, Rei?!" cried Harusuke.

"Yeah! Quit your pushing!" complained Usagi.

But Rei didn't listen as she kept on pushing Harusuke and Usagi away from the community center. At that time, Ms. Akiyama happened to be walking by. When she saw the sign for the big contest, she gasped with excitement.

* * *

At the Tsukino's house, Usagi and Harusuke made it home with Rei as their guest much to the dismay of Usagi.

"So your name is Rei am I right?" asked Ikuko as she came in with some tea.

"That's right," said Rei. "My name is Rei Hino."

"Well this is a surprise," smiled Ikuko. "I never expected Usagi and Harusuke to be friends with such a lovely girl like you Rei."

"Thank you," said Rei sweetly. "I may go to a different school than they do, but the three of us are really good friends."

"Yeah right," muttered Usagi. "She just invited herself over by following us home!" Then she noticed Ikuko giving Rei a slice of cake. "Hey! Mom! That's supposed to be for me!"

"Usagi!" snapped Ikuko. Then she turned back to Rei and then handed her the cake. "Just ignore her. She's always like that. Here have some," she said sweetly to Rei.

"Thank you ma'am. I will," said Rei as she took a cake from the slice.

Then Luna came in and clambered on the couch next to Harusuke's shoulder. "Hey Harusuke. Do you have any idea what's going on here?" she asked. "And what's Rei doing here and up to?"

"You're asking me? I have no clue," sighed Harusuke. "Although I do have some idea."

"This is great!" sighed Rei as she tasted some more cake. "There's nothing like a home-cooked meal. You're really are a talented chef Ms. Tsukino."

Ikuko was embarrassed. "Oh! Um... thank you," she said.

"You're such a faker!" Usagi muttered to Rei. "Anyone can see that it's from the cake shop by the station."

Then Ikuko smacked Usagi on the head using the serving platter making her yelp in pain while holding her head.

"That hurt!" cried Usagi.

"You're the one who said it," sighed Harusuke.

"I'm so jealous of Usagi. It must be nice having a wonderful mother like you who must be great at all sorts of things like sewing for instance," continued Rei. "In fact, I've always dreamed of learning how to sew from a talented woman like you! Like... maybe start with a wedding dress for example?"

Ikuko gulped while Usagi and Harusuke looked at Rei immediately figuring out why she was acting the way she was.

"I knew it," Harusuke sighed to himself pinching his nose. "So. that's the reason why she's here and being a kiss-up."

"You... want to learn sewing from me?" asked Ikuko now feeling a bit awkward.

She and Usagi began to laugh forcibly causing Rei to look at the two in confusion.

Then Harusuke whispered in her ear. "Rei... you do realize that our mom doesn't know how to sew, right?"

* * *

A few moments later, Rei was storming out of the house looking very cross.

"For crying out loud!" she sulked. "Why didn't you two tell me that your mother couldn't sew?!"

"Now just a minute!" said Usagi indignantly. "You only came here to use our mom to help you win that wedding dress contest, didn't you?!"

Rei only answered by making an akanbe face before walking away leaving Usagi very insulted. Even Luna was appalled by Rei's behavior.

"Unbelievable! She should be spending time training to fight the next monster, not wasting it to enter some stupid contest," said Luna angrily. "And you too, Usagi!"

She turned to scold Usagi, but she was surprised to see that Usagi had mysteriously disappeared. Only Harusuke remained standing there.

"What the..! Where'd she go?!" she cried. "Harusuke, where's Usagi?!"

"Oh, she left a while ago," said Harusuke. "I think she was heading over to Ami's place."

"Seriously?! Honestly, those girls are going to drive me crazy!" sighed Luna.

"Let's just leave them be," said Harusuke. "Besides, when it comes to romance there's no stopping them. Especially when those two are butting heads."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Ami's house in her room, Usagi explained everything that had happened.

"A wedding dress contest?" puzzled Ami.

"Yeah! And not only that, Rei said that she was going to enter in it too!" complained Usagi. "She even tried to use our mom as a means to learn how to sew! Doesn't that make you angry?!"

"Not really," said Ami simply. "I don't plan on getting married any time soon."

"Oh come on, Ami. Don't you get it?" chided Usagi. "Wearing a wedding dress is the dream of every girl including us! And... since you're so good at home economics... I was wondering if you could teach me how to sew?"

"Well... sure I can," said Ami. "If you really want me to."

"Yay! Thank you Ami!" said Usagi happily. "There's no way I'm gonna lose to Rei now!"

But Usagi's celebration was cut short as Ami slammed a large stack of books in front of her.

"First you're going to need to learn the basics from these books," she said. "And only then, once you have these basics down, we'll actually get into sewing."

"Oh come on, Ami," whined Usagi. "You really are a bookworm."

* * *

In a shop that was called Cloth Azabu Juuban, it was practically a war zone. Women were fighting tooth and nail just to get their hands on the fabric they wanted, so they could make their wedding dresses. Ms. Akiyama carefully made her way through the battle zone trying not to get caught in the crossfire. Then she saw a familiar face who was fighting with two other girls over a piece of silk.

"Hey! Back off!" she snapped as she tugged. "I had this first!"

"Ms. Sakurada?!" gasped Ms. Akiyama as Ms. Haruna continued her tug-of-war with the silk.

Then a large piece of silk came flying from the crowd of women and landed right in front of Ms. Akiyama. She picked it up and gasped from its beautiful color and feel. Then Nephrite walked up to her once again under his human disguise making the woman blush with surprise by this attractive man.

"Beautiful," he said with suave as he took the silk from her hands and held it up to the light. As he held it up, he cast a spell on the silk implanting a monster in it. "Such beautiful and simply flawless silk. This would be the perfect material to use in making your wedding dress ma'am."

"You think so?" asked Ms. Akiyama.

"Yes. In fact, I can just picture it," went on Nephrite. "You walking by the water underneath a starry-filled sky, each of them twinkling as a sign of their blessing." He then wrapped the silk around Ms. Akiyama's shoulders. "I wish you good luck," he said. "And best wishes."

Ms. Akiyama could only sigh wistfully as Nephrite left the store unaware of the curse he had placed on the silk.

* * *

A little later, Usagi and Naru were walking down the street with Usagi carrying some bridal magazines. The two of them were going to Ms. Akiyama's apartment with Usagi hoping that she would give her some advice about sewing. On the way there, Usagi was explaining to Naru about the contest.

"No way! You're kidding!" said Naru. "A lavish, all-expenses-paid wedding reception?! I had no idea!"

"I know right? That's why I've got to enter this contest!" said Usagi.

"So that's why you're planning to go to Ms. Akiyama's house," said Naru slyly. "I thought this a little weird. And what makes your think you can suddenly learn how to sew when you've never been able to stay awake through one of her classes?"

"But Naru, I have to learn!" whined Usagi. "I don't know what else to do!"

"But Usagi, surely you know that even if someone knew how to sew, it's still very difficult to making a dress," said Naru. "Plus, you'll most likely just give up before you're even half-way through."

"I can do it," said Usagi determinedly. "Remember what they say, a woman's convictions can split mountains!"

"Who the heck says that?" asked Naru

"I... don't know," shrugged Usagi. "Maybe I said it wrong."

Just then, the two noticed someone walking up the steps of the apartments. He was short, wore a suit, had tan skin, short brown hair, and had a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Who's that?" wondered Naru. "He looks a bit out of place with those flowers on him."

"Not to mention, he's pretty goofy-looking," said Usagi snickering.

"Yeah. I'll say," said Naru trying not to laugh. "But we shouldn't say stuff like that."

Then the two saw something that surprised them. The man had just walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the door. The two knew whose room that was.

"That's Ms. Akiyama's apartment!" cried Usagi.

"Then that must mean..." said Naru.

" _That's_ Ms. Akiyama's fiancé?!" the two of them cried.

The man in question then knocked on the door. "Um... Higure?" he called. "Is something the matter? You haven't been answering my phone calls and... I was feeling a little worried..."

Then the door suddenly opened almost knocking the man over. There stood Ms. Akiyama, but she was different than before. She was wearing a lot less clothes than before and her hair was let down and unkempt. She was even wearing lipstick. Ms. Akiyama's fiancé was surprised, but he handed out his bouquet to her.

"Um... Higura... I uh..." began the man.

Then suddenly, Ms. Akiyama slapped the bouquet out of his hands and glared angrily at him. "What the hell is this?!" she snapped. "Listen up! Don't come near me until the Juuban Community Center's dress contest is over! Otherwise, I'm calling off the engagement! Got it?!"

She then went back to her room shutting the door muttering to herself. "I must finish my dress! I've got to finish my dress!"

Usagi and Naru had seen everything and were shocked.

"Was that really Ms. Akiyama?!" asked Naru speechless.

"Never mind that," whined Usagi. "She said that she was going to be entering the contest! She's gonna be major competition! That means I'm doomed!"

"That's really your concern, Usagi?" asked Naru flatly.

At the very same time and also having to have seen everything, Luna stood on the wall looking very worried.

"Something's not right with that teacher," she thought to herself. "I better get the guardians on this."

* * *

The next day, Luna was walking up the stairs to the Hikawa Shrine with Harusuke and Ami in tow having just explained everything that had happened yesterday regarding Ms. Akiyama's behavior.

"So you're saying that Ms. Akiyama's been acting strange lately?" asked Harusuke as they walked up the steps.

"Yes. I can definitely sense the presence of a monster," said Luna. "And she was acting very strange. Although I'm still not clear on that yet."

"Now that you mention it," said Ami. "Ms. Akiyama hasn't come to school for a very long time."

"Yeah, no kidding. Not to mention treating her fiancé the way she did," said Harusuke. "It's not like her at all. I say that we should go investigate this and-"

But then, Harusuke was rudely interrupted by a scream. The three would soon find out that the scream belonged to Rei, who was running around wearing a traditional Japanese kimono with her grandpa hot on her heels.

"Hey! Get back here Rei!" yelled her grandpa. "Just what do you plan to do with our only wedding kimono to rent out to customers!"

Rei didn't answer. She just kept on running. But as she ran, she didn't look where she was going, nor did she realize that she was running straight toward Ami, Harusuke, and Luna. She tried to stop, but it was too late. She bumped right into the three knocking them down to ground. Ami ended up landing on Harusuke's lap while Luna was squashed by Harusuke's head.

"I'm so sorry!" cried Rei. "Are you guys OK?!"

"Could... be better," groaned Ami. Then she realized that she was sitting on Harusuke's lap as he laid dazed and confused. Seeing Ami and Harusuke, in this position and happening to catch a glimpse of her underwear, Rei's grandpa blushed and smirked mischievously while Ami let out a startled yelp realizing that she was sitting on Harusuke. She immediately got off of him and help him to his feet.

"Harusuke?! Are you OK?!" she asked.

"I'm fine," groaned Harusuke. "Didn't expect that though."

Rei's grandpa then took back the wedding kimono folding it neatly. "Honestly, here I was thinking you were running off to elope with someone," he said dusting it off. Then he gasped. "Wait a second! Don't tell me-"

"Absolutely not!" snapped Rei. "You know me better than that! Do you really think I would want to wear that thing to the handmade wedding dress contest?!"

"I would certainly hope not!" said Rei's grandpa sternly. "I will not allow a sacred wedding kimono to be used in such a sacrilegious contest!"

"I wonder why he's so angry?" whispered Luna to Harusuke and Ami.

All Harusuke and Ami could do was shrug.

Then Rei's grandpa came up to them. "Listen young lady, why don't you and your boyfriend have your wedding right here in the shrine?" he asked sweetly. "It's a lot more cheaper than the Juuban Community Center would be."

Harusuke blushed a bright pink while Ami was a bit surprised.

"She's not my girlfriend!" said Harusuke hastily. "We're just friends! Right Ami?"

"Yes, that's right," agreed Ami. "Besides, I don't have anyone to marry."

"In that case," smirked Rei's Grandpa. "Why don't you and I get married?"

At that moment, Rei grabbed a broom that she used to sweep the leaves and smacked her grandpa on the head.

* * *

Back at the Tsukino's, Usagi was tip-toeing through the halls trying to be as quiet as she could. She now was wearing a cloth around her head, giving her the appearance of a burglar. She soon came her mother's room and looked around to see if she wasn't there. When the coast was clear, she then came up to her target. Her mother's curtains.

"Yes! These are perfect!" she said to herself as she felt her texture.

Then there was trouble.

"Usagi!" snapped a voice. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

Usagi slowly turned around and to her horror, she found her mother standing there not looking happy.

"You're not planning to turn my favorite curtains and turning them into a wedding dress are you?" demanded Ikuko.

"I'm sorry Your Honor!" confessed Usagi. "I'd buy the dress fabric if I could, but my allowance just won't cover it! Please let me have those curtains!"

"Very well," said Ikuko. "I will allow this."

Usagi was surprised. "Really?! You mean it?!"

"Yes, but under one condition," said Ikuko sternly. "I'll stop giving you an allowance for the next three months to pay for the new curtains we'll have to buy!"

"What?! You can't be serious!" cried Usagi.

"Yes I am," said Ikuko. "Besides, do you honestly think that you'll have enough time to make a dress? You only have a few days left."

"But I really want that lavish wedding reception!" whined Usagi. "I can't just give up!"

But even Usagi knew that her mother was right. There was little time left and there was no way she would be able to pull off.

* * *

A few days later, the day of the wedding dress contest came. Dozens of women came from all over town with hopes of winning the contest. Usagi and the others stood outside of the community center. Usagi having to have made an attempt to make her dress had her fingers all bandaged up due to pricking her fingers.

"Man! I'm so jealous!" she complained. "I can hardly take it! I wanna be in the contest too!"

"Usagi, seriously. Let it go," said Harusuke. "You wouldn't have made it in time anyway with your skills and materials."

"Come on now, Harusuke," said Ami. "She did the very best she could."

"One thing's for sure," smirked Rei. "She did one thing better than anyone else and that's poking her fingers with the sewing needle."

Hearing that, Usagi burst into tears her feelings hurt.

"Rei! That hasn't very nice!" chided Ami.

But Rei didn't care. She was feeling pretty pleased with her little joke.

"Will you all stop fighting?! We have to get to see if there's anything suspicious going on in that contest!" snapped Luna. She turned to the twin-tailed blonde. "Usagi, I want you to go undercover as a participant of that contest."

"Luna, don't be so mean!" complained Usagi. "You know as well as I do that I don't have a dress!"

"Then what about the Disguise pen?" asked Harusuke. "Surely you'd be able to use that to make the dress to get in."

"Oh, I forgot all about that," said Usagi as she pulled out the tool in question. "MOON POWER! Transform me into a super beautiful bride!"

And in a brilliant flash of light, Usagi now wore a beautiful pink and white wedding gown with a veil on her head and holding a bouquet of roses. Needless to say, Usagi was delighted.

"Wow! It really worked! I look amazing!" she said grinning. "With this, I'd be able to win the contest for sure!" She then gave Rei a sideways look. "You jealous yet, Rei?"

"That's quite enough, Usagi," said Harusuke. "You can't exactly win because this would be considered cheating."

"That's right," said Luna. "Especially since you used the pen to make that dress. It's only supposed to be used for cover anyway."

"Should've known..." grumped Usagi as she set off to join the other girls who were entering the contest.

* * *

Inside of the community center, Usagi and the other women in the contest stood at attention on stage as the man who was in charge of the contest addressed them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" said the man. "Thank you all for coming! The Juuban Community Center's Hand-made wedding dress contest in about to begin!"

As everyone applauded with excitement, Harusuke, Ami, Rei, and Luna were searching for someone who wasn't on the stage which was Ms. Akiyama.

"Do you see your teacher yet?" asked Rei.

"No. Not yet," said Ami. "We can't find her anywhere!"

"But she should in this contest too right? Where on earth could she be?" wondered Harusuke.

He found that out soon enough. For right then, the lights on the stage dimmed making everything completely dark. Then the curtains on the stage opened and the spotlight shone on another woman in a wedding dress. It was Ms. Akiyama! She was wearing a over-the-top wedding dress that was indigo-purple, had a red band around her waist, and had large white frills on her neck that sparkled in the light. She had a veil with a large feather with a gem on it and also wearing a lot of make-up on her face. All of the men and women stared at her surprised and amazed by this strange yet beautiful sight including Usagi.

The man in charge immediately ran up to Ms. Akiyama. "Hey! You can't just show up and interrupt the show like this!" he said. "Get off the stage!"

Ms. Akiyama glared as he eyes glowed. "Shut up!" she snapped.

Feeling hypnotized by Ms. Akiyama's eyes, the man immediately swooned. "Yes I see it now!" he said lovingly. "You are truly the one ideal bride! Please marry me!"

"Oh please! Do you really think someone like you is worthy of me?!" scoffed Ms. Akiyama. "The greatest men of the world in every nation should be bowing down before me and the women should kneel before my beauty! And you know why?! Because I'm the winner of this contest! No other bride can even hope to compete with me!"

As she laughed sinisterly in triumph, everyone who was looking at her couldn't help, but feel hypnotized. Then one by one, they all fainted falling to the ground. Usagi was on the brink of fainting herself, but then Luna popped out from underneath her dress from out of nowhere.

"Usagi! Whatever you do, don't look into her eyes!" she cried.

Usagi then snapped out of her daze and when she saw Luna, she blushed bright red with embarrassment. "Hey Luna! Why were you hiding under my dress, you pervert?!" she exclaimed.

"Now is not the time for this!" Luna cried.

Not too far away, just outside of the community center, Nephrite could sense that Ms. Akiyama's energy has reached its peak.

"Now! Her energy is at its peak!" he thought to himself. "Now come forth, Widow!"

At that time, a symbol appeared in the middle of Ms. Akiyama's dress. A phantom shot out seeming to come out of her body. The phantom then took shape of another monster. She had the appearance of some kind of a demi-human. Her butt was a large spider's abdomen and she also had four spider legs coming from her waist. She had bright red skin, purple hair, had a pair of antennas on her head and had multiple red pupiless eyes and fangs.

Having had her energy drained from her, Ms. Akiyama then fainted falling unconscious.

"No Ms. Akiyama!" cried Usagi. Then she looked back at Widow and she shivered with fear. "Man! Why do these monsters have to be so creepy looking?"

Then Harusuke rushed to his sister's aid. "So you've finally shown yourself monster!" he growled.

Widow glared at the two siblings. "Who the hell are you two?!" she demanded.

She was about to attack when a pair of voices rang out. "Stop right there!"

Everyone then looked up to see that Rei and Ami had burst onto the scene standing on top of a platform looking like a boat.

"A wedding dress is the symbol of a girl's eternal dream!" said Ami striking a pose.

"And we'll never forgive anyone who defiles that white wedding dress!" added Rei who also struck a pose.

"What the heck are those two doing?!" cried Harusuke.

"Yeah! Especially since those two are showing off without me!" complained Usagi. Then she turned to Widow. "And as for you, you're gonna pay for ruining my chance of winning that lavish all-expense-paid wedding reception!" she said angrily. "Prepare to feel a girl's wrath!"

"Will you girls give it a rest with the wedding business already?!" yelled Harusuke clearly fed up. "Just hurry up and transform already! SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"I'm the pretty guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun, and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"

"I am Sailor Mercury!"

"And I am Sailor Mars!"

"And in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!" said the sailors.

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!" said Solaris.

"We'll see about that!" hissed Widow. "You impudent brats don't scare me!"

She darted straight for our heroes using her spider legs and spit out a blast of thread from her mouth. Solaris, Sailor Mercury and Mars immediately dodged, but Sailor Moon wasn't so lucky. She ended up getting wrapped and tangled in Widow's threads.

"Oh no!" cried Solaris and Sailor Mercury.

"That idiot!" cursed Sailor Mars.

Then Widow began to wind up the thread pulling Sailor Moon closer to her.

"I'm going to weave a beautiful burial outfit made out of your lifeless body!" she cackled.

Sailor Moon squealed with fright as she struggled to get free. Solaris and the other two sailors sprang into action desperate to try and save their comrade.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Mercury unleashed her attack creating a fog that blanketed the area. Widow couldn't see anything. Sailor Mars immediately took advantage and unleashed her attack.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

The flames from her Fire Soul immediately destroyed the web setting Sailor Moon free.

"Are you alright?!" asked Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Moon's only response was a disgusted and fearful wail as she desperately flailed about trying to get all the webs off of her.

"C'mon! Get a hold of yourself!" snapped Sailor Mars.

"Sorry! I just can't stand spiders!" whimpered Sailor Moon.

Widow crawled about in the fog trying to see her enemies, but then Solaris appeared in front of her.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

A beam of light shot forth from his hands and wrapped around Widow's spider legs as well as her normal legs trapping her and making her unable to move. Widow tried to break free, but she couldn't.

"Now Sailor Moon!" yelled Solaris. "Finish her off!"

Sailor Moon nodded as she unleashed the finishing blow.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She took off her tiara and flung it making it transform into a white disk once again. The attack pierced right through Widow's midsection making her howl in pain. In a explosion of smoke, she was destroyed never to be seen again. Then the crowd began to regain conscious including Ms. Akiyama who had her energy returned to her.

"What..." What's going on?" she wondered as she looked around. "Where am I?"

* * *

A few days later everything was back to normal. However, today was a very special day. The day of Ms. Akiyama's wedding. Everyone was in attendance including Ms. Haruna, Usagi, Harusuke and friends, and the other students. The vows were said and the rings were exchanged and Ms. Akiyama and her fiancé were finally married.

"I can't believe it," mused Usagi. "That guy waited for her all this tie even after those horrible things she said."

"Well... you know what they say," smiled Rei. "Men aren't about their looks..."

"They're about heart," sniffed Harusuke who looked like he was crying. "And loyalty. I'm so happy for that guy. He deserves someone like her."

"Harusuke? Are you crying?" asked Luna slyly smirking.

Harusuke then hastily wiped his eyes pretending that he wasn't. "N-no. I just got dirt in my eye that's all!" he said.

"In any case, while that may be so," said Usagi. "I still prefer handsome guys."

"Oh Usagi," chuckled Luna.

"Hey! I just remembered something," said Ami. "Did you guys know that there's a wedding tradition that says whoever catches the bouquet is supposed to be the one that gets married next? The same thing applies for men when the groom throws the garter."

"Seriously?!" cried Usagi, Rei, and Ms. Haruna.

"Oh boy," sighed Harusuke rolling his eyes. "Here we go."

"All right ladies!" said Ms. Akiyama. "Here you go!"

She then threw her bouquet high into the air. Usagi, Rei, and Ms. Haruna immediately pounced on the bouquet desperate to catch it. The bouquet bounced around their hands as they fought to catch it, until finally it landed in someone's hands. However, it wasn't any one of them. The bouquet instead ended up in the hands of Ami who was very surprised much to the dismay of the three.

"Well what do you know Ami," chuckled Harusuke. "Guess you're gonna be a bride someday."

Then the groom stepped forward holding the gather. "Alright boys!" he called. "Get ready!"

All of the single guys then got ready to catch the garter. Among them was none other than Umino.

"If I can catch that garter, I'll be able to get married to Usagi someday!" he cried. "Yes! I'm gonna catch that garter for sure!"

Harusuke chuckled from this sight and was about to walk away, when Rei called out to him.

"Hey, wait a minute Harusuke!" called Rei. "Aren't you gonna try and catch it?"

"No thanks," said Harusuke. "Like I said, love isn't not really my strong suit. I'm gonna go on home and get my homework done."

Then Ms. Akiyama's newly wedded husband threw the garter making it soar high into the air. Umino and the other boys desperately tried to catch it, but it went right past them. It soared right above them heading straight towards an unexpected target. It came falling right on top of Harusuke's head. All of the guys as well as the girls gawked this turn of events in surprise while Harusuke took the garter off of his head. When he saw it, he eyes widened in surprise.

"What the heck?!" he cried.

"Well would you look at that!" chuckled Luna. "Looks like you're gonna get married someday too Harusuke, and Ami's gonna be your bride!"

Harusuke and Ami looked at each other and then chuckled blushing a bit from embarrassment. Ms. Haruna, Rei, and Usagi could only glare at the two in envy as their futures of being brides now looked very grim. (Or not ^^)


	19. Chapter 18

It was lunch period in Juuban Middle. Usagi and Harusuke were just unwrapping their bentos and were looking forward to eating their lunches.

"Oh boy! This looks so good!" said Usagi as she eagerly took a fish cake and popped it into her mouth.

"Make sure not to eat too fast Usagi," said Harusuke. "You'll get a tummy ache if you do."

Just then they heard Yumi, Naru, and Satsuki.

"Wow! Those photographs look amazing!" commented Yuri.

"I know right?" agreed Naru. "And what's really amazing is that the kid who took them is still only in middle school!"

"It also even says that he won the Japan Photo Contest!" said Satsuki. "This kid's a genius!"

Harusuke and Usagi feeling curious then went up to the three who saw that they were looking at an article in a magazine. Next to that article was various and beautiful pictures of landscapes from oceans to houses. The two of them were amazed.

"Wow Naru. Who's the person that took these photos?" asked Harusuke.

"A boy named Kijin Shinokawa," replied Naru. "Known for being a young prodigy in the world of photography."

Usagi then took the magazine, gave it a quick look and gasped. "No way! It also says that he's a middle school student from Gohongi Middle School?!"

"Gohongi Middle? Isn't that the school that's right next to the one that Rei goes to?" wondered Harusuke thoughtfully

Usagi didn't answer, for she had taken the magazine and went over to Ami who was busily working on some equations while eating her lunch.

"Hey Ami! You have to see this!" said Usagi excitedly. "This boy in this article goes to the school that's right near the T.A. Girls' Academy that Rei goes to!"

"Yes. I'm aware of that," said Ami.

"And isn't that what I just said?" said Harususke flatly.

"Come on you guys! How can you both be so calm about this?!" cried Usagi indignantly. "Don't you understand that we might have the opportunity to meet someone famous today?! I say we go and get his autograph!"

"Sorry Usagi, but I can't," said Ami. "I have cram school this afternoon."

"Aw come on Ami!" complained Usagi. "All you ever do is study! We're only young once, you know! You should make the best of it by having some fun once and a while!"

"But I am having fun," said Ami. "Studying hard is pretty enjoyable in my opinion."

"I can kinda relate to that," said Harusuke. "Even though studying is supposed to improve your mind, it can be fun once you put your mind to it."

Usagi groaned in annoyance. "You are both so hopeless."

* * *

Meanwhile outside of the gates of Gonhongi Middle School, the very boy that Usagi and the others were reading about was being interviewed by a group of reporters.

"So, Kijin. Tell us!" said a male reporter. "How does it feel to win the Japan Photo Contest?"

Kijin shyly looked down. "Well... I'm happy... I guess," he said.

"Great!" said the male reporter happily. "And will you continue to photograph landscapes?"

"Well... I guess so..." said Kijin.

Just then, Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke came from behind the corner and saw Kijin being interviewed. Usagi was excited upon seeing him.

"There is he is! I can't believe it!" she cried excitedly. "It's really Kijin Shinokawa!"

"Let's go get his autograph!" said Naru.

"Wait a minute you guys! He's in the middle of an interview!" said Harusuke.

But Usagi and Naru wouldn't listen. The two immediately gunned for Kijin eager to go see him and maybe get an autograph, but then someone barred their way.

"That's far enough! Stop acting like a bunch of fan girls!"

It didn't take long for Usagi and Naru to realize that the person that blocked their way was none other than Rei. As soon as Usagi saw her, she was immediately cross.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" she snapped angrily. "What's wrong in asking a celebrity for an autograph?!"

"Do you even understand what his art's even about?" asked Rei.

Usagi immediately gulped. Harusuke shook his head and sighed. "And once again, Rei's hit the nail right smack on its head."

"I knew it! You couldn't even care less about photography. You're not even interested in his work!" scolded Rei. "You're only going crazy for Kijin is because he's famous!"

"So what?! Who I ask for an autograph is none of your business!" growled Usagi.

"Oh boy. Looks like those two are about to fight again," sighed Harusuke. "I better go break them up."

But he had no need to do that. For right then, Kijin suddenly appeared between the two girls.

"Um... excuse me," he said politely bowing. "Please stop fighting, you two."

Usagi and Rei who immediately stopped fighting stared at Kijin a little baffled about what he was doing. Harusuke and Naru were surprised.

"Well... I guess that's one way of doing it," said Naru.

"Yeah. I suppose so," said Harusuke. "Maybe I should have that guy stop their fights more often. It would certainly make our lives a whole lot easier."

* * *

Later that evening close by to the shore on a cliff close to the road, Kijin was sitting on ledge holding a camera with a large lens. He was waiting, hoping to catch the perfect picture of the sun as it was setting just above the water. The waves crashed against the cliff and the sky as well as the sun were in various colors of red, orange, and pink.

"Man... the light at dusk changes so quickly," Kijin said to himself.

Kijin waited and he waited for the perfect shot to come until finally he saw his chance.

"There! That's the perfect shot!" he said he readied his camera and pressed the button taking the picture.

He then took a couple more shots so he would have copies. Then came trouble. In his excitement over taking pictures, Kijin felt his foot slip and he was starting to fall from the cliff. Luckily, a hand was able to grab a hold of his just before he fell. Kijin looked up and he saw his savior. It was none other than Nephrite who was under his alias as Masato Sanjoin.

"You ought to be more careful there," he said as he pulled him up.

"I-I will sir!" said Kijin shyly. "Thanks for saving me!"

Nephrite then grabbed Kijin's camera and then cast his spell once again implanting a monster inside of Kijin's camera unknown to the boy. Then handed it to him.

"I'm a big fan of your work," said Nephrite. "So, keep taking those great pictures, okay?"

"Um... sure," said Kijin.

And with that, Nephrite walked off leaving Kijin staring at his back until he was out of sight.

* * *

At his mansion in the woodlands, Nephrite was consulting with the stars once again identifying his next victim which was Kijin.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said to himself. "Sirius, the demon star that shines brightly in the dark night is pointing to Kijin Shinokawa whose energy will soon rise to its fullest. He will now want to take photographs of young girls and with each picture he takes of one, his energy will build and build until it reaches its maximum capacity and then... it will be all mine."

* * *

At the his house, Kijin had now undergone a complete change from his original personality. He was slightly deranged and now had a strong desire to take pictures of girls. He was like a perv who had reached the breaking point of insanity.

"My creative juices are really flowing!" he cackled as he tinkered his camera. "Art is an explosion! I need to take photographs of girls! Any one will do! Lots of them! I need to take pictures of girls!"

* * *

At the Tsukino residence, Usagi and Harusuke were waiting in Usagi's room for Luna. She told them that she had something very important to give to them. While they were waiting, Usagi was reading through a magazine while Harusuke was sitting quietly. Then Usagi noticed a particular article in the magazine.

"Hey! Harusuke! Take a look at this!" said Usagi as she read it. " 'Be a model! Get your picture taken by the genius photographer Kijin Shinokawa!' "

"Kijin's taking pictures of girls now?" puzzled Harusuke. "Well... since he is a photographer I guess that's kinda cool, but I would have thought that he'd be more of the landscape type of guy."

"Who cares about that? I'm gonna become a model!" said Usagi eagerly. "I'm gonna have Kijin take my picture and then get his autograph!"

Harusuke could only sigh. "Here we go again..."

Then Luna came into the room. As she got onto Usagi's bed, she was carrying a strange device in her mouth. It was flat, pink and had a small screen with buttons underneath it.

"Hey Luna. What's that you're carrying?" asked Harusuke.

"This the new communicator for Usagi and the girls," said Luna. "I already given Rei and Ami their communicators, so I'm giving Usagi hers."

"Oh wow! That's great!" said Usagi as eagerly took the device. "I'm gonna call Ami right now and tell her that I'm gonna be a model!"

"Usagi! Wait a minute! I think this is one of those things where you're not supposed to use that thing for stupid things!" chided Harusuke.

But Usagi wouldn't listen. She pressed a button on the device and Ami's face immediately popped up on the screen.

"What is it, Usagi? Is evrything OK?" she asked thinking that something was wrong.

"Guess what Ami? You won't believe this!" said Usagi excitedly. "I'm gonna apply to become a model!"

Ami was now a little cross. "Usagi! The communicator should only be used for serious matters!" she scolded. "Anyway, I'm kind of bust solving this math problem, so I'll listen to your story tomorrow."

And with that, Ami's face disappeared from the screen.

"Aw. She hung up," said Usagi disappointedly. "Well fine then. I'll just call Rei instead."

"Now hold on Usagi," said Harusuke. "First of all, you shouldn't be playing around with that thing. It's only supposed to be used for emergencies like Ami said. Secondly, if you call Rei, you'll just be giving her another reason to yell and or pick on you."

Usagi then remembered back to when she and Rei were fighting before. "Uh... yeah. I guess you have a point there," she said as she put her communicator in her pocket. Then she got an idea. "I know! I'll tell Mom, Dad, and Shingo! They'll be thrilled!"

And then Usagi left the room leaving Luna and Harusuke by themselves.

"I swear... that girl is something else," sighed Harusuke.

"Anyway, Harusuke have a communicator for you too," said Luna. "However yours is a little different than Usagi's."

Luna did her signature great leap back-flip leaving a trail of light. The light swirled around then a small object landed on the bed. However, Harusuke was surprised to see that the object that Luna conjured, was none other than his transformation bracelet.

"Uh... Luna? Isn't this my bracelet to transform?" he asked.

"Yes it is," replied Luna. "But I made some notifications to it. It can now serve as a communicator as well. All you need to do is press that button and it will connect you to whichever guardian you want to communicate with. You'll be automatically connected to that guardian. Just don't go calling everyone like your sister."

Harusuke looked at his bracelet and saw then saw a small silver button on the top of it.

"Wow. That's pretty cool," he said as he put it on. "And don't worry Luna. I'll only use it in an emergency."

* * *

In the dining room, Usagi and Harusuke came down the stairs. As they came in they saw Ikuko cooking something on the stove for dinner and Shingo lounging around at the table. Usagi then told her mother and Shingo her plans about becoming a model. When Shingo heard what his sister said, he burst into a fit of laughter.

"You?! Become a model?!" he cackled hysterically. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard! It ain't gonna happen!"

"What do you mean by that?!" pouted Usagi indignantly. "Why can't I become a model? I mean I'm pretty enough!"

"Gimme a break! There's more to being a model than just having a pretty face and a nice body," said Shingo. "The model also has to have a sharp mind too."

"Then I'll just study really hard from now on," said Usagi.

"That won't do you any good," scoffed Shino. "You're way too dumb. A brainless bunny like you has no chance of changing that easily. Just give it up. In fact, I bet you couldn't even make through the first round, so don't even bother trying."

"Now Shingo, that's going a little far," said Harusuke. "There's no need to be so harsh."

"Oh come on Harusuke, it's for her own good," said Shingo. "Besides, you were probably going to tell Usagi the same thing. You just don't wanna hurt her feelings."

"Mom! Shingo's being mean to me!" Usagi complained to Ikuko.

"Don't be silly," said Ikuko. "Personally, I thought what Shingo said was pretty accurate. It's better for Shingo to prepare you so you don't get your hopes up too much."

"Ouch. That's a tad harsh Mom," said Harusuke.

Usagi was now crying very upset. "You're both so mean! I'm surrounded by evil, heartless family members! Why won't anyone show me some support?!"

* * *

A little later, Harusuke took Usagi to the Game Center to talk to Motoki of whom Usagi also told about her plans.

"Come on Usagi. You gotta cheer up," said Motoki. "Don't give up before you even started. What's important is that you take on the challenge and try your hardest, even though there's a possibility that you'll fail."

Usagi felt much better. "Thank you Motoki," she said. "You're the only one who's ever really nice to me."

"Hey! What about me?" complained Harusuke. "I'm showing you some support too!"

Then they heard a voice. "You should give it a shot Usagi," it said. "Although, I doubt that you'll be able to make the cut, but by all means go ahead and give it a shot."

The voice turned out to come from Mamoru who was sitting in front of them a few feet away. Usagi was immediately cross upon seeing him.

"Nobody asked for your opinion!" she snapped. "So stop butting in our conversation!"

Mamoru then walked up to them. "To be perfectly honest, people these days have it all wrong, guys and girls. They think that simply having good looks is what makes a girl beautiful, but what actually makes the girl stand out from everyone else is something far more than just physical appearance."

"And what's that?" asked Harusuke.

"What's inside!" said Mamoru with passion. "A kind heart and the guts to do what she thinks is right and just, no matter how hard and difficult it might be."

Harusuke and Usagi were surprised by Mamoru's words. This was probably the first time that Mamoru had something helpful to Usagi.

"That's... actually a pretty cool thing to say, Mamoru," said Harusuke. "I'm impressed. Although I can't help, but think that you forgot the insulting part."

"Girls have guts too huh?" said Usagi thoughtfully. "I never thought about that."

"That's right," said Mamrou. "However... in your case, you're missing both guts and beauty."

"And there's the insulting part," sighed Harusuke.

"Oh yeah? So what if I don't have them," said Usagi. "I'm just fine the way I am."

"Just listen for a sec," continued Mamoru. "If Kijin Shinokawa is willing to take pictures of any girl, any time, as long as she's beautiful and young, then he's nothing more, but a second-rate or even a third-rate cameraman with that kind of attitude."

"Ugh! You will just shut up already?" humphed Usagi. "I don't even want to look at you anymore."

And with that, Usagi stuck out her tongue, turned her head away with her nose in the air, and march out of the Game Center with Luna trotting close behind her.

"Mamoru, you really shouldn't egg my sister like that," said Harusuke. "She may be a little bull-headed, but she's not a child."

"Harusuke's right," said Mamoru. "Usagi's a good person and you should stop treating her that way."

"Well... I suppose you're both right," said Mamoru. "But I really can't help that. Whenever we talk, it always turns into an argument. Guess we weren't meant for each other."

As Harusuke looked at Mamoru, he couldn't help but think about what he said about Kijin. Then he realized something.

"Wait a second... now that I think about it," thought Harusuke. "I don't think Kijin's ever taken photos of young girls before."

Then he spoke to Motoki and Mamoru. "Hey you two. Mind if I ask you both something?" he asked.

"Sure Harusuke. What's up?" said Mamoru.

"You're both familiar with Kijin's work right? Has... he ever taken pictures of young girls before this contest ever happened?"

Mamoru and Motoki hummed deep in thought.

"Now that you mention it, I don't recall Kijin ever taking photographs of girls before," said Motoki. "Have you Mamoru?"

"I don't think so," replied Mamoru. "Then again I've only heard about his work rather than seeing it. Why do you ask Harusuke?"

"Oh it's nothing," said Harusuke. "I was just curious about something, that's all."

And then, Harusuke left the Game Center following Usagi and Luna back home.

* * *

A few days later, Usagi was standing by her mailbox appearing to be waiting for something. She appeared to be very nervous. Then Shingo came up.

"Usagi? What are you doing standing here for?" he asked.

"N-nothing! No reason!" said Usagi nervously.

Then Shingo understood. "Ah I see. You're waiting for the mail to see that you got accepted, aren't you?" he smirked slyly. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no way they'd ever choose someone like you. You're gonna get rejected the moment they see your picture."

"Oh be quiet and go away would you?!" snapped Usagi.

Just then, the postman drove up. "Mail for Usagi Tsukino!" he said handling Usagi a letter.

Usagi eagerly opened the envelope while Shingo started back towards the house.

"It's probably junk mail or something," he muttered.

But he would soon learn that he was wrong. For Usagi said some words that made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Yes! I got selected!" cried Usagi happily. "I made it past the first round!"

"Say what?!" cried Shingo. "You have to be joking!"

Usagi grinned victoriously and showed Shingo the letter of approval. "It says here that I have to report to the pool at the New Japan hotel for a professional photo shoot tomorrow! In your face!"

Shingo's mouth dropped completely shocked as Usagi merrily skipped past him going into the house.

* * *

Harusuke was walking out of his room still feeling a bit uneasy as to what he heard about Kijin and the contest when he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from Usagi's room. It was the sound of terrible singing. Harusuke immediately opened the door and he couldn't believe his eyes. Usagi was walking back and forth of her room balancing a stack of books on top of her head singing and reciting some tongue twisters with Luna covering her ears.

"Usagi? What on earth are you doing?" asked Harusuke.

Usagi felt a little startled causing her to accidentally make the books fall from her head.

"Hey! Harusuke! What's the big idea?!" demanded Usagi. "You distracted me!"

"Distracted you? From what?" asked Harusuke.

"From practicing being a model," said Usagi. "In case you didn't know, I've been selected to be a model for Kijin."

Harusuke's eyes widened at that. "What?! You were selected?! Seriously?!"

"That's right!" Usagi grinned. "If you don't believe me, take a look at the note I got on my desk. In the meantime, I've got some practicing to do."

Then Usagi began to sing again and needless to say it was less than perfect.

"Somebody please make her stop..." mourned Luna.

Harusuke ignored the two and went over to Usagi's desk. He then saw the approval letter and he was even more surprised than ever upon reading it.

"No way... Usagi really was picked? By Kijin?" Harusuke thought to himself. "You have to be kidding me..." Now Harusuke felt more suspicious about this than ever before and this was also making him worried, but he didn't want to say anything. He quietly left the room while Usagi continued her bad singing practice much to the chargin of Luna. Then Usagi suddenly remembered something.

"Oh yeah! That's right! They said we have to bring a swimsuit!"

She then went into her closet and began searching for a swimsuit. The good news was she was able to find one which was a pink one piece, but the bad news was...

"Oh no! It's full of holes!" cried Usagi as she burst into tears. "The moths got to it!"

* * *

Outside of her room, Harusuke stood by himself still worried. Something had happened to Kijin and he had a feeling why. He then pushed the button on his communicator and then Ami's and Rei's faces popped up on it.

"Harusuke? Is something the matter?" asked Ami.

"Yes. There is," said Harusuke. "You know that photographer, Kijin Shinokawa? I think something bad's happened to him."

"Something bad? Tell us what happened," said Rei.

Harusuke then explained to the two what had happened regarding Kijin's recent and sudden interest in taking pictures of girls and how Usagi was chosen to be a photographer. When he was done, Ami was a little worried too.

"I see. So you think that the Dark Kingdom could have gotten to Kijin and is now using him to take pictures of girls?" asked Ami. "If that's true, then Usagi might be in danger!"

"Forget that! What I wanna know is why the heck would Kijin would choose someone like Usagi!" said Rei indignantly. "That moron is way too dumb and whiny to even be a model!"

"That's not the issue here!" snapped Harusuke. "Anyway, that's why I'm gonna follow her and make sure she's alright," said Harusuke.

"But how are you gonna be able to get in?" asked Ami. "There's bound to be security with all those girls around."

"You just let me worry about that," said Harusuke. "You two just make sure you're ready to head for the New Japan Hotel as fast as you can. I'll call you two if I need you."

"Alright then. You can count on us," said Rei. "Just make sure you're careful Harusuke."

"Will do," said Harusuke as he turned off his communicator.

* * *

A little while later, Usagi was at the New Japan Hotel with Luna hiding in her bag. There were lots of girls there. They were all gathered in the main hall in front of the stage. Kijin then stepped onto the stage wearing a fancy white tuxedo.

"Art is an explosion!" he proclaimed to the girls. "Now, all of you ladies go to your assigned dressing rooms and stand by for your turn. And in addition, there is absolutely no peeking at the photo shoot! I don't want to be distracted! Remember to show up at your assigned time. Understood?"

The girls all cheered agreeing as they all headed to their rooms to get changed.

* * *

Usagi was walking down a hall trying to find her assigned dressing room. Usagi was excited, but Luna however was feeling a bit worried.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Usagi," said Luna. "Kijin Shinokawa's attitude seems to be completely different than before."

"Oh come on Luna, you worry too much," said Usagi. "Everyone knows that artists can sometimes be eccentric and temperamental."

"That aside, I still can't believe that you were selected to be a model," said Luna thoughtfully. "I can't understand it."

"Hey! Shut it Luna!" snapped Usagi.

Then two familiar faces came up to Usagi which made Usagi surprised to see them.

"Ms. Haruna? Naru? What are you guys doing here?" asked Usagi.

"Oh hi Usagi," said Naru. "Ms. Haruna and I were chosen by Kijin to model for him."

"And it seems that you managed to make it pass the first round too," said Ms. Haruna.

* * *

A little while later, Usagi prepping herself while Ms. Haruna, Naru and the other girls were getting dressed into their swimsuits.

"Hey Usagi, you better hurry up and get changed," said Naru. "Did you bring a swimsuit?"

"Y-yes. I did," said Usagi slowly blulshing. "In fact... I'm wearing it right now."

"Well? Let me see it," said Naru. "You can at least do that much, can't you?"

Usagi gulped, but she took off her clothes and revealed her swimsuit. It was the same pink one piece, but this time it was covered with bows, so no one would notice the holes. Usagi was a little worried about it, but Naru loved it.

"Wow Usagi! It looks so cute!" she said.

"Th-thank you," said Usagi doubtfully.

"Man... it's a good thing I used bows to cover them up," she thought to herself. "Hopefully no one will notice!"

* * *

Outside of the changing rooms, Luna was silently prowling around investigating the area. As she went down the halls, she noticed something. Someone else was walking around the halls too. A young man wearing a blue janitor's suit. At first, Luna thought it was another civilian, but it didn't take Luna to realize that it wasn't just a janitor. It was Harusuke in disguise. Luna immediately went over to him.

"Harusuke? Is that you?" she asked.

He at first was surprised, but Harusuke was then relieved when he saw Luna. "Whew. It's just you Luna," he said. "Thank goodness you're here."

"What are you doing here dressed up like that?" asked Luna. "Don't tell me that you're planning to watch the girls?"

"No. Nothing like that," said Harusuke shaking his head. "I'm here because I think something's up with Kijin. I think he's been possessed by the Dark Kingdom."

"So you were suspicious too? At least I'm not the only one who noticed," said Luna. "Once again, you've proven that you're way more sensible than Usagi is."

"In any case, we've got to find Kijin," said Harusuke. "If he really is under the influence of the Dark Kingdom, we've got to find him before he does something bad."

"Then let's head for the pool," said Luna. "That was where Kijin was having the photo shoot."

"Right."

* * *

Soon enough, Luna and Harusuke made their way to the pool where Kijin was with a group of girls readying his camera. Luna and Harusuke hid from behind a door and watched waiting to see what would happen. The girls were posing awaiting for Kijin to take their photo. Kijin smiled darkly giggling like a madman and pressed the button on his camera.

A beam of dark light shot out from the camera as he took the shot. Then in a brilliant flash of light, all the girls disappeared. Kijin then cackled evilly.

"Art is an explosion!" he said. "When the feeling comes, I get up close and boom! I'm a photographic genius!"

Harusuke and Luna gasped.

"The girls! They disappeared!" said Harusuke.

"It seems our suspicions were spot on as usual!" said Luna. "We've got to tell Usagi and alert Rei and Ami!"

The two then raced back to the changing room where Usagi and the other girls were. Harusuke stayed outside, but Luna went inside going to Usagi.

"Usagi! Listen to me! We've got trouble!" she whispered urgently. "All the girls that were being photographed have completely vanished!"

"What are you talking about?" Usagi asked. "Girls can't just disappear."

"I saw it with my own eyes!" protested Luna. "Harusuke too! We're certain that this is a sinister plot by the Dark Kingdom! We've got to let Ami and Rei know, right now!"

"Will you leave me alone?! I don't have time for that!" whispered Usagi. "I have to get ready! It's almost my turn!"

Luna was cross, but then she had an idea. "Alright then. If you don't come with me right now, I'll expose your swimsuit."

Usagi immediately gulped and conceded. "Alright, fine, you win."

She then went out of the room with Luna where Harusuke was waiting hiding behind a corner.

"Harusuke? What are you doing here?" demanded Usagi. "Don't tell me you wanted to peep in on the photo shoot."

"You know me better than that, Usagi!" snapped Harusuke. "I came here because of Kijin being under the influence of the Dark Kingdom! Now if you don't mind, I have to contact Ami."

"Alright, alright," said Usagi.

He then pressed the button on his bracelet and Ami's face once again appeared on the screen.

"What is it, Harusuke?" asked Ami. "Is there trouble?"

Before Harusuke could answer, Usagi rudely interrupted.

"Ami. You have to come to the New Japan Hotel, so you can see me all dressed up for my big photo shoot," she said.

"Will you cut it out?!" snapped Luna. Then she spoke to Ami. "Ignore what she just said. There's been an incident! Please come right away!"

"And make sure you get Rei too," added Harusuke. "Hurry as fast as you can."

"Understood," said Ami. "Over and out."

Then Naru and Ms. Haruna came out of the room. Harusuke immediately shut his communicator and pretend that he was a janitor working so they two wouldn't suspect.

"Hey Usagi! Let's go!" said Naru. "It's our turn!"

"Coming!" said Usagi.

"Now hold on Usagi!" said Harusuke. "Didn't we just tell you that there's an emergency?!"

Usagi ignored him was just about to walk away, when Luna jumped up and grabbed one of Usagi's bows on her back with her mouth and tore it off catching her by surprise.

"Hey! Luna! What'd you do that for?!" she exclaimed.

Luna then ran down the hall with the bow in her mouth.

Usagi was now very cross. "You're so gonna pay for that Luna!"she yelled. "Get back here!"

And she gave chase in hot pursuit of Luna. Harusuke chased after them as well.

"Well I suppose that's one way to get someone like Usagi to follow you," he panted. "It's like a bull and a matador."

* * *

At the pool, Naru, Ms. Haruna, and two other girls were striking poses preparing to get their photos taken. At that moment, Luna, Usagi, and Harusuke all arrived at the scene in time to see Kijin press the button on his camera. In a blinding flash of light, all four of the girls disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Usagi was shocked. "Th-they vanished!" she squeaked.

"See? We told you so!" said Luna.

"This is really bad!" said Harusuke. "We've got to stop Kijin before he makes someone else disappear!"

Kijin was beside himself with glee as he laughed evilly and triumphantly as Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna ran up to him.

"Kijin! What did you do to everyone?!" demanded Harusuke.

Kijin looked at the three and smirked. "Art is an explosion!" he said taking aim with his camera. "Any girl will do! Boom! Boom! I'm going to shoot them all!"

"Don't you understand what you're doing is wrong?!" said Usagi as she stepped towards him. "All of this isn't like you at all! You thinking that any young girl will do?! Taking pictures with an attitude like that makes you no different than a third-rate photographer!"

"Usagi! You're just repeating what Mamoru said!" chided Luna.

"Well... at least she remembered if you want to give her some credit," said Harusuke flatly.

"Deep down, you're a photographer who understands all the beauty in this world!" continued Usagi. "Please Kijin! You've got to snap out of it!"

Kijin scowled. "Shut up and mind your own business!" he snapped as he gave Usagi a hard shove causing her to stumble and bonk her head on a hanging surfboard. Harusuke immediately rushed to her sister's aid as she held her head in pain.

"Are you OK, Usagi?!" asked Luna.

Usagi answered with a nod and whimper.

"Hey! No one hurts my sister like that!" growled Harusuke. "Time for you to be taught a lesson! It's time for Solaris and Sailor Moon!"

Usagi and Harusuke straightened up and then transformed into action.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"A girl's true beauty isn't only in her looks!"

"It's in her heart and having the guts to do what's right and just!"

Kijin who was completely oblivious to the two immediately looked up and saw the two heroes that stood before him.

"Who are you two?!" he demanded.

"I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she proclaimed.

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun, and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!" he also proclaimed.

"Now whatever monster that has possessed Kijijn, come out and show yourself!" the two heroes demanded.

But Kijin wouldn't back down. He pointed to Solaris. "I don't care about you," he said. Then he pointed at Sailor Moon. "But you... you're a lovely photo subject! I must photograph you!"

He then rapidly pressed the button his camera firing multiple beams at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon dodged and weaved them all as they went past her.

"Stop this Kijin!" yelled Solaris. "A monster has you under its control!"

"If you continue, the energy of your passion will completely be sucked away by the monster inside your camera!" yelled Sailor Moon.

But Kijin didn't stop. He kept on firing and firing. Then Solaris had an idea. He immediately rushed straight towards Kijin. Kijin seeing Solaris coming immediately aimed his camera at him.

"Stay out of my way!" he yelled as he pushed the button.

The beam shot straight at Solaris, but at the last moment, Solaris jumped out of the way and dive-bombed straight for Kijin and kicked the camera out of his hands making the camera fall into the pool with a plop. Kijin then fell to the floor knocked unconscious.

"Nice one Solaris!" said Sailor Moon. Then she rushed over to Kijin to make sure that he was alright. "Kijin! Are you OK? You have to pull yourself together!"

"Is it over?" wondered Solaris as he looked towards the water. "Did we make it in time?"

He found that out soon enough. Right then, a large spout of water erupted from the pool and a being appeared before them. She was humanoid with pale purple skin, had strange appendages on her shoulders, wore a black leotard with a strange purple shirt that covered her left side, and had black-blue hair.

"You're both too late, Sailor Moon and Solaris," the being smirked evilly. "For I, Kyameran have stolen Kijin's energy." She raised her hand which had a strange eye on it and took aim at Sailor Moon. "Now take this!" she yelled.

She then fired a beam of light just like Kijin did before right at Sailor Moon and Kijin. Sailor Moon was able to get out of the way just in time, but Kijin wasn't so lucky. When he was struck with the beam, he too disappeared without a trace.

"Be careful you two!" yelled Luna. "If Kyameran takes either of your pictures, you'll both be sealed inside a photograph!"

"I don't like the sound of that!" cried Sailor Moon.

"Neither do I!" said Solaris.

Kyameran went on the attack again firing multiple beams at Sailor Moon and Solaris. The two dodged and dodged, but it was getting more and more difficult to dodge. Then there was trouble. In her attempt to dodge, Sailor Moon accidentally tripped causing her to fall flat on her face. Kyameran saw her chance and fired her beam.

"Sailor Moon! Look out!" yelled Solaris.

But then suddenly in a heroic sacrifice, Luna jumped in the way of the beam causing it to hit her. Luna soon disappeared another victim to Kyameran's beam.

"Oh no! Luna!" cried Sailor Moon.

Upon seeing Luna sacrifice herself, Solaris immediately gunned straight for Kyameran. "You monster! You're gonna pay for that!" he yelled.

He swung at the monster with a flurry of fists and kicks, but Kyameran dodged each and every blow. Then when Solaris punched again, Kyameran saw her chance and jumped away from Solaris' next blow and when Solaris was open, she fired her beam at him and in a bright flash of light, Solaris was gone too.

"No! Solaris!" cried Sailor Moon. "Where'd he go?!"

Kyameran smirked as three pictures appeared in her hands. "In here," she said as she threw them at Sailor Moon's feet.

Sailor Moon took the photos and stared at them in horror.

"No... Luna... Kijin... Solaris..." whimpered Sailor Moon as a tear fell down her cheek. Then she glared at Kyameran. "How... How could you?!"

Kyameran chuckled evilly as she took aim once again. "It doesn't matter anyway because you'll both be joining them soon enough! Have another taste of my Shutter-Click Attack!"

Sailor Moon backed away now feeling rather frightened. Then two voices rang out.

"Hold it right there!"

Kyameran and Sailor Moon looked to both their rights and saw that Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars had arrived on the scene making Sailor Moon overjoyed to see them. Sailor Mercury then unleashed her mist using her signature attack while Rei whipped out ofudas throwing them.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

"Evil Spirit, be excorcized!"

"You fools! Do you really think that that'll work against me?!" yelled Kyameran as she fired a barrage of beams all around her.

Her beams destroyed Sailor Mars' ofudas one after another and she was even able to scatter Sailor Mercury's mist. To make things even more worse, her beams were also able to hit the two Sailors causing them to be turned to photographs too. Now Sailor Moon really was the only one left.

"No! Sailor Mars! Sailor Mercury!" she cried.

Kyameran chuckled with triumph as she closed in on Sailor Moon. "No one can save you now," she smirked. "You won't be able to get away from me."

Sailor Moon scooted back with fear until she found herself against a wall of mirror. She realized this, an idea popped into her mind.

"Wait a second... what'll happen if she takes the force from her own attack?" she thought. "Only one way to find out!"

"I hope you're ready for your close-up!" said Kyameran. "For it's gonna be the last one you'll ever get!"

Kyameran took aim and fired with maximum power. At the last moment, Sailor Moon jumped up getting out of the way of the blast just in time making Kyameran's beam bounce off the mirror and hit her instead. Kyameran screamed in pain as the beam seemed to scorch her body causing her skin to bubble and melt.

"No... how can this be?!" she groaned. "Caught inside my own camera?!"

Sailor Moon saw her chance and took off her tiara preparing to unleash her attack. "Monster Kyameran! What you've done here was unforgivable!" she said. "And now in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you! MOON TIARA MAGIC!"

Sailor Moon launched her white disc of energy hit Kyameran dead on right in her stomach making her burst into flame shrieking in agony. She soon faded from existence now completely destroyed. Then all of the victims who were trapped in photographs were released and returned to normal including Luna, Solaris, and the others.

"I think I had just about enough of having my picture taken!" sighed Sailor Moon in relief as she sank to her knees from exhaustion.

* * *

Back at the mansion in the woods, Nephrite could no longer feel the power from Sirius meaning that it was another failed plan.

"No... Kyameran was defeated? But how?" wondered Nephrite.

Then he heard a voice. One that he wished he'd never hear again.

"Well, well. It would seem that your plan has failed, Nephrite," the voice said.

Nephrite scowled for he knew who that voice belonged to. Sure enough, the person appeared before him in a large projection.

"Zoisite!" Nephrite growled clenching his fists.

"I'm sure that Queen Beryl would be quite happy with the result of your fight and that another one of your plans has failed," said Zoisite coolly. "You're failing and underestimated Sailor Moon and her friends just like Jadeite."

Nephite glared in anger, but he calmed down and chuckled. "And what about all your plans Zoisite?" he rebuked. "Have you the Legendary Silver Crystal that will awaken our Great Ruler?"

Zoisite wasn't smiling anymore.

"I didn't think so," said Nephrite. " And don't forget, there are countless numbers of people on Earth from whom I can steal energy from! So why don't you take care of your own business before you go poking your nose into somebody else's?"

Zoisite scowled and said nothing more as his projection faded away.

* * *

It was now nighttime at the Tsukino residence. All of the family members were sitting in front of the TV watching the news. Everyone except for a certain someone.

"Hey. Does anyone know where Usagi is?" asked Kenji.

"She's locked herself in her room and won't come out," said Ikuko.

"She probably embarrassed herself at that photo shoot of hers," said Shingo as he munched on a melon. "And now she's way too mortified to even face us."

Harusuke then pinched Shingo on his shoulder making him yelp in pain.

"Shingo. Be nice," he scolded. "Usagi's had a rough day, so I won't let you talk about her like that."

Then on the TV, Harusuke saw Kijin who was making an announcement that he was going to take a break from photography for a while which made the press bustling with questions.

"Will you be able to start again soon?" asked a reporter. "And why have you made this decision?"

"Well I was taught a very valuable lesson today," said Kijin. "And that is a woman's true beauty isn't found only by her looks, it's in her kind heart and her love for what's right and just. When I truly understand that with all of my being, only then I will take the camera up again."

"And who taught you this valuable lesson?" asked another reporter.

Kijin smiled and blushed. "A wonderful young lady."

Ikuko sighed. "If only Usagi would become a wonderful young lady like whoever helped him."

"True, but I doubt that will ever happen," said Kenji.

"You got that right," said Shingo. "That's way too much to ask for a dumb sister like her."

Harusuke could only chuckle and shake his head. "If only they knew," he thought to himself. "If only they knew..."

* * *

In her room, Usagi was fast asleep on her bed exhausted from her day. As she was sleeping, her head was filled to the brim with dreams of herself being a beautiful and high respected model. I guess we all know who was starting to mature as a wonderful young lady. Don't we?


	20. Chapter 19

In the Dark Dimension, Nephrite stood before Queen Beryl giving her his report about his mission.

"So Nephrite, have you made any progress in collecting energy and eliminating of those Guardians?" she asked.

"I can assure you Queen Beryl," said Nephrite. "Everything is under control. Please leave the matter to me."

Then Zoisite appeared chuckling mockingly. "Are sure about that?" he asked coolly. "Because it seems to me that you seem to be having quite the struggle with them. I'd be happy to help you if you want. I mean after all, two people can carry out a plan better than one ever could. Wouldn't you agree Queen Beryl?"

"Yes. That is a good idea," agreed Queen Beryl. "Nephrite, you will work with Zoisite and-"

"Never! I refuse!" interrupted Nephrite angrily.

"Oh my," said Zoisite feigning surprise. "Are you actually defying Queen Beryl, Nephrite? After all, she herself agrees that we should work together."

"Don't misunderstand Zoisite, I'm not doing this for Queen Beryl!" Nephrite snapped fiercely. "I'm doing this for myself! I work alone! Now if you'll excuse me..."

And with that, Nephrite disappeared from the room. Needless to say, Queen Beryl was rather cross with Nephrite for what he had just said.

"Damn you Nephrite...!" she hissed her hands slightly trembling in anger.

Zoisite however was rather pleased in this turn of events.

"Perfect! Everything is going just as I planned," he thought to himself smirking. "Now Queen Beryl will distance herself from Nephrite as she loses her confidence with him..."

* * *

At the Tsukino's house, the family was having breakfast.

"Wow, Usagi, you're up early today," said Kenji.

Usagi stuck up her chest with pride, but Shingo as usual was there to break that confidence.

"That's nothing special," he said. "Normal people do this every day. Harusuke's way better at it than you are."

"By the way Shingo," said Kenji. "I heard that your friend Mika won a prize in a French doll-making contest."

Shingo's face immediately brightened showing interest. "Really? She did?"

"I knew she would," smiled Ikuko. "After all, her mother was a well-known doll maker as well."

"Well I guess it's as they say: Like mother like daughter," agreed Kenji.

Usagi then held up a spoon close to Shingo's face pretending that she was a reporter. "Mr. Shingo Tsukino, how does it feel to have a famous celebrity as a girlfriend?"

Shingo blushed bright red in embarrassment as he immediately got up from his seat and headed for the door. Usagi continued to tease him.

"And that's the news!" she said grinning. "Back to you Tom."

"Cut it out will ya?!" snapped Shingo as he ran out the door making an akanbe face as he went out. "Dumb Usagi! You're gonna be late for school again as always!"

"Says you!" Usagi shot back. "I got up early today, so I wouldn't be late!"

Then Usagi looked at her watch. Her victorious smirk quickly disappeared and her face paled.

"Oh no! Is that really the time?!" she shrieked. "I'm gonna be late!"

She immediately shot up from the table and raced out the door hoping that she wouldn't be late.

* * *

At school, Usagi unfortunately wound up being late after all and ended up standing in the hall throughout class. Soon it was after school and Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru were walking home together. Usagi was still feeling a tad depressed for being late.

"Well... at least you tried to get up early," said Harusuke. "That counts for something."

"Well one thing's for sure," said Naru. "You never get tired of being late, do you?"

"Leave me alone," groaned Usagi.

Just then two little girls came up to them. They appeared to be no more than Shingo's age if not younger.

"Excuse me, but are you two Shingo's big sister and brother?" asked one girl.

"Yes. We are," said Usagi.

"We were hoping you could tell that why Shingo is so mean?!" said the other girl.

"Why do you say that?" asked Harusuke. "What did he do?"

Then the two girls explained what had happened.

* * *

 _Shingo was sitting at his desk reading a book when Mika came up to him._

 _"Hey Shingo," she greeted._

 _Shingo then smiled at his friend. "Hey there Mika! Congratulations on winning that doll contest!" he said._

 _"Thank you very much," said Mika shyly. "And Shingo... I... want you to have this."_

 _She handed him a small package wrapped in purple foil._

 _Shingo was surprised and puzzled. "Wh-what's this?" he asked._

 _"It's the doll that won me the prize in the contest," said Mika. "I'd like you to have it."_

 _Shingo was now even more surprised. "R-really? Are you sure it's OK for me to have something so important to you?"_

 _"Of course," said Mika. "You were always there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to, so... it's the least I can do."_

 _Then a couple of boys saw the two and they both began to tease them._

 _"Aww... look at the lovebirds," taunted one boy._

 _"When's the wedding gonna be?" taunted the another._

 _Now Shingo felt very embarrassed. "N-never mind. Take it back. I don't want it," he said hastily._

 _He tried to push the doll back into Mika's arms, but that would soon be his greatest mistake. For in his haste to give back the doll, Shingo accidentally made the doll slip from his and Mika's fingers causing the doll to fall and then hit floor with a mighty crash. The room was filled with an eerie silence as the boys that were teasing Shingo nervously backed away pretending not to be involved. Mika quickly opened the package praying that the damage was minimal, but sadly the doll inside was in pieces._

 _Mika was more shock than she was upset and her eyes filled with tears. Shingo wanted to apologize, but due to his stubborn pride, he kept his mouth shut and looked away._

* * *

When the girls finished telling what happened, Harusuke was shocked while Usagi was cross.

"And what's even worse than that, Shingo didn't even apologize for it," said the first girl. "Everyone felt so sorry for poor Mika."

"We were both hoping that you two could talk some sense into Shingo and tell him to apologize to Mika," said the second girl. "Could you both please do that for us?"

"Oh you know we will!" said Usagi angrily. "What he did was flat-out wrong!"

"Seems like you and Harusuke need to go have a heart to heart talk with him," said Naru.

"You better believe it!" said Usagi. "Especially one from his smart and beautiful big sister!"

"I know I don't normally say this, but I agree with you Usagi," said Harusuke. "Well... except for the smart part." He then turned to the girls. "Don't worry you two. Usagi and I will have a talk with Shingo and get him to apologize. Just leave it to us."

The two girls smiled feeling relieved. "Thank you both so much!"

* * *

Meanwhile at the Kayama's house, Mika was hard at work working on another doll. Her room was dark due to the lights being dimmed and was surrounded by various dolls of which she created herself. Then she heard a knock on her door and her mother came in.

"Are you alright honey?" she asked. "Why is your room so dark in here?"

"It's easier for me on concentrate this way," said Mika.

Her mother then inspected the doll at Mika was currently working on. "Oh, you're already working on your next one. But... this doll looks like its on the verge of tears, but it's still well-made," smiled her mother. "Why don't we compare this one to the doll that won the prize?"

"Um... I don't have it anymore," said Mika quickly trying to fight back the tears. "I... let someone borrow it."

"Oh? Who has it then?" asked her mother.

"Just... someone," said Mika quietly.

"Alright then," said her mother. "When you do get it back, please show it to me when you have time. OK?"

"OK," replied Mika.

And her mother left the room. Mika then sat in her chair silently looking down at a drawer in her desk. She then opened it revealing where she had placed the broken doll that she had tried to give to Shingo. Her eyes then filled up with tears finally being unable to hold them in as she started to cry. She felt very heartbroken, confused, and most of all, alone.

* * *

In his mansion in the woods, Nephrite was consulting the stars once again looking for the perfect person to take energy from.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said as the projection came into life once again.

The project of Earth began to flash and then a colorful beam of light shone shooting right in the middle of Nephrite's forehead and he began to see who is next victim was which turned out to be Mika.

"Ah yes. Orpheus in Lyra has begun to play a plaintive melody on his harp," he said. "He's selected my next target which is Mika Kayama! All of her energy will be mine!"

* * *

At the Tsukino residence, Shingo was in his room. He was busy writing an apology letter to Mika feeling terrible for what had happened. But as he was writing the letter, his pride once again got to him and he immediately tore up the letter.

"It's hopeless! I can't do it!" he yelled. "I can't say it!"

Then he heard a knock on his door and heard two voices causing him to immediately gulp.

"Hey! Shingo! You in there?!"

"We need to talk to you for a second."

Shingo knew who those voices were. He immediately calmed down and got out a book so he could pretend that he was studying.

"C-come in," he said nervously.

The door then opened and in stepped Harusuke and a very cross Usagi. Usagi then stomped over to Shingo and gave him a hard clonk on top of his head.

"Hey! Usagi! I thought I told you no hitting!" chided Harusuke.

"Well he deserves it for being so dumb," said Usagi.

"What'd you do that for?!" demanded Shingo.

"Why do you think? That was for Mika!" said Usagi. "Me and Harusuke know that you broke her doll today, so you're gonna go over to Mika's house and apologize to her right now!"

"Why don't the two of you mind your own business?!" snapped Shingo and he tried pushing them both out the door. "Now get out! Both of you!"

"Shingo. Be reasonable," said Harusuke. "I understand that you're a boy and everything and you're not usually the type of person to apologize, but you really hurt Mika's feelings and you should go and say sorry."

"Like I said that's none of your business!" said Shingo. "Just butt out will you?!"

Harusuke then sighed. "Alright then. If you're gonna be stubborn..." He then looked at Usagi. "Usagi? Sic em."

"With pleasure," Usagi smirked. Then she spoke to Shingo. "Go and apologize otherwise, me and Harusuke will tell Mom and Dad."

Shingo's heart immediately skipped a beat. "No! You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes we would," said Usagi. "I wonder how Mom and Dad will do once they find out?"

"You... you wouldn't..." gulped Shingo.

"Oh yes she would," said Harusuke. "And don't expect me to go and stop her. Especially since you were the one who messed up."

Shingo then sighed in defeat not seeing a way out of this.

"So you're going to do what we say, Shingo?" asked Harusuke.

"Yes... Alright," said Shingo.

"Good. Now go over to Mika's place and apologize," said Usagi sternly. "Got it?"

"All right, All right already," said Shingo. "I'm going."

He then walked out of his room and headed out of the house. Usagi and Harusuke watched as Shingo left.

"Are you sure we weren't too hard on him, Usagi?" asked Harusuke. "I mean we did kinda push him."

"Don't go feeling guilty Harusuke," said Usagi. "Besides, it was Shingo's fault for getting into this mess with Mika. He has to learn that there are somethings you can't do to a girl."

"I... guess that makes sense," said Harusuke. "And that says a lot coming from me. I just hope that Mika will accept Shingo's apology."

* * *

Soon enough, Shingo could see Mika's house in sight, but he was still nervous and not sure what to say to Mika, so he decided to practice what he was going to say to Mika. He pretended that she was in front of him and clapped his hands together bowing slightly.

"Mika! I'm so sorry! It's my fault that your doll broke!" he said. "I'll make it up to you even if it takes the rest of my life." Shingo then felt confident. "That's good enough. I'll say it like that!"

He was just about talk up to the gates when he heard loud screech and a roar. Shingo immediately stepped back just in time to see a certain red sports car shoot past him and stop right in front of the gates. He watched in amazement as Nephrite under his disguise as Masato step out of the car.

"Whoa... awesome car!" he murmured.

Nephrite then came up to the gate where the doorbell was with a radio on it and pressed it.

Mika's mother then answered through the radio. "Yes?"

"This is Masato Sanjoin," answered Nephrite. "I called earlier to see your daughter."

"Oh yes," said Mika's mother. "Hold on just a moment please."

Shingo could only watch as the gates opened and Nephrite walked inside. "Looks like they have company," he thought to himself. "I guess I better come back later..."

And then Shingo left not wanting to be a bother and his confidence evaporating.

* * *

Nephrite was now sitting in the living room in front of Mika and her mother admiring all of the dolls that Mika and her mother had made.

"I must say I'm impressed. All this time I thought that Pierre Dumaux was the only person who could create such wonderful dolls made in the French tradition," he said. "But now after seeing all of these dolls, I believe that I changed my mind."

Mika's mother giggled. "You certainly know how to flatter a girl."

"Your daughter is quite talented as well," continued Nephrite turning to Mika. "I believe it was Mika, correct? I was incredible impressed with the doll that you entered in the recent contest. It was truly wonderful. I'd love to see it."

Mika gulped for she still hadn't told anyone about that doll.

Luckily, her mother spoke. "Mika. Why don't you show him the doll you've been working on now? I think he'd really appreciate it."

"All right then," said Mika.

She then got up and went to get the doll from her room. She soon returned with the doll and placed it front of Nephrite so he could see.

"Oh! This is lovely!" said Nephrite. "Mind if I take a closer look at it?"

Mika nodded. Nephrite then gingerly held up the doll inspecting it. As he did, he once again used his spell to implant a monster inside of Mika's doll.

"Now... Monster Jumou," Nephrite thought to himself. "Build up Mika Kayama's energy to its peak before taking it all away."

He then resumed critiquing the doll.

"This sorrowful expression is sublime..." Nephrite said. "Tell me, do you think that you could make ten more of these dolls for me?"

Mika was surprised at Nephrite's sudden request. "T-ten more?! That's a lot!" she said.

"That may be so," said Nephrite flashing a suave grin. "But I'm sure that I'd be able to sell ten of them quite easily."

"I'll be holding an exhibition of my work this Saturday," said Mika's mother. "And Mika's works will be displayed as well. I hope you'll come."

"I'll be looking forward to it," smiled Nephrite.

* * *

After Nephrite had left, Mika immediately set to work on her first doll. Surprisingly she was able to finish it in a matter of minutes. Mika's mother was surprised, but she was also impressed.

"Wow Mika! You finished that one so quickly," she said.

"I don't know why, but I feel really motivated now," smiled Mika. "I'm gonna get started on the next one."

"Now hold on Mika. I understand you're eager, but you need to get ready for bed," said her mother. "You have school tomorrow. Remember?""

"I'll be fine Mom," said Mika who was now in some kind of strange trance as she continued her work.

"Now don't be like that," said her mother who was now being a little stern. "Let's put everything away OK?"

"Shut up!" snapped Mika. "Don't bother me!"

Suddenly Mika immediately turned around and pushed her mother way from her knocking her flat on her butt. Also unknown to either of them at the time, the doll that Nephrite infected with his spell slightly turned its head. Then it flashed an evil grin as it's eyes glowed in the darkness.

* * *

The very next day after school, Shingo once more worked up courage to go to Mika's place ready to apologize. When he got there, he saw Mika's mother standing outside of the house looking very worried. Shingo decided to find out what was wrong.

"Excuse me Ms. Kayama... but is something wrong?" he asked. "And is Mika OK?"

"I honestly don't know Shingo," said her mother. "She's been hard at work making dolls for an order, but... she hasn't gotten any sleep since yesterday. I've tried to stop her, but she won't listen to me for some reason. I... just don't know what to do..."

Shingo could see that Mika's mother was worried and wanted to help her. "Well... if it's alright with you ma'am," he said. "Maybe I can try to talk to her."

Mika's mother's face brightened a little. "Sure. That would be wonderful Shingo."

She then led Shingo into the house and upstairs to Mika's room.

"Mika? Shingo's here to see you," her mother called as she knocked on the door.

"I don't want to see him," replied Mika from inside her room.

"But... Mika! I really want to talk to you!" said Shingo.

"Go away!" snapped Mika.

Shingo felt hurt thinking that Mika was still angry with him, but in truth, Mika was still busily at work making the dolls under the influence of the monster that possessed her.

* * *

Shingo was now sitting in his room feeling very sorry for himself.

"I guess she's still mad at me," he said. "If only there was some way for me to apologize to her."

Just then Usagi came in along with Luna and Harusuke. She was carrying a tray with three drinks of juice placing them on Shingo's desk.

"Wh-what do you guys want?" he asked feeling a lit surprised.

"We're here to see if you're doing okay," said Harusuke.

"And as your kind older siblings, we can't let you stay as sad as this without trying to cheer you up," said Usagi winking. "It is kinda our job."

"By the way Shingo, how did things go with Mika?" asked Harusuke. "Did manage to apologize to her yet?"

"Well... not exactly," said Shingo sadly.

Then explained what had happened when he went over to Mika's house.

"I see. So that's what happened," said Usagi.

"I still can't believe it thought," said Shingo. "I've never heard of Mika acting that way before. She's always been so nice to me. Do you think that I hurt her so badly that she'll never forgive me?"

Usagi then put her hand on Shingo's shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Cheer up," she said. "We'll fix it somehow."

"Yeah. Don't worry Shingo," said Harusuke. "Mika's probably under pressure from the order she's doing and she probably wants to get it done as soon as possible. She'll forgive you."

Shingo was still feeling unsure. Then Usagi had an idea.

"Hey! Next time you go to Mika's house, why don't you bring her something nice for her!" she said. "After all, girls are big softies for presents."

"You really think that would work?" asked Shingo.

"I think it will," chuckled Harusuke. "I mean after all, Usagi herself is a girl and she knows a lot more about them than we could."

"Yeah... That is a great idea!" said Shingo cheering up a bit. "Thanks Usagi. Thanks Harusuke. I'll go see if I can find anything that she likes."

Then Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna left Shingo's room. Usagi now was looking a bit concerned.

"Is something the matter Usagi?" asked Harusuke. "You seem a bit perplexed."

"I was just worried about Mika," said Usagi worriedly. "I think something's fishy about her, but I didn't want to say anything without worrying Shingo."

Luna and Harusuke stared at Usagi blankly a little surprised.

"Usagi... you're actually being pretty perceptive today," said Luna.

"No kidding," agreed Harusuke.

"Well... when it comes to Shingo, I try to do my best for him," said Usagi. "Besides, the thought of a "doll's curse" sounds pretty interesting."

Luna shuddered, the hairs of her tail standing on end. "Wait a minute! I don't like the sound of that!" she squeaked.

"What's the matter Luna? Don't tell me you're scared of the supernatural?" asked Harusuke slyly.

Luna furious shook her head shaking the fear out of her clearing her throat. "That aside, it is possible that the Dark Kingdom is up to their old tricks, so we'd better keep an eye on Mika."

"I agree," said Harusuke. "We'd better call Ami and Rei and tell them to be on stand by."

"Or... maybe we could just let them handle this by themselves," said Usagi her fear finally showing.

Luna and Harusuke glared at the blonde. "Usagi!" they snapped.

"Alright! Alright! I know," sighed Usagi. "I was kidding."

* * *

A little later, Usagi, Ami, Luna, and Harusuke were outside of Shingo's school investigating. Luna climbed up a tree looking into the school while the others waited outside of the gate.

"How's it look Luna?" asked Usagi. "Can you see anything?"

"I'm afraid not," said Luna. "The curtains are all shut, so I can't see anything."

"According to what Shingo said, Mika hasn't been coming to school for a few days now," said Usagi.

"Not to mention that she's never left her room ever since she was requested that order of ten dolls," said Harusuke.

"Which leaves us with one clue," said Ami as she looked at a poster by the gate. "The exhibition that begins tomorrow."

"Which means, we're going to have to try and get into that exhibition and see what's going on," finished Harusuke.

* * *

After they made a decision, Usagi and Harusuke went into Shingo's room to see what gift he would give to Mika. They saw him sitting on his desk making something out of clay.

"Hey there Shingo. What are you doing?" asked Harusuke. "Are you making a present for Mika?"

"I sure am," smiled Shingo.

"Aww it's so cute!" said Usagi. "It's a really nice job! She'll really love that little piggy!"

Shingo was cross. "It was supposed to be Sailor Moon," he grumped.

Now Usagi was a tad cross while Harusuke was trying his best not to laugh.

"Oh...and... I'm sure that Sailor Moon would... be thrilled," said Usagi who was trying her best not to be angry.

"Yeah... yeah... I know it's not perfect, but... it's the thought that counts right?" asked Shingo.

"Of course it is," said Harusuke. "As long as you make something with all your heart and soul, you can't go wrong," said Harusuke. "After all, she is the messenger of love and justice."

* * *

The next day, the art exhibition was now getting underway at the Juban Museum. People came from all around town just to see Mika and her mother's work. Nephrite was also there feeling very pleased.

"This is marvelous!" he said to Mika's mother. "This exhibition is a huge success!"

"Thank you very much," said Mika's mother.

Then Nephrite noticed something. "Where's Mika?" he asked.

"She's still in the back putting the finishing touches on that last doll," said Mika's mother. "I almost feel bad for letting her work so hard."

"I see," said Nephrite.

He then left smiling darkly happy that everything was going according to plan. Then he noticed a couple walking by him. It was Rei and Mamoru who were at the museum for their little date. Mamoru was practically being dragged along as Rei took him to one doll after another.

"Hey Mamoru! Look at this one!" said Rei excitedly. "This one was made by the doll maker's daughter! Don't you think that this one's cute?!"

"I guess so..." said Mamoru doubtfully. "I really wouldn't know. I don't really follow dolls."

"Oh... does that mean that you dislike dolls, Mamoru?" asked Rei in a begging tone.

Not wanting to make Rei upset, Mamoru quickly shook his head. "No, not really. I didn't mean it like that at all!" he said hastily.

Rei was relieved as she grabbed Mamoru by the arm. "Oh, good. Come on! Let's keep looking around!" she said.

"S-sure," said Mamoru.

Then as they walked along, Mamoru happened to notice Nephrite. When the two of them made eye contact, they stared at each other as if they had seen each other before. Then Mamoru broke the silence.

"May... I help you?" he asked.

"Sorry," apologized Nephrite. "I though that you were someone else."

Then Nephrite continued on his way as did Rei and Mamoru.

At the very same time, Usagi and the others had arrived that the museum as well. They all then split up into two groups. Ami and Luna were one group looking around the museum to make sure there was anything suspicious. Harusuke and Usagi made another group so they could stay with Shingo to provide him support for giving his gift to Mika and so they could check on Mika to make sure she was alright. Needless to say, Shingo was feeling a little nervous.

"Um guys... maybe... we shouldn't do this," he said nervously.

"Don't you dare back out of this!" whispered Usagi. "You can't get cold feet now!"

"Usagi's right Shingo," agreed Harusuke. "I know you're nervous, but you have to go and do it! You won't get another chance like this."

They soon met up with Mika's mother who was very pleased to see the three.

"Usagi! Shingo! Harusuke! How good of you all to come," she said greeting them warmly.

"Hello Ms. Kayama," said Usagi. "How's Mika doing and if she's around, may we go see her?"

Mika's mother smiled kindly. "She's in the back room right now, and I'm sure that she'd be happy to see you three."

"That's great!" said Usagi happily. "Now's your chance Shingo. Let's go!"

"Alright..." said Shingo.

And then the three went towards the back room. When they came into the room, they saw Mika just finishing up her final doll. Shingo was just about to give Mika her present when suddenly, the doll that Nephrite infected started to emit a strange force. At the very same time, Nephrite saw his chance.

"Her energy has peaked!" he said. "Come forth, Jumou!"

A large shadow came out of the doll and at the very same time, Mika's energy was completely drained from her causing her to fall unconscious. The shadow then transformed into a monster. Her body was just like a doll, but it appeared to be more like strange living armor as her eyes glinted with malice. The Tsukino siblings were horrified.

"No! Mika!" cried Usagi.

At that moment, Shingo didn't even hesitate. He immediately ran straight for Mika hoping to save her, but Jumou barred his way unleashed a force knocking him back and making him drop his model of Sailor Moon for Mika.

"Oh no! Shingo!" cried Harusuke as he rushed on over to him. "Are you OK? Say something!"

Then Jumou did something unforgivable. She saw Shingo's present and stomped on it crushing it into little pieces. Now Usagi and Harusuke were angry. At the very same time, Luna jumped through the window.

"Usagi! Harusuke! Transform!" she yelled.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!" yelled Usagi.

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!" yelled Harusuke.

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the guardian with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"

Jumou looked at the two heroes not impressed.

"How dare you break the doll that Shingo made just for Mika!" said Sailor Moon angrily. "You really are an evil monster!"

"That's right! Don't you know that Shingo put his heart and soul into that doll?!" said Solaris crossly. "Even the doll's in this very museum would be angry!"

"And all the other dolls on Girls' Day too!" added Sailor Moon. "And now in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!" said Solaris.

"Oh dear... Those two seem to be pretty worked up today," said Luna worriedly. "I sure hope they're going to be OK."

Then suddenly one of the dolls that Mika made came up life and flew straight at the two with its teeth barred. Sailor Moon was frightened, but Solaris was more than ready to fight. He was just about to punch the doll, but then Luna called out to him.

"No Solaris, don't!" she yelled. "You can't break those dolls! If you do, you'll wind up paying for it big time!"

"Then what the heck are we supposed to do Luna?!" cried Solaris.

Sailor Moon soon answered that question. She leaped out of the window and Solaris followed suit. Jumou then burst through the window right on top of them.

"You won't escape!" she yelled.

But just then, Luna, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars appeared on the scene coming to the rescue.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Sailor Mercury's mist blanketed the area hiding themselves as well as Jumou.

"Oh man... That was too close..." said Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon! Solaris! Are you guys alright?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"Just barely," said Solaris. "Thanks for saving our skins."

"Maybe we should have come a little later," teased Rei.

Sailor Moon pouted in response. Then Luna felt a chill go down her spine causing her fur to stand on end.

"Incoming you guys!" she yelled. "Something's coming!"

Sure enough, two more dolls shot out from the fog with their teeth barred. Sailor Mars then whipped out ofudas and flung them at the dolls.

"Evil Spirit, be exorcised!" she yelled.

The ofudas successfully hit their mark and the dolls fell lifelessly to the ground. Then there was trouble. The fog soon cleared and Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Solaris all saw a startling sight. Jumou had managed to get a hold of Sailor Moon squeezing her neck with her wooden hands.

"No! Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris.

Sailor Mars immediately attacked putting her hands together with index fingers pointed creating a fireball. "MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Jumou saw the attack coming and separated her hands which still kept a hold on Sailor Moon as she moved out of the way. Not only that, but a new pair of hands appeared in their place. The attacked missed Sailor Moon, but she could still feel the hot flames licking her.

"Hot, hot, hot!" she choked.

To make things worse, her face was getting quite pale. At this rate, Sailor Moon would run out of air and she could suffocate.

Jumou cackled evilly. "All of your attacks are useless against me!"

She then fired her wooden limbs at them forcing the three to jump out of the way. As they dodged, Sailor Mars felt one of the wooden attachments shoot past her hair cutting a chunk of it off.

"Be careful!" she cried. "These things are sharp as knives!"

"Sailor Mercury! See if you can find the monsters weakness!" yelled Solaris. "And hurry! Sailor Moon won't last much longer!"

Sailor Mercury then pressed the button on her earrings making her blue visor appear. She then scanned Jumou and soon found her weakness.

"Over there!" she cried pointing at the Jumou's right ankle. "I'm getting an energy reading from her right leg! Sailor Moon! You have to aim for the monster's right leg!"

Sailor Moon tried to use her Moon Tiara Action, but she was running out of hair and couldn't breathe. Solaris immediately rushed towards them desperate to save her.

"Let her go you puppet freak!" he yelled as he swung his fist and slammed it right into the monster's midsection. The midsection shattered into a million pieces, but it was quickly replaced with another one and Jumou fired a barrage of her limbs at Solaris forcing himself to cross his arms to defend. The barrage hit him dead on and the force was too much for Solaris to take. He was sent flying as he was battered and bruised falling right into the ground.

"Oh no! Solaris!" cried Luna.

Jumou smirked with triumph thinking that she had won, but then suddenly something shot right past her cheek and hitting the hands that held Sailor Moon shattering them. Sailor Moon coughed as she greedily gulped in some air. The sailors and Solaris all knew who it was that threw the rose and saw the person standing in front of Jumou who had just turned around.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"It's Tuxedo Mask!" said Sailor Moon happily. "Thanks a lot!"

"Now's your chance!" said Tuxedo Mask. "Finish her!"

Solaris immediately sprang back to his feet unharmed and then shot a beam of light from his hands.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

The light then wrapped around Jumou's right leg preventing her from moving it. Sailor Moon then saw her chance and then unleashed her final attack.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She threw her tiara transforming it into a white disc aiming right for Jumou's leg which Solaris was holding. The attack hit dead on and Jumou exploded in a burst of flames and ash. She then faded away into nothing having to have been destroyed.

* * *

Mika having her energy returned to her slowly regained conscious.

"What's going on? What happened to me?" she wondered.

Then she saw Shingo who was still unconscious lying against the wall. Feeling concerned, Mika immediately rushed over to him.

"Shingo! Are you OK?!" she asked.

Shingo then woke up and rubbed his head. Then the two of them heard a pair of voices coming from the broken window.

"It seems that the two of you are OK," one said.

"Thank goodness for that," said the other. "You had us both worried."

Shingo and Mika then saw the shadowy figures of a young girl in a sailor uniform and a young boy in a suit. They both immediately knew who they were.

"Oh wow! It's Sailor Moon! and Solaris" they cried with wonder.

"There's no need to worry now," said Sailor Moon. "We took care of the evil monster for you."

"Now it's your turn to make up and be friends again," said Solaris. "And make sure that you stay good friends. Take care!"

Then the two disappeared. Shingo and Mika were amazed.

"Wow! That's so cool! Sailor Moon and Solaris actually saved us!" said Shingo.

Then Shingo saw what was left of his present to Mika.

"Oh no! The present I was going to you!" he said to Mika. "It's ruined!"

Mika was surprised. "You made a present? For me?" she asked.

"Yes. I did," said Shingo.

Then, he said the words that he had been wanting to say for so long to her.

"Listen... I'm sorry about the other day," he apologized.

"It's alright Shingo!" said Mika. "And besides, you did come here to save me after all. I forgive you."

Shingo was now all smiles as the friendship between him and Mika was finally mended.

* * *

The next say at the Juban Elementary School, Mika met Shingo again with something else she made. This time, she made a model replica of Sailor Moor. Only hers was much more well made.

"Here you go Shingo," she said. "This is for coming to help me the other day."

Shingo eyes sparkled with amazement. "Wow! Thank you so much!" he said. "It looks just like Sailor Moon! She's so cool!"

Mika was now feeling a little jealous. "Oh I get it! So you like Sailor Moon more than you like me?! Maybe I should make a figure of Solaris, so I can be like you!"

"N-no Mika! You got it all wrong!"

Shingo tried his best to explain, but Mika wouldn't listen as she stormed away in a huff feeling cross. Shingo then sighed.

"Oh well," he shrugged. "What can I say? Ladies love me."

Looks like the female heart is a complex and mysterious thing. ^^


	21. Chapter 20

Nephrite was once again back inside his mansion consulting the stars as he gazed into the projection of the Earth and its stars formulating a way to defeat his enemies.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said. "Hear me Regulus, ruler of the southern skies! Oh Leo, vast constellation of the lion with your powerful legs. Show me a weakness. Something I can use to eliminate my loathsome enemies, the Sailor Guardians for good."

The projection of the Earth began to glow and then shot a beam of light hitting Nephrite on his forehead. In his mind, Nephrite began to see previous battles of when Sailor Moon and the other guardians fought his monsters including when they fought Tesuni and even Petasos. Both of those battles had something in common. That thing was Tuxedo Mask. Then Nephrite realized.

"So that's her weakness," he said chuckling darkly. "Tuxedo Mask is it? Very well then. If that's what her weakness is, then that's what I"ll use to crush her."

Just then in a blizzard of petals, Zoisite appeared.

"Well hello there Nephrite," he said brightly. "I don't know if you're aware, but Queen Beryl's been looking for you. She wishes to have a word with you."

Nephrite scowled at Zoisite, but he knew that he could not disobey his Queen, so he went with him.

* * *

At the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite and Zoisite stood before Queen Beryl sitting in her throne. She looked very impatient.

"Nephrite, I'm told that you're having trouble gathering energy for our Great Ruler," she said. "Is this true?"

"The universe wasn't built in a day, my queen," said Nephrite coldly.

Queen Beryl was standing for no nonsense. She was so angry that her hair stood on end

"Silence! You will watch your tongue!" she boomed. "Mark my words if you cannot defeat those Guardians or if you disobey my orders again, you'll find yourself in the Sentence of Eternal Sleep just like Jadeite!"

Everyone in the room trembled in fear from Queen Beryl's rage. Even Nephrite felt a bead a sweat trickle down his forehead. Zoisite however was more pleased rather than scared.

"My, my. That's quite the terrifying punishment," he said. "It's a sentence worse than death itself. Maybe you should accept my help now Nephrite."

"Bite your tongue Zoisite!" snapped Nephrite. "I am Nephrite, one of the proud members of the Dark Kindgom's Four Kings of Heaven! I do not need to be told to find a way to beat those guardians and I will succeed with my mission without any help from you! In fact, I know just how to deal with Sailor Moon!"

"Sounds a lot like the same thing Jadeite said," scoffed Zoisite. "What's your plan this time?"

Nephrite gave Zoisite a quick glare before turning his attention to Queen Beryl. "My queen, I promise you that this time, I vow to lure out Sailor Moon and she will be dealt with and eliminated."

Queen Beryl's angry snarl changed into an amused smile resting her head on her hand. "Very well then," she said. "Proceed."

Nephrite then turned to Zoisite smirking victoriously. "And to answer your question, I have a plan," he said. "I'm going to crush Sailor Moon with her own love for Tuxedo Mask!"

He then let out a laugh of triumph as he set off to fulfill his mission.

* * *

At the Tsukino residence, Usagi and Harusuke had just arrived home from school. As they reached the gates, Harusuke noticed something in the mailbox that caught his eye. It was a pink letter in a pink envelope that said: "To Miss Usagi Tsukino."

"Hey Usagi. It seems that you got some mail here," said Harusuke as she took out the letter and gave it to Usagi.

"I do? I wonder who it's from?" wonder Usagi.

She took the letter and then inspected the back to see who the letter was from. The moment she did, her cheeks flushed bright red and she let out a squeal of delight surprising Harusuke.

"Oh my gosh! No way! No way! No way!" she cried.

"What?! What is it?!" asked Harusuke. "Who's it from?!"

"It's from Tuxedo Mask!" Usagi cried excitedly.

Harusuke's eyes widened in surprise. "What?! Tuxedo Mask?! Are you sure?"

Usagi grinned and showed Harusuke the letter. "It's true! See for yourself!"

Harusuke then looked at the back of the letter and sure enough, on the back of the letter, it read: "From Tuxedo Mask."

"No way... you gotta be kidding!" he said.

"I know right?! I can't believe it!" said Usagi. "I'm gonna go open it and read it right now!"

* * *

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were now all in Usagi's room. Usagi had just opened the letter and started reading what the letter said aloud.

"My heart yearns for you. I love you more than anyone else," she read. "Please come meet me at the MS mall in Shinjuku tomorrow night." Usagi then sighed as she hugged the letter in her chest and lied on her bed giggling madly. "All right! This is best!" she said.

"Well... I suppose that's really nice and all," said Luna. "But why would Tuxedo Mask send a love letter to you?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's because he's in love with me!" said Usagi giddily.

"You can't be serious Usagi," said Harusuke. "I mean this is totally out of character for Tuxedo Mask. Something is definitely off about this."

"I agree with Harusuke," said Luna. "Something about this seems wrong. Like... let's just say that your delusions are real. How does he know that you're Sailor Moon?"

"It's because love conquers all!" said Usagi raising her fist in the air. "That's just how powerful his love for me really is! His heart can see right into mine and right through all of my secrets. There's nothing, but truth between true loves."

"Usagi just because Tuxedo Mask's always helping us out doesn't mean that we should trust him," said Luna.

"I agree with Luna," said Harusuke nodding. "We still don't even know if he's friend or foe. We need to be cautious about this."

Usagi wasn't listening. She was busy parading around the room with her letter kissing it repeatedly. Luna and Harusuke could only look at each other worriedly unsure of what to think about this.

* * *

The next day at school, Usagi and Harusuke had just arrived in class when they made another startling discovery. It turns out Usagi wasn't the only one who had received a love letter from Tuxedo Mask.

"No way! You all have to be lying! I don't believe it!" shrieked Usagi.

"Nope. It's true Usagi," said Naru as she showed the letter she receieved. "I also got a love letter from this Tuxedo Mask guy."

"I got one too!" said another girl.

"Same here!" said a second.

"You gotta be kidding," murmured Harusuke. "This has to be some kind of prank."

"By the way, who exactly is Tuxedo Mask?" wondered Naru.

"No clue," said all the girls.

Naru then gazed lovingly at the letter. As she did, she began thinking about Nephrite under his human persona as Masato Sanjouin. "I really wish I knew who this was from," she said to herself. "It would be nice if it was from him."

Then Ms. Haruna came into the classroom.

"Alright class! Listen up!" she said. "I've heard all about the love letter prank and I want you girls to remember that distractions like that are enemy number one when it comes to learning. Also, since we don't know exactly who these letters, I want you to avoid going out alone at night and stay away from the MS mall in Shinjuku. Is that clear?"

"Yes Ms. Haruna," said all the girls.

"Good answer," smiled Ms. Haruna as she began the lesson.

* * *

During P.E. class Ami met up with Luna and Luna explained everything that had happened.

"There's something very suspicious going on about this love letter business," said Luna. "Don't you agree Ami?"

"You're right," agreed Ami. "We should try to talk to Rei and see what she thinks about this."

* * *

At the Game Center, the news had spread and even Motoki and Mamoru were talking about it.

"A love letter from Tuxedo Mask?" puzzled Mamrou. "What's that about?"

"Don't know," said Motoki. "But apparently he sent one out to every girl in town.

"You think it's some kind of advertising?" asked Mamoru.

"It could be," said Motoki thoughtfully. "But who knows what's really going on?"

Then the doors opened and Usagi and Harusuke walked in. Usagi let out a huge depressed sigh looking miserable.

"Hey Usagi! Hey Harusuke!" said Motoki cheerfully. "What's up?"

Harusuke answered with a wave, but Usagi didn't even reply letting out another sad sigh.

"So... what's up Usagi? You seem kind of bummed out," said Motoki.

"I bet I know what's going on," said Mamoru. "The other girls got a mysterious love letter, but you. Doesn't that sound about right? Yup, I bet that's gotta sting a little."

Harusuke was about to reply, but then Usagi had snapped out of her depressed state and was now cross.

"No! That's not it at all!" she snapped. "For your information, I got one too, you jerk!"

Motoki and Mamoru were surprised.

"Then if that's true, then why are you so sad?" asked Motoki.

"Long story short, she's sad because she thinks that Tuxedo Mask is two-timing her," said Harusuke.

"It's... just so cruel," said Usagi. "All this time Tuxedo Mask's been cheating behind my back and now he's sending love letters to other girls... I thought I was the only one..."

Usagi eyes began to well up in tears and Harusuke immediately covered his ears.

"And here come the waterworks," he muttered.

Usagi then began to cry loudly her eyes streaming with tears. All Harusuke, Motoki, and Mamoru could do was sigh and try to endure Usagi's wailing with Harusuke trying to comfort her.

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, Ami had arrived to find that Rei was in bed sick with a cold.

"I'm so sorry Rei," said Ami. "I didn't know that you were sick."

"It's alright," said Rei hoarsely. "I just woke this morning with a fever and a sore throat and have been in bed ever since."

Ami then looked at the table and saw that a pink letter.

"Hold on, you got a love letter from Tuxedo Mask too?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't think I'm in any shape of going out, even if it's for Tuxedo Mask," coughed Rei. "I don't think I'm up for Guardian business either."

Ami smiled kindly as she placed a reassuring hand on Rei's forehead.

"There's no need to apologize Rei," she said. "I'll take care of you until you are well."

Rei smiled at her friend. "Thanks Ami..." she said. "You're the best."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Shinjuku MS Department Store, Nephrite under his human disguise was walking around getting everything in place.

"Everything is going according to plan," he said to himself. "Sailor Moon's love for Tuxedo Mask will force her to show up here tonight. And when she does, it will be her end and this place will become her grave."

"Mr. Sanjoin!"

A female voice caused Neprhite to turn around wondering who it was. To his surprise, it was Naru who was happy to see him.

"H-hello there. You... probably don't remember me, but I'm Naru Osaka," she said shyly blushing.

Nephrite smiled. "Sure I remember you," he said. "You were one of the girls from the Juuban Middle School tennis team right? Are you shopping?"

"Yes... I am," said Naru. "Say... this is going to sound weird, but may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Well... you see... Mr. Sanjoin... I was wondering if you're Tuxedo Mask."

"W-what?!"

Nephrite was a bit surprised that Naru would ask such a thing, but he quickly calmed down.

"No. Of course not," he said. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"N-no reason," said Naru as she blushed more. "I... just thought that... it would be nice if you were Tuxedo Mask."

Now Nephrite was feeling a little tense. "Does she know that I've was the one whose been writing the letters?!" he thought. "Impossible! But why else would she ask that?" Then he noticed how Naru was acting and he began to suspect himself. "Could it be... is it possible that this girl is Sailor Moon?"

"J-just forget I ever said anything," said Naru quickly. "I'm not usually this nervous. Sorry for asking you such a weird question."

She was just about to walk away when Nephrite blocked her path with his arm flashing her a suave smile.

"Naru. Has anyone ever told you that you the cutest girl in school?" he asked.

Now Naru was blushing so much, her face was as red as a tomato. "R-really?"

"Of course. I mean it," said Nephrite. "In fact, I've been drawn to you since the first time we met. Hope to see you tonight."

He gave Naru a small wink and then walked away leaving Naru spellbound. Her eyes then widened as she then took out the love letter that she received. She particularly looked at the words "Tomorrow Night" and "From Tuxedo Mask."

"I was right!" she thought to herself. "It has to be him." She then remembered what Nephrite said to her about being cute and being drawn to her since the first time they met. She then hugged her letter close to her chest smiling and blushing feeling head over heels in love. "Yes... I feel the same way too... Mr. Sanjoin..."

* * *

Back at the Tsukino's, Usagi was still feeling depressed as she looked at the love letter she received for the umpteenth time.

"I still can't believe it. It doesn't make sense," she whimpered. "Why would Tuxedo Mask send love to a whole bunch of other girls and not just me? I don't get it." She then stood up. "Well I guess the only way to figure this out to go to the mall and ask Tuxedo Mask myself!"

Usagi then got dressed, put some lipstick, sprayed some perfume on, and even brushed her teeth. She soon was ready to go. As she finished getting ready, she began to imagine herself about kiss Tuxedo Mask. The mere thought made her blush bright red and her mouth hang open drooling a little.

"Oh who am I kidding?!" she said giddily. "As if something like that would happen! But wait! What if it does?! Oh my gosh!"

"Usagi? What are you doing?"

Usagi then snapped out of her fantasy and snapped her head around. There standing there was Harusuke.

"Um... uh... nothing!" she said. "Just getting dressed looking nice! Hehe."

Harusuke stared at his sister suspiciously.

Then Usagi raced right past him. "Sorry Harusuke! Gotta go!"

"Hey! Usagi!"

But it was too late. Usagi was already gone. Harusuke then knew where Usagi was going and what she was up to.

"No... she wouldn't," he thought. "Oh brother. That girl is going to be the death of me. I better go after her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

He then got dressed himself and went after her.

* * *

Soon enough, Usagi was getting close to the store. She was feeling more and more excited, but then she thought of Harusuke as well as Ami and Rei.

"I wonder if maybe if I should have told the others where I was going tonight," she said to herself.

Then she heard a beeping in her purse. It was her communicator. Usagi dug into her purse and pulled it out and pressed the button. Ami's face then appeared on the screen.

"Usagi. Where are you?" she asked.

"Hey Ami," smiled Usagi. "Sorry, but I'm in Shinjuku right now.

Then she heard Rei on the other end of the communicator.

"She's in what?! Why that little sneak!" she snapped. "She's trying to go on a date with Tuxedo Mask before me! Not gonna happen!"

"Wait a minute Rei!" cried Ami. "You need to rest!"

Then suddenly the screen went blank and Usagi became a little worried.

"Oh man... Rei sounded pretty mad," she said. "I better get going before she gets here and ruins everything."

* * *

Meanwhile back at Rei's room, Ami was trying her best to stop a sick Rei from standing up.

"Rei! Please listen to reason!" begged Ami. "You need to rest!"

"No way! Sick or not, I'm going!" said Rei stubbornly. "There's no way... I'm gonna let Usagi get the better of me!"

Rei then coughed covering her mouth. Ami was just about to try and reason with her again, but then Ami's communicator began to beep causing the girls to stop. Ami pressed the button and Harusuke's face appeared on the screen.

"Ami. Are you there?" he asked.

Before Ami could answer, Rei snatched her communicator from her hands and yelled hoarsely at it.

"Harusuke! You have to stop your idiot sister!" she coughed. "Don't let her go on that date... with Tuxedo Mask!"

"I'm already aware of the situation," said Harusuke. "I'm tailing Usagi as we speak."

Ami then took her communicator back and spoke with Harusuke.

"Wait a sec. Does that mean you're in Shinjuku too?" she asked.

"Yes I am," said Harusuke. "I've been getting a bad feeling about this, so I want you two to be ready for anything. If there's trouble, I'll contact you guys as soon as possible."

* * *

At the store, Naru had just arrived. It was already nightfall and the store's doors were already closed. Naru wasn't sure what to do, so she stood by the door leaning against thinking that she should wait. But then the door mysteriously rose up causing the girl to be surprised. Feeling nervous, but brave she walked inside into the darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out. "Tuxedo Mask? It's me, Naru. Are you here? Or... should I call you Mr. Sanjoin?"

Then suddenly, the lights came on and Naru heard a voice.

"Here I am!"

Naru turned around and looked up towards an escalator. There standing here was Nephrite dressed up just like Tuxedo Mask. Naru gasped and gushed with wonder as Nephrite descended from the escalator.

"I'm so glad you came Naru," he said.

"That voice... I knew it!" Naru cried happily. "It was you all along Mr. Sanjoin!"

Nephrite then scowled. "So... you recognized my voice did you?" he asked.

"Yes. I know your voice anywhere," said Naru lovingly. "And no hat or mask can your beautiful voice or long hair!"

"Tell me, do you love Misato Sanjoin that much?" asked Nephrite.

"Yes! Ever since this afternoon after hearing your words, all I could think of is you," said Naru. "I'm madly in love with you Mr. Sanjoin."

Nephrite then jumped off the escalator, landed right in front of Naru and pointed an accusing finger right in the middle of Naru's chest.

"Enough of this charade!" he snapped. "Cut the acting and show your true identity! I know who you really are Naru and you're Sailor Moon!"

Naru was now surprised as she was confused. "Mr. Sanjoin...? What's wrong with you?"

"Spare me your lies!" said Nephrite. "Just transform into Sailor Moon already!"

"What... are you talking about?" asked Naru. "I don't get what you're saying."

Now it was Nephrite who was confused. "But... aren't you Sailor Moon?!" he wondered. "You have to be! Why else would you have come to meet me?!"

"Because... I love you," said Naru.

Then Nephrite took advantage by pointing his finger in the middle of Naru's forehead. Then he began to drain Naru's energy. As he did, a large white orb of Naru's energy took shape in the palm of his hand. He was surprised, but at the same time pleased.

"Incredible..." he murmured. "Look at all of this energy she's giving off...!"

Being unable to stand anymore, Naru was falling backwards fainting from having her energy drained, but Nephrite managed to catch her with one arm while he still continued to drain her energy. At that time, Usagi happened to walk in. Then she saw Nephrite and Naru and her eyes widened in shock.

"It's Naru! And... Tuxedo Mask?!" she cried as she quickly hid behind the corner of the wall. "But... why would Tuxedo Mask do this to her?!" She looked back at the terrible scene unfolding and took a closer look at Tuxedo Mask which was draining Naru's energy. She then realized. "Hold on! That's not the real Tuxedo Mask! He's a fake!"

She then clenched her hand into a fist. "Hang on Naru! I'm coming to help you!" She then raised her arm and transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Nephrite had now finished draining the energy from Naru and was carrying her in his arms.

"This girl didn't turn out to be Sailor Moon," he said. "But the energy that I took from her was incredible."

"Get your hands off of Naru!" said a voice.

Nephrite quickly looked up. "Who's there?!" he demanded.

Then he saw her. Sailor Moon stood before Nephrite in front of the door ready for a fight.

"How dare you dress like tux to toy with an innocent girl's feelins?!" she said angrily. "I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"So you're finally here," said Nephrite. "Tell me. How were you able to tell that I wasn't the real Tuxedo Mask?"

"A girl can always recognize her true love!" said Sailor Moon as she ran right for him, jumped up and attacked with a kick. "SAILOR MOON KICK!"

Nephrite ducked out of the making Sailor Moon knock his hat right off his head. "So you wanna play rough huh?!" he growled. "Fine then!"

He then threw Naru right at Sailor Moon. Luckily she was able to catch her saving her from harm. Nephrite then jumped up and then took off his disguise revealing his true identity. Upon seeing Nephrite's face, Sailor Moon immediately recognized him.

"Wait a minute! You're Misato Sanjoin!" she cried.

"Not exactly. I am Nephrite!" the man proclaimed. "One of the Dark Kingdom's Four Kings of Heaven! I only posed as Tuxedo Mask to lure you out and now that you're here, I can destroy you!"

With a wave of his hand, the whole room changed into a strange illusion of stars. It became dark and Nephrite split into several transparent copies of himself causing Sailor Moon to be confused.

"Hear me now, Regulus of the Leo Constellation, the brightest of the southern skies," the copies said. "Give me your strength!"

The copies of Nephrite then vanished and in a brilliant flash of light, a large projection of a constellation appeared before Sailor Moon which was Leo the lion. At first it was nothing but lines of stars, but then the lines transformed and Sailor Moon found herself staring at a large green lion which made her scream in fright.

"Devour this girl Leo!" commanded Nephrite. "Shred her to pieces!"

The lion roared as it began to chase Sailor Moon who was running for her life desperate to get away.

* * *

Outside of the mall, Harusuke was running as fast as he could. Soon he could see the mall in sight and not only that he could sense trouble. Then he heard a familiar frightened scream. He immediately knew what that was.

"Oh no! That was Usagi!" he cried. "He's definitely in trouble!"

As he ran, Harusuke immediately pressed a button on his bracelet and contacted Ami.

"Ami! We got trouble in the Shinjuke Mall! Usagi's in trouble! Contact Luna and get here as soon as you can!" he said.

"Don't worry! We're on our way!" said Ami.

As he ran, Harusuke made sure he was alone then he held up his bracelet.

"Hold on Usagi! I'm coming!" he thought.

* * *

Sailor Moon was still trying her best to run away from the lion, but the beast was growing closer and closer. Then, Sailor Moon stumbled and fell flat on her face onto the floor. The lion pounced and about to go for the kill, but then a single rose shot out and pierced the beast right on its forehead. The beast roared in pain shaking its head trying to shake off the pain.

"Who did that?!" demanded Nephrite.

Sailor Moon looked towards where the rose came from and there standing by the elevator holding open the door was the real Tuxedo Mask.

"Did you really think that you could get away with using my name on all those phony lover letters just to draw out Sailor Moon?" he asked with a hint of anger. "Not a chance! I won't stand for it!"

"Wow, it's the real Tuxedo Mask!" cried Sailor Moon dreamily. "He's just as dreamy as ever!"

"Damn it..." seethed Nephrite. "So you've come here too, Tuxedo Mask!"

Tuxedo Mask then stood between Nephrite and his foul beast and Sailor Moon protecting her from harm. "Sailor Moon, I'll handle these guys," he said. "You hurry up and run!"

"Right! There's nothing I won't do for the real you!" smiled Sailor Moon as she took off.

"You're both fools," smirked Nephrite cockily. "Does she really think that you can save her from me?"

Tuxedo Mask answered by whipping out his cane pointing it like a sword and Nephrite with a wave of his hand command his lion to attack. The lion growled as pounced right at the Tuxedo wearing masked hero. At that moment, Sailor Moon who was running stopped and gasped in horror.

"What am I doing?! I can't leave him all alone!" she cried as she took off her tiara and transformed it into a glowing white disk. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

As she flung her disc at the beast, it hit right on the mark on the forehead sending it flying into the air, but unlike before it didn't disintegrate. Instead it landed on its feet now looking angrier than before.

"No way! It didn't work!" exclaimed Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon! Quick! Get into the elevator!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.

"Right!"

As the two raced into the elevator, the lion followed them in hot pursuit. When the two heroes made it inside they looked back worried that the lion would reach them, but then suddenly, the lion disappeared and the elevator doors shut behind them. Tuxedo Mask tried to get the doors open, but they wouldn't budge.

"What's the matter, Tuxedo Mask?" asked Sailor Moon worriedly.

"I should've known!" the masked man cursed. "It was nothing more, but a trap!"

Then the two heard Nephrite's voice coming from the loudspeaker.

"That's right! It was as exactly as Tuxedo Mask said," he said. "Now let me ask you, what do you suppose is going to happen when this elevator reaches the top floor?"

"Will you just tell us already?!" snapped Sailor Moon.

Just then the elevator whirred and gave a jolt as it began to go upwards.

"Very well then. Since you insist," said Nephrite. "The elevator cable will soon snap and then you'll both be pulverized after plummeting to the basement of this building!"

Sailor Moon's eyes widened in terror and she began to sob like a child. "No! I'm too young to be pulverized!" But that terror quickly vanished when she realized who she was along with. "Well... as long as we're alone..."

Tuxedo Mask on the other hand was busy looking around the elevator. "We need to find a way out of here," he said. Then he noticed Sailor Moon acting giddy. "What are doing Sailor Moon?!" he asked. "We need to focus here!"

Sailor Moon snapped out of her daze and quickly nodded. "Oh! R-right!"

Then Tuxedo Mask saw their escape. Above their heads on the ceiling was a door leading to the elevator shaft. Using his cane, he opened the door and then jumped through it. Then he pulled Sailor Moon up.

"Get ready," he said. "We've nearly reached the top floor! Get ready to jump!"

Sailor Moon nodded and prepared herself to do so. Soon, the elevator stopped and the two jumped. Tuxedo Mask managed to grab onto a beam, but Sailor Moon wasn't so lucky. She missed and was about to fall, but luckily Tuxedo Mask managed to grab a hold of her hand as the elevator quickly fell dropping at an incredible speed disappeared into the darkness below.

* * *

Outside of the elevator, Nephrite was watching the lights of the elevator smirking with triumph. Then suddenly he heard a resounding boom causing the building to tremble from the impact. Nephrite then cackled with glee.

"At last! I finally did it!" he crowed. "I destroyed Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask! Now there's no one who can stop me!"

"Guess again!" yelled a voice.

Nephrite wasn't laughing anymore for right then, another hero stood before him. There standing by a pillar was Solaris.

"So... it's you Solaris," said Nephrite. "How nice of you to join me."

"Who are you?" asked Solaris. "And what did you do with Sailor Moon?"

Nephrite smirked. "Well... since you came all this way and I have to destroy you as well, I might as well answer you. I am Nephrite, one of the Dark Kingdom's Four Kings of Heaven. And for Sailor Moon, she's dead. I personally made sure of that."

Solaris' eyes widened in shock. "You lie! You have to be!"

"Yes. Didn't you feel it?" smirked Nephrite. "The elevator in this building was sent to the top floor and then fell all the way down to the basement with Sailor Moon and even Tuxedo Mask inside!"

Solaris clenched his fists in anger trying to keep his cool. "No... it can't be..." he murmured. "Sailor Moon... Tuxedo Mask..."

"There's no need to worry," said Nephrite. "For you'll be joining them soon enough!"

"Think again!" shouted Solaris. "I'll make you sorry for what you did! For I am Solaris! The knight with the brilliance of the sun, and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Just you try it!" yelled Nephrite.

The two men glared at each other daring for one to make a move. Then Solaris went on the attack with a mighty yell throwing a punch. Nephrite blocked the punch with ease.

"Is that really all you've got Solaris?" he asked.

Solaris answered by jumping and landing a kick on Nephrite's chest causing the man to stumble and let go. Solaris didn't let up and he came in with another kick. However, Nephrite countered with a kick of his own blocking him. The two then clashed again and again with various punches and blows, but it was obvious who had the upper hand and that was Nephrite. The two stood against each other with Solaris panting while Nephrite was hardly breaking a sweat.

"This is insane!" thought Solaris. "He's definitely stronger than any monster I've seen before. He's probably even stronger than Jadeite! How am I supposed to beat him?!"

"I must admit, you have persistence Solaris," said Nephrite. "And may even be somewhat skilled, but sadly you don't stand a chance against me. Now... let's have some fun shall we?"

* * *

In the elevator shaft, Tuxedo Mask was trying his best to hold onto the ledge and Sailor Moon. He had a good grip on both, but the question remained was how long?

"I... can't hang on!" cried Sailor Moon as she felt her grip slipping.

Tek

"Okay then," said Sailor Moon as she tried to think about something to ask Tuxedo Mask. She soon came up with a question. "Tell me. Why do you always come to my rescue?"

"To be honest, I don't know," replied the masked man. "But something inside of me tells me too." He then searched around with his foot until he felt another ledge. He made sure to get his footing and then looked back at Sailor Moon. "I've managed to get a footing," he said. "Climb up onto my back Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon did so. She pulled herself up using his arm and climbed onto his back. She then picked up where she left off when she asked him her question.

"Well... I think I know why," she said. "I think that you're in love with me but you're not ready to tell me yet." She then blushed bright pink. "Wait! Ah! Sorry! I'm just talking nonsense!"

Then she thought of something that quickly made her curious as Tuxedo Mask tried to pull himself up on the ledge.

"So... who exactly are you under that mask?" she wondered. Then she became excited. "Wait! Don't tell me! You're Motoki, aren't you?!" However, once again she quickly corrected herself. "Oh! There I go saying weird things again!"

Then Tuxedo Mask spoke. "Sailor Moon... This may sound strange, but I have the feeling that there was some kind of connection between us somewhere in the past. It's right there in the corner of my mind, but I can't remember what that was..."

Then there was trouble. As Tuxedo Mask tried to push himself up, the ledge he was using as his footing broke off causing him to once more hang by the ledge.

"Oh no! We're going to fall!" cried Sailor Moon.

She tried to think about something else to keep her calm, but Tuxedo Mask's hands were beginning to slip. Just when Tuxedo Mask was about to loose his grip, the doors above them opened and three saviors stood above them. Sailor Mercury, a sick Sailor Mars who was wearing a mask covering her mouth, and Luna. The two sailors then quickly grabbed onto Tuxedo Mask's hands and pulled him and Sailor Moon to safety.

"Sailor Moon! You know better than to go out on a mission without telling us!" scolded Sailor Mercury.

"Sorry about that!" said Sailor Moon sheepishly.

"Whew! That was too close for comfort!" said Sailor Mars.

Then suddenly, they heard a loud cry of pain not too far away.

"What was that?!" cried Sailor Moon.

"That was Solaris!" said Luna. "And it sounded like he's in trouble!"

"Come on! We must help him!" said Tuxedo Mask.

The four heroes along with Luna then raced around the corner and saw Solaris and Nephrite. Solaris was covered in bruises while Nephrite practically had none. Just when Nephrite was about to inflict more pain on the sun warrior, Sailor Moon's voice called out stopping him.

"Hey Nephrite! Leave Solaris alone!"

When Nephrite saw Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask alive and well, he was shocked.

"Impossible! How did those two survive?!" he thought. "I thought for sure I killed them! As much as I hate to do this, I better retreat. The last thing I want to fight all of them at once."

"You got lucky today Solaris!" he said aloud. "And I don't know how you and your Tuxedo Mask managed to survive Sailor Moon, but mark my words, the next time we meet, it will be last!"

And with that Nephrite disappeared. As soon as Nephrite was gone, Solaris fell on one knee groaning in pain. Sailor Moon quickly rushed over to him.

"Solaris! Are you OK?!" she asked worriedly. "You're hurt pretty bad!"

"I'm fine..." said Solaris. "Don't worry, I was more worried about you." He then gave Sailor Moon a soft smile. "I'm happy that Nephrite didn't kill you."

* * *

A few minutes later, Sailor Moon and other stood on the roof of the mall with Sailor Mercury carrying an unconscious Naru on her back.

"Once again, thanks for the rescue you guys," said Sailor Moon. "You really saved us."

"This sucks!" coughed a complaining Sailor Mars. "Here I am stuck with a cold while you get to sneak out and flirt with Tuxedo Mask! It's just not fair!"

"Well... it wasn't exactly like that..." said Sailor Moon sheepishly.

"Come on Sailor Mars, this isn't exactly the time for this," said Sailor Mercury.

"Oh come on! You're taking her side now?!" grumped Sailor Mars. "You were just as mad as I was before!"

"Yes, but right now the most important thing is get Naru to a hospital as soon as possible," said Sailor Mercury. "And we should take Solaris there too."

"Oh brother... can't you girls go for one day without fighting?" sighed Solaris.

"I would have to agree with you on that one Solaris," said Tuxedo Mask as he jumped on top of the fence surrounding the rooftop. "Please try to get along. Farewell for now!"

And with that before anyone could stop him, Tuxedo Mask jumped off the fence disappearing from view.

"Why does he always disappear like that?" wondered Sailor Moon.

"Who knows?" said Solaris. "I guess that's how guys like him are."

Unknown to them, Tuxedo Mask was sitting on a ledge just below them. "Man... if there's one thing I don't like, it's when girls fight," he said to himself. "Makes me wonder how Solaris puts up with them."

* * *

At the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite once more stood before Queen Beryl reporting his recent failure.

"Queen Beryl, as you recall Nephrite swore that he would get rid of Sailor Moon, yet he failed to do so," said Zoisite. "I would strongly suggest that you sentence him to the Eternal Sleep."

Nephrite growled expecting the worst, but Queen Beryl wasn't cross. Instead, she was rather pleased.

"That may be true and I agree," she said. "But the energy Nephrite brought back is incredibly powerful. Therefore, I won't punish him at least not this time."

"B-but my queen!" protested Zoisite.

Queen Beryl then glared at Zoisite her hair standing on end. "Enough! This discussion is over!" she yelled. "Remember your place, Zoisite! You should be less concerned about others and focusing on your mission on finding the Silver Crystal!"

"Y-yes my queen..." said Zoisite timidly.

Nephrite could only smile smugly satisfied that Zoisite was getting his just deserts.

* * *

At his mansion, Nephrite was in his own thoughts as he was still thinking about the energy Naru had.

"It's all starting to make sense now..." he said. "Everyone becomes obsessed with something at least once in their lives and focuses all their energy on it making the energy more stronger and powerful. Still... I never expected that girl Naru to produce energy that incredible. She's truly fallen in love with the persona I made, Misato Sanjoin. What a poor, pathetic, and foolish girl... I could use someone like her..."

He then smirked darkly as he let out an evil laugh as an image of Naru appeared on the projection.


	22. Chapter 21

It was a bright and sunny day. An electric rail car was running along the tracks that went through the forest with beautiful mountains and a forest. It soon came to a stop at a station. The doors opened and out stepped Usagi, Rei, Ami, and Harusuke stepped out of the car with Luna in a basket Ami was carrying. As the rail car pulled out of the station, the four were then welcomed to the sight of the ocean in the distance from them. It looked so big, so spacious, so blue, and very beautiful. The girls gasped with wonder and amazement.

"We made it! We're finally here!" cheered Usagi. "It's the beach!"

"The sea breeze and smell is so refreshing," commented Ami.

"I'll say," said Rei. "This is a pretty nice place."

"It's really too bad we couldn't bring Naru here with us," said Usagi. "She would have loved to see this too.

"We're not here to have fun, Usagi!" chided Luna as she popped her head out of the basket. "Remember, we all came all this way for a Guardian summer training camp!"

Usagi then slammed the lid on Luna shutting her up. "Way to ruin the moment Luna! I know that already!" she growled.

Then the teens then left the station and started walking along the trail. Usagi was skipping merrily while Rei looked at the flyer with Ami alongside and Harusuke walked behind them.

"So how far is the pension house we're staying at Rei?" asked Ami. "Is it nearby?"

"Yeah, it should be," said Rei. "It's supposed to be beyond this promontory."

"Hey Rei, this pension house better be like a swanky resort," said Usagi.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure it is," said Rei. "After all this flyer says, 'Blue seas surround you as yachts go gliding by! From our luxurious pension house, you can view a beautiful sunset over our gleaming private beach!' "

"Really?!" exclaimed Usagi excitedly. "Our own private beach?!"

She then began to imagine herself lying on the chair at the private beach surrounded by handsome men. She saw Motoki in his swimming trunks handing her a drink, and she could see Tuxedo Mask wind surfing on the waves. The thought alone made her heart aflutter and her eyes practically turned into hearts.

"I can't wait!" she gushed as she continued to be in her own little world. "This is it! This is what it's all about! Being young, at the beach during summer break!"

Then she heard Harusuke snapping her out of her fantasy.

"Come on Usagi! Stop daydreaming and hurry up!" he called. "Otherwise, we're gonna leave you behind!"

Then she realized that the others had walked ahead of her leaving her behind.

"Gah! Hey! Wait for me!" she cried as she raced trying to catch up to them.

* * *

Soon it was evening and the gang had been walking through the forest for quite some time and were now completely lost. Everyone was feeling a bit tired and exhausted.

"Are we there yet?" whined Usagi. "We're lost aren't we?"

"That's because you said it was definitely this way!" snapped Rei.

"No! That's because you didn't to see where it was, stupid!" Usagi snapped back. "Talk about not planning ahead!"

"What did you call me?!" growled Rei.

"Now, now, take it easy you two," soothed Ami trying to defuse the situation.

Then the sky suddenly grew dark and there was a deep rumbling sound coming from above. The moment they heard the sound, everyone looked up in the sky to see that dark clouds had now covered the once orange colored sky.

"Oh man, thunder," said Rei. "It looks like it's really gonna pour on us."

"We better get going!" said Ami. "Or we'll get caught in the downpour!"

"Let's go!" said Harusuke.

Then as they took off running, there was a loud boom of thunder and a flash of lightning. With a frightened scream, Usagi took off running as fast as her legs could carry her. She was so frightened that she ran right past the others. Rei, Ami, and Luna were surprised and Harusuke was worried.

"Usagi! Wait! Come back!" he yelled.

"I can't!" cried Usagi. "I'm really scared of thunder!"

As another flash of lightning lit the area and another boom of thunder roared, Usagi happened to see something by a tree. It appeared to be a strange being in a dark hood like a ghost or a phantom. Usagi was so startled, that she jumped practically two feet in the air screaming and fell flat on her butt. The others quickly rushed in to see if she was alright. Then they saw the being in the dark cloak.

"Who's there?" demanded Rei.

Upon further inspection, the being in the dark hood revealed its face. It was a girl who looked younger than Shingo, had brown hair that was short just like Ami's and had violet-colored eyes. She also was holding freshly picked flowers that matched her eye color.

"Oh! Sorry I scared you," said the girl timidly. "I didn't mean to."

Everyone stared at the little girl in surprise. Then it began to rain. Usagi having no way of keeping herself dry had to use her basket as a makeshift umbrella.

"Oh great! Now it's raining!" she complained.

Then the girl pointed to a direction to her left. "Uh, please follow me this way," she said. "I know somewhere you can stay to keep dry."

Not really having a choice, the teens and Luna followed the girl running through the rain. As they ran, the thunder continued to roar and lightning flashed and Usagi let out a frightened scream every time she heard it.

"I hate this! Make it stop!" she cried. "I can't take it anymore! I wanna go home now!"

"Just hang in there for a while longer, Usagi!" yelled Harusuke. "Endure it until we get to a safer place!"

The group ran and ran through the rain following Sakiko. Soon she led them up a promontory and then Usagi saw something that made her stop running. On the very top of the cliff was an old mansion. It appeared to be a bit run down and very spooky looking. Usagi didn't like the look of the building not one little bit. She now felt so frightened of the mansion, that she didn't even notice or hear another strike of lightning as it flashed and boomed across the sky above it.

"That looks so creepy!" she squeaked.

"Come on Usagi!" called Harusuke. "Get over here before you catch a cold!"

Not really having much of an option, Usagi reluctantly followed. As she joined up with the others, Rei happened to see a sign on the side of the gate which had "Adams" on it.

"Hey, this is the place!" she said. "We've made it to the pension!"

"What?! No way!" screamed Usagi fearfully. "We're really gonna be staying here?!

"Yes. We are," said Rei scowling. "You got a problem with that?"

"This place looks haunted..." mumbled Usagi.

"Come on Usagi," said Harusuke. "It doesn't look that bad to me." He then turned to the little girl. "Thank you very much kid. You really helped us out."

"Yes, however we ended up getting totally soaked," chuckled Ami. "Are your flowers OK?"

"Oh yes," said the girl smiling shyly. "Thank you."

"In any case, let's get inside," said Harusuke. "I really wanna get out of these wet clothes."

He then reached for the hinge of the knocker of the door and gave it a few knocks. The door slowly opened letting out an eerie creak. Then three people suddenly popped their heads out of the door. One was a woman and the other two were men. The woman appeared to look like some sort of ghost, one of the men looked just like Frankenstein, and the third looked like a werewolf.

Upon seeing them, Usagi shrieked with terror and Luna feeling frightened as well jumped and clamped onto Harusuke's shoulder making him yelp in pain.

"Ow! Luna, watch where you're digging those claws!" complained Harusuke.

"Hi. I'm home," the little girl said as she walked into the door past the three monster-like people.

"Welcome back Miss," the three monster-like people said.

Then the ghoulish woman turned towards the teens. "So, do you kids have a reservation?" she asked.

"Yes, we do," said Rei. "I'm Rei Hino, from Tokyo."

The ghoulish woman smiled. "We've been expecting your arrival," she said. "Please come in."

"Thank you very much," said Rei.

"Thank you for having us," said Ami.

"Please excuse us," said Harusuke politely.

The teens then stepped inside with Usagi and Luna trembling with fear from the three ghoulish individuals. Usagi quickly walked past the three and immediately hid behind Harusuke still trembling in fear while Luna continued to cling to Harusuke's shoulder.

Rei sighed. "How long are you going to keep making a scene here?! It's embarrassing!"

"Give her a break Rei," said Harusuke. "She's scared out of her wits. Even though she has no reason to be."

The little girl giggled thinking that the teens were funny. Then suddenly, there was a sharp voice which made her jump.

"Sakiko!"

There was a flash of lightning and the lights went on. There standing by the stairs was a man. He was tall, had fair skin, short gray hair, a pair of pointed eyebrows as well as a beard, and looked to be very cross. Usagi was so startled that she let out another scream and immediately clung to Rei.

"Will you calm down already?!" she snapped. "You're being such a pain!"

The man glared at the little girl and spoke in a stern tone. "Sakiko. Get over here this instant!" he said.

"Y-yes Father. Right away," said the girl whose name was Sakiko as she went over to the man.

Harusuke couldn't help, but notice how scared the little girl was as did Ami. The two couldn't help, but be worried if that Sakiko was in trouble or not.

* * *

After a while, everyone was shown to their rooms each one getting their own. Usagi sat on her bed as she dried her hair with a towel.

"Aw man... I'm hungry and exhausted," she complained.

"I'm not surprised," said Luna smirked Luna. "Guess all that screaming wore you out."

"Hey you're one to talk!" said Usagi pouting. "You got scared too! You even clung to Harusuke!" Then grew serious. "But seriously Luna, don't you think that the hotel staff looked kinda weird? I mean... what if this place is haunted? If it is, maybe we should leave!"

Then there was a door on her door. Thinking that it was someone knocking, Usagi opened the door. Then suddenly, the ghoulish woman's head popped out from the side. Once again having the daylights scared out of her, Usagi let out a loud scream that echoed throughout the mansion.

Harusuke, Rei, and Ami immediately came running in front of her doorway.

"What is it, Usagi?!" asked Rei.

"Is something wrong?!" asked Harusuke.

"L-l-look behind you!" stammered Usagi as she pointed to the ghoulish woman.

Everyone looked to see that the ghoulish woman was standing on top of a stepladder putting in a new light bulb in the ceiling light. Soon enough, the bulb was in and the light came on.

"There. Now we have a light," she said brightly. She then turned to the teens smiling politely. "Sorry about that. It's time for dinner now."

The three then looked at Usagi with disapproving glares.

"Honestly!" said Ami.

"Come on Usagi," sighed Harusuke. "I understand you're scared, but you really shouldn't scream like that. We thought there was something wrong!"

"B-but her head just popped out of nowhere!" stammered Usagi. "I swear!"

Rei then grabbed a bag and brought over her head. "Save your excuses!" she snapped. "Now you're gonna get it!"

Usagi then let out another scream as she and Rei engaged in a wild chase, Rei trying to hit Usagi for being so scared and Usagi trying not to get hit.

"Ami! Harusuke! Help!" screeched Usagi. "Rei's trying to kill me!"

"Not this time Usagi," said Ami. "You're on your own!"

"Normally I'd disagree, but you got yourself into this mess, Usagi," said Harusuke. "So don't expect any help from me. I know better not to get involved in a cat fight."

"But guys...!" whined Usagi.

"No buts for you bun-head!" interrupted Rei as she made another attempt to hit Usagi. "Take your punishment!"

* * *

Meanwhile in a secluded part of the mansion, Sakiko and her father were listening to the commotion from the room below.

"What a bunch of noisy kids," complained Sakiko's Father.

"But they seem like very nice people," pointed out Sakiko.

"Sakiko! Don't get yourself involved with those people!" said her father sharply. "Is that understood?"

Sakiko could only look down feeling hurt. "Yes Father," she said sadly. "I won't Father."

* * *

Usagi and the others were now sitting at the table eating their dinner. They were enjoying their food and were in good spirits. Then there was the sound of squeaking. The source of the squeaking was due the Frankenstein man of the staff wheeling out another cart full of food.

"Would you like seconds?" asked Frankenstein.

Usagi gulped feeling fearful once again upon seeing the man. "N-no thanks, I'm already full!" she squeaked nervously.

"Oh come on Usagi," said Harusuke as she sipped from his cup. "There's plenty of food. Besides, you barely ate one plate."

"N-no! Really! I'm fine," said Usagi shaking her head.

Then the werewolf staff member appeared causing the bun-head blonde to let out a squeak of fear.

"Did you save room for dessert?" the werewolf asked.

"No, I didn't, but thanks!" said Usagi. Then she leaned towards Rei and whispered to her. "Rei, you stupid dummy!" she snapped. "What the heck made you decide to go to this place anyway?!"

"Because it was cheap," said Rei simply. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I gotta admit, it may be cheap, but the food here is really good," said Ami.

"And I really like the funny costumes that the staff members are wearing," said Harusuke. "They really make them look like they're monsters."

The werewolf and the Frankenstein then appeared beside them.

"Thank you very much," said the Frankenstein man. "It's nice to hear that."

"That's actually one of the selling points of this pension," said the werewolf.

Suddenly, they all heard a strange sound. It was the sound of a ghostly wail. Everyone immediately froze. The Frankstein man and the werewolf then jumped starting to tremble in fear.

"There it goes again!" they said fearfully.

"What the heck is that?" wondered Harusuke. "Some kind of wailng?"

"I don't know, but that sounds so scary!" whimpered Usagi.

"Maybe it's the owner crying," said Rei.

Then the ghoulish woman appeared between Rei and Usagi who looked just as scared from the noise. "No, that's not me...!"

Usagi jumped practically falling out of her chair. "Why do you always have to pop in of nowhere like that?!" she shrieked. "You're freaking me out!"

Then Rei then looked at the door sensing a strange presence behind it. She opened the door she along with everyone else saw a startling sight. In front of them was a strange, transparent being which looked like a woman which was the source of the ghostly noise. It floated over to the stairs, then with a flash of lightning, it disappeared without a trace. There was a long silence. Then Usagi timidly spoke.

"D-did... did anyone else see that just now?" she asked quietly trembling.

"W-we didn't see anything!" said the ghostly owner as she and the other staff members pretended they didn't see.

Usagi then looked at Luna who had been clinging to her shoulder the whole time. "H-hear that Luna? W-we must have been imagining th-things." she said trying to laugh.

Luna could only answer with a wry laugh. It would seem that she was pretty scared too.

"But... I saw it too," said Harusuke. "Although... I don't know what it was that I saw."

"Do you think that it's a monster?" asked Ami.

"No. I'm not sensing that there's one," said Rei. "But I did sense some kind of of incredible power."

"Incredible power?" wondered Harusuke. "But how can that be? The only people that I know that have incredible powers is us. Who else could have that kind of power?"

* * *

Back in the secluded part of the mansion, the very reason for the recent poltergeist was in sitting in a chair being placed under hypnosis by her father. As she stared at the golden coin dancing back and forth in front of her, she felt her eyes start to grow heavy.

"Good girl. That's a good girl," said her father. "You're a very good girl. Now sleep, go to sleep. That's right. Your eyes are heavy. Now, sleep."

Being unable to keep her eyes open anymore, Sakiko eyes then closed and her father smirked.

"Very good," he said. "Now listen to my voice. You will now slowly open your eyes. Gradually, very slowly."

As he continued to hypnosis, while her eyes remained closed, a single tear trickled down Sakiko's cheek as if the girl that she once was was now trapped inside of her conscious.

* * *

The next day, the night before had all but become a distant memory. The sun was shining, the waves were crashing, and everyone was dressed in their swimsuits ready for a day at the beach. The private beach was in the an area just below the mansion's cliff.

"Alright! Check out that blue ocean!" cheered Usagi as she ran into the water feeling much more cheerful. "This feels awesome!"

"Wow. Look at her go," said Luna. "It's almost like that storm never happened."

"I know," smiled Ami. "This weather feels great!"

"Yeah. I guess so, but... something's missing..." said Rei doubtfully.

Having to have heard Rei, Usagi's happy mood quickly changed. She was now looking crestfallen and grumpy.

"I know you're right," she said. "There's no one here, but us."

"Well... they did say that this beach was private," said Rei. "I guess they weren't kidding."

"I know. It's so private that there's no one else, but us," grumped Usagi. "Not to mention the boats are sailing offshore and there's seagulls everywhere... Where are all the white yachts? Where are all the hot guys?" She then yelled at the top of her lungs towards the sea. "I hate you, you stupid beach! You hear me?!" Then she quickly turned around holding a ball in her hands changing her mood again to happy. "So, does anyone want to play ball?"

Luna and Rei groaned.

"Talk about being simple-minded," said Luna.

"That's Usagi for you," sighed Harusuke.

"Can I bury her in the sand?" asked Rei.

"By the way I just realized," said Ami. "Did anyone see that girl Sakiko? We never did see her come out of her room this morning."

"Now that you mention it, you're right," said Harusuke as he stretched. "I wonder where she..."

Then Harusuke noticed something. As he turned towards Ami, he and the others noticed that Ami was flipping through the pages of a textbook.

"Wait... Ami, is that what I think it is?" asked Harusuke pointing.

"Yes. It's one of my textbooks," said Ami.

"Hold on Ami, did you really some of the your textbooks here with you?!" exclaimed Rei sounding appalled.

"Of course I did," said Ami.

Usagi then came on over and snatched the book away from Ami.

"Now you listen here Ami," she said sternly. "Youth is a precious thing. You only get to experience it once! I understand studying is important, but I believe it's just as important to have fun and make some memories!"

Ami was surprised while Rei, Luna, and Harusuke stared dumbly at Usagi.

"Wha... what the heck...?" murmured Harusuke.

"Usagi actually said something that makes sense for once..." said Rei.

Ami then smiled. "Alright then. You win Usagi," she said. "Let's go have some fun then."

Usagi grinned. "Now that's the spirit!"

"You girls go and have fun," said Harusuke. "I've got some training to do."

He was just about to walk away when Usagi barred his way. "Not so fast Harusuke," she said defiantly. "You're gonna have fun too! Whether you like it or not!"

"But Usagi, you do realize that we all came here for training right?" pointed out Harusuke.

"That may be so, but as a wise person once said," said Usagi importantly. " 'It's important to train hard, but it's also important to play hard.' Come on Harusuke, it'll be fun. Pretty please?"

Harusuke pondered. Then he smiled. "Oh alright," he said. "I'll join in."

The five of them then spent the day playing on the beach having lots of fun. Unbeknownst to them up above on the cliffs, Sakiko was watching them play looking to be very lonely. She wished that she could play with them. She wished that could just like them, but in her heart she knew that her wish would never come true.

* * *

Later that night, Usagi was taking a bath. However, her feelings of fear due to what happened the other night had returned and she had Luna standing guard outside of the bath. To make things worse for the cat, Usagi kept asking her constantly making sure that Luna was still there.

"Um... Luna...? You're still there right?" asked Usagi for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I'm right here!" snapped Luna. "How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"But I'm really super scared!" whimpered Usagi.

"Would you stop already?!" said Luna. "Rei's placing ofudas at the dining table as we speak, so stop being such a chicken and finish your bath!"

Usagi could only sink into the water in the tub as she whimpered making bubbles in the water.

* * *

In the dining room just as Luna told Usagi, Rei had just finished placing the last ofuda a chair in the dining room.

"There. That should keep us safe while were having our dinner," she said. She then thought about what she and everyone else saw the other night and it made her wonder. "But, I'm pretty sure that wasn't a ghost we saw... It felt more real and very powerful," she said thoughtfully.

Just then, Rei suddenly heard voices which was coming from the kitchen. Feeling curious, Rei quietly tip-toed over to the door and peeked in to find that the three staff members of the mansion were huddled together trembling in fear with only a candle for light.

"Come on... Let's do it already!" said the werewolf. "If this is going to start happening every day, I'm going to go crazy!"

"Calm down," said Frankenstein. "We all know what we have to do."

"Yeah, I know," said the ghoulish owner. "But no matter what, we can't let those kids staying with us know about it!"

"Right!" said the werewolf and Frankenstein.

"What could those guys be talking about?" thought Rei. "And what don't they want us to know?"

* * *

Harusuke was walking down the halls making sure if there was anything suspicious. So far he didn't see anything out of the ordinary and he had just about covered every part of the mansion.

"Man... this place sure is big," he said. "I've looked pretty much all over the place and I couldn't find anything. Maybe what we saw some kind of trick or something."

Then he saw Ami who had just come out fresh from the bath drying her hair with a towel.

"Oh hey Harusuke," she said. "Did you find anything?"

Harusuke shook his head. "No. I didn't. Everything seems to be normal," he said. "Well other than the fact that this place looks like some kind of mansion you'd see in a horror flick."

Then Ami happened to look out the window and then saw something.

"Hey Harusuke. Look," she said.

Harusuke did so and then he saw what Ami had seen. There standing outside on the cliff looking towards the sea was Sakiko.

"Hey. It's that girl ," said Harusuke. "I wonder what she's doing out there?"

* * *

Sakiko stared wistfully towards the sea looking to be deep in thought and lonely holding another bouquet of beautiful flowers.

"Hi Sakiko!" said a voice.

Sakiko turned and saw that Harusuke and Ami were standing there behind her.

"Oh, hello Ami. Hello Harusuke," she said.

"Oh? You know our names already," said Ami.

"How did you know them?" asked Harusuke. "We never told them to you."

"Well... I was up here all day and saw you all playing," said Sakiko. "Rei's the pretty and mature one, and Usagi's the clumsy one, and the cute little cat is Luna."

"Impressive," said Harusuke. "That's pretty observant of you."

Then as Sakiko kicked a rock over the cliff below, she could see how lonely Sakiko looked. She decided to find out why.

"Pardon me for asking, Sakiko," she said. "But, are you lonely? Don't you have any close friends?"

Sakiko shook her head. Harusuke and Ami looked at each other feeling a little sorry for the girl, but then Ami came up to her wearing a grin.

"Well why don't we change that?" she said. "Not to long ago, I was a bit of a loner just like you, but now it's different."

Sakiko looked at the bluenette taking an interest in what she had to say.

"You see, I became friends with Usagi," continued Ami. "And I think that you should become her friend too. She makes everyone feel happy."

"Really? Are you sure?" asked Sakiko.

"Yes. It is," said Harusuke. "She she's clumsy and she can be a bit of a scaredy cat at times, but she's one of the best people that you would ever want as a friend. Trust me, I should know. I am her brother."

Sakiko then gave a small smile feeling a little happier, but that didn't last very long.

"Sakiko!"

The moment Sakiko heard that voice, her smile vanished for her father came storming on the scene forcibly taking her hand and dragging her along.

"How many times have I told you not to talk to strangers?!" he snapped.

"W-wait a minute!" said Ami feeling worried about Sakiko.

"Aren't you being a bit rough with her?" asked Harusuke.

Sakiko's father looked back and glared at the two.

"I suggest you kids leave this place right away!" he said. "That is unless you want to see something really terrifying!"

And with that, Sakiko's father left dragging Sakiko with him. The two were surprised by the man's behavior and the threat he just made. Then Harusuke suddenly remembered the phantom they saw the other night and thought about what the old man had said. He then looked at Ami.

"Hey Ami. Let's follow them," said Harusuke.

Ami nodded. "I agree," she said. "Let's go."

* * *

Sakiko's father didn't let go of Sakiko's hand until they were back into the secluded room in the mansion. He forcibly made her sit in the chair and prepared to get out his coin.

"But father! Ami, Harusuke, and the others are really nice!" pleaded Sakiko. "And I was just about to be friends with them!"

"That's enough!" said her father. "Sakiko, you possess strong psychic powers and I want you to gain full control of them!"

"But I can't!" said Sakiko. "It's impossible!"

"Just leave it to me. If you continue to let me help you, you can do it," said her father as he pulled out the coin. "I've been able find a great way to draw out your powers using hypnosis. Or are you trying to tell me that you're going to ignore your father who knows what's best for you?!"

"But Father..."

Sakiko tried to reason with her father still, but then her father hung the coin in front of her eyes and began swinging it back and forth.

"Just concentrate on the coin, Sakiko," he said in a hypnotic voice. "Concentrate... Show your power to those stupid people who called our psychic power fake! Once you access your superior powers, they will transform you into the world's leading psychic!"

Sakiko's eyes filled with tears as she tried to resist, but she felt herself slipping away as her eyes began to lose focus. Not too far away, Harusuke and Ami were peeking through the door having to have seen and heard everything and were horrified as Sakiko's eyes closed as she went into a hypnotic sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Usagi was making her way downstairs hugging a pillow close to her chest searching her friends and her brother.

"Ami? Rei? Harusuke? Where did you guys run off to?" she wondered.

Then she saw some light coming from another room and could hear some strange chanting. Usagi peeped in through the door and immediately gulped. In the room, the three staff members were in the middle of some strange ritual chanting and praying in front of an altar filled with candles. Usagi was so frightened that she couldn't help, but let out a small squeak. To make things worse, that little squeak did not go unnoticed. The three staff members looked at Usagi and immediately began to panic. Feeling frightened herself, Usagi began to panic too. The four continued to panic and freaking out when Rei rushed in. Usagi then immediately glomped onto Rei hugging her tightly.

"I told you Rei!" I told you!" Usagi cried. "They're really are ghosts! Every last one of them!"

"Would you please calm down?!" chided Rei. "They're not ghosts! These people are normal human beings!"

Usagi immediately stopped being scared. "S-seriously? They're... normal?"

The staff members nodded in response.

"Yes. They're all normal people, but this isn't the time to be worrying about that. Right now, I'm sensing an incredible force being generated in this place. Something's coming..."

The four then looked at Rei in shock. Then suddenly in the dining room, all of Rei's ofudas suddenly came off and the table as well as the chairs, candles, and even a bowl of fruit began to tremble and shake. Then the chairs pulled out and then began to float in the air in a circle above the table.

* * *

"Now Sakiko, use your psychic powers to create a ghost!" commanded her father. "This should be an easy task for you by now. And once those noisy kids see that, it'll scare them off!"

He then cackled with darkly, but then he was rudely interrupted.

"Guess again old man!"

"Stop this right now!"

Sakiko's father looked behind him to see that Harusuke and Ami stood just outside of the doorway. "So it's you two again," he growled.

Then the lights of the lamp shattered and Sakiko's eyes opened glowing in a bright blue color. Then a powerful energy erupted from her body taking shape of a ghost in the form of a woman.

"Yes! That's good Sakiko!" cheered her father. "Wonderfully done! Now go scare those kid off and get revenge of all those people who laughed at us and said we were fakes!"

The ghost then looked at Ami and Harusuke and with a wave of her hand, it unleashed a powerful force sending Harusuke and Ami flying out of the room and hitting the ground outside. Sakiko's father cackled with glee and triumph.

"That's great!" he said smirking.

But then, his smile quickly faded. For now, the ghost was looking at him glaring with rage. Now Sakiko's father was getting nervous.

"Wh-what? What's wrong?!" he demanded.

The ghost continued to glare at Sakiko's father until her let out a shriek of rage and unleashed a force with a wave of her hand.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the dining room, Usagi and Rei just barely managed to duck just as one of the chairs came crashing out of the window. Then all the other chairs stopped floating and fell back onto the floor.

"Now what's going on?" wondered Luna.

Then they heard another crash coming from outside. They looked to see Sakiko's father just picking himself off of the ground after being sent flying his face now twisted with fright. For right above him, the ghost that Sakiko was right above him. Then it unleashed another force of energy sending the poor man tumbling along the ground. Now Usagi was terrified as was all the staff members.

"Stupid Rei! This is all your fault!" she shrieked as she hid behind Rei. "Why did you have to reservations at this pension?!"

"Now is not the time to be complaining about that!" yelled Rei.

Harusuke and Ami then rushed onto the scene.

"Everyone! Transform now!" yelled Harusuke.

"We have to save Sakiko's father!" shouted Ami.

"Uh-uh! I don't want too!" wailed Usagi now in tears from fright.

"You have to Usagi!" said Rei urgently. "If we don't do something now, everyone will wind up possessed!"

Usagi was still crying, but she understood that she didn't have a choice. "Oh alright! I'll transform!" she bawled. "MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"You meanie ghost! How dare you ruin a helpless young girl's vacation! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I'm Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun, and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"

"I am Sailor Mercury!"

"I am Sailor Mars!"

"And in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Even though I'm still very scared!" squeaked Sailor Moon timidly.]

The ghost was closing in on Sakiko's father as he scooted back in fear.

"Sakiko! Sakiko stop! I said stop!" he yelled. "Don't you recognize your own father?!"

* * *

Sailor Mercury and Solaris quickly rushed over to Sakiko who was now still in a hypnotic slumber. Sailor Mercury gently held her shoulders and shook trying to wake her up.

"Sakiko! Please you got to wake up!" she said urgently. "Sakiko!"

"Please you have to!" pleaded Solaris. "Sakiko, open your eyes!"

The two then heard Sakiko begin to mumble in her hypnotic sleep.

"No... please... no more," she said tearfully. "I can't take it... I can't take it anymore!"

The two heroes looked at each other now understanding what was going on. Sailor Mercury then began shaking Sakiko more forcefully.

"Sakiko please! We need you!" she spoke. "Wake up!"

"Come on, Sakiko!" said Solaris. "Your father needs your help! Wake up!"

This time, Sakiko finally snapping out of her hypnotic state opened her eyes.

* * *

The ghost let out another angry shriek as it gunned straight for Sakiko's father again. Sailor Moon immediately went on the attack using her tiara.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

As she launched her attack the attack struck true, but it went right through the phantom having no effect what so ever.

Feeling angry, the ghost unleashed a force at Sailor Moon and Mars sending them flying into the bushes. Seeing that they were out of the way, the ghost redirected its assault towards Sakiko's father by unleashing another force of energy. Then Sailor Mercury and Solaris rushed in with Sakiko with them.

"Oh no! Father!" cried Sakiko.

"Sekiko! Can you use your power to make that ghost you made disappear?!" asked Sailor Mercury.

"I don't know!" said Sakiko. "It should have disappeared the moment I woke up! Why is it still here?!"

The ghost then lunged at the three seeing them as the enemy. Sailor Mercury and Solaris dodged while carrying Sakiko rushing to her father's aid.

"Father! Are you alright?!" asked Sekiko.

"Sekiko... you need to get out of here...!" said her father weakly. "The ghost that you made is now beyond your control!"

"What do you mean by that?!" wailed Usagi.

"That ghost represents Sakiko's repressed feelings of anger and her desire to rebel against her father," explained Sailor Mercury.

"And that feeling became so strong inside her, that when she finally let it out, she lost control of it," added Solaris.

Then the ghost swooped down and let out a deafening shriek releasing a force of power. The force sent Solaris and Sailor Mercury flying into the bushes next to Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars while Sakiko's father shielded his daughter from the force.

"Sakiko! Please! You must run away now!" Sakiko's father said.

"No father! I won't!" said Sakiko.

Sakiko's father looked down at his daughter his feelings of revenge now replaced with regret.

"My dear daughter, please forgive me," he said apologetically. "You just wanted to live a normal life, but instead I forced you to do what I wanted. I'm sorry."

Sakiko held her father close as the ghost swooped down closing in for the kill.

"Sekiko! Get out of there!" yelled Solaris.

"Watch out!" shouted Sailor Mercury.

Then suddenly Sekiko bravely turned around stood in front of her father.

"GO AWAY!" she screamed as she held out her hands and unleashed a blast of her power at the phantom.

The force of her power was so strong that it stopped the ghost right in its tracks. Everyone watched in amazement as the girl's power soon overwhelmed the ghost she created disappearing into the air. Feeling exhausted, Sakiko slumped into her father's lap as he caught her in his arms.

"She did it," said Sailor Mercury. "Sakiko destroyed it!"

Sakiko then looked up at her father. "Are you alright Father?" she asked.

Sakiko's father smiled for the first time in while. "Yes. I am Sakiko," he said. Then he turned to the guardians. "Everyone, I'm so sorry for being such a short-sighted fool for only caring about showing the worlds the powers Sakiko had. I forced her to train even though I knew that she hated using them. I even used the guests that stayed at this pension as test subjects."

"So... then what was the staff doing before in that room?" asked Sailor Moon.

"They were probably just trying to perform an exorcism to get rid of the ghost," said Sailor Mars.

"Oh, is that all? I... knew that," said Sailor Moon sheepishly.

"Well... the important thing is, you've come to realize your mistakes sir," Solaris said to the man. "I would advice you not to try doing this sort of thing again by letting Sakiko live her life as normal girl."

"Yes. I will," said Sakiko's father. "You have my word."

* * *

The next day, everyone was once again at the beach playing and having a good time. This time they had Sakiko join in. As they played, Sakiko's father watched from grinning from cheek to cheek. Just then, the three staff members came up to the man.

"Um... excuse me sir," said the ghoul owner. "Are you sure that the ghosts won't show up here any more? I mean we like working here, but we're really timid and we really don't like monsters and ghosts at all!"

Sakiko's father smiled kindly as he continued to watch his daughter play. "Don't you worry," he said. "You won't see them anymore. Ever again."


	23. Chapter 22

"Sai... Lor... V!"

"A new blockbuster animated movie! Coming soon to a theater near you!"

"Sailor V!"

Harusuke and Usagi were watching the latest trailer of the newest Sailor V movie that would soon come out in theaters.

"Aw man... I'm so jealous," Usagi sighed enviously. "Sailor V gets to have her own anime movie.. I wish somebody would make an anime movie about me."

"You never know Usagi," said Harusuke. "We have been getting a bit popular with the public since we became guardians. Maybe someone will make a show about us."

Luna could only smile awkwardly feeling urked. "Heh. I'd love to meet the artist dumb enough to make animated film about an idiot like Usagi," she thought.

* * *

Meanwhile in the middle of town, two girls were walking through town each carrying large folders and envelopes. One girl was a short-haired brunette wearing glasses named Hiromi, and the other was a girl with chestnut-brown hair that went to her shoulders held up with a yellow headband named Kazuko. These two were just a couple of the animators working on the Sailor V anime. They were heading towards the studio of which they worked at.

As they walked, Hiromi let out a sad sigh looking very depressed. "Man... I hate to say this, but now I feel downright discouraged," she said.

"So were you able to understand what the director wanted?" asked Kazuko.

"Not even," replied Hiromi. "He always speaks in these abstract terms I don't get."

Kazuko smiled wryly understanding what Hiromi was talking about. She could well remember what the director said to Hiromi yesterday when she was with her.

* * *

 _The director was looking at a frame that Hiromi drew inspecting it every which way humming thoughtfully._

 _"This isn't quite the imagine I was going for here," he said._

 _"What's wrong with it?" asked Hiromi._

 _"I can't really put it into words... But just look at Sailor V's posture," the director said pointing at Sailor V's leg. "It feels like there's not enough love here. Her bent knee and leg line doesn't evoke any passion."_

 _Hiromi and Kazuko's faces paled at bit at what the director was getting at._

 _"So you're pretty much saying that we need to make her look sexier, right?" asked Hiromi flatly._

 _"What kind of question is that?!" the director exclaimed defensively. "I'll have you know that I'm a father! I wouldn't dare imply anything as vulgar as that!"_

* * *

"Oh well," sighed Hiromi. "I might as well face it. I don't have any talent. Maybe I should just quit being an animator."

Kazuko gasped and then glared defensively at her friend. "What are you saying Hiromi?!"

Hiromi then smiled. "Oh don't worry, I was just kidding," she said. "I wouldn't give up my dream so easily."

Kazuko stared at Hiromi suspiciously. Then she smiled with relief. "Good. That's the Hiromi I know. Hey, I'll race you to the studio!"

Then Kazuko took off running leaving Hiromi in the dust.

"Hey! No fair Kazuko!" cried Hiromi. "Wait up! Slown down Kazuko!"

She then ran after her trying to catch up. However in her haste, she accidentally dropped one of her envelopes which contained the frames she drew in front of the Juuban Bookstore. At the same time, Ami just so happened to come out of the store and saw what had happened. She tried to stop Hiromi, but the girl was already out of sight. Ami then picked up the envelope and read the address on the bottom.

" 'Studio Dive'? This must be their address," she said to herself. "Oh dear. What should I do? I have a class to get to right now."

Ami pondered wondering what to do. Then she put the envelope in her bag.

"I guess I'll have to return it after class," she said as she set off to her class not wanting to be late.

* * *

In his mansion in the forest, Nephrite was using his abilities to consult with the stars searching for another victim to steal energy from.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said as the projection of the Earth shot a beam of light on his forehead. "Weaving dreams of light and shadow, spinning time into images for our eyes. Gemini the Twins, will now point me to my next target for energy."

Then Nephrite began to see the image of a certain animator.

"Now... Castor and Pollux, it's time to summon my two most powerful monsters," he continued. "Not even the Guardians will be able to stop them."

* * *

Later that night, Ami was walking through town just getting off of class. She was looking for the studio, so she could return Hiromi's envelope.

"Now let's see..." she mumbled thoughtfully. "That should be around here somewhere..."

Then suddenly Ami heard the roar of a car's engine. She looked at she saw a certain red sports car speeding down the road. Then her eyes widened. It was only for an instant, but she was able to catch a glimpse of the driver of the sports car which was Nephrite under his guise as Masato Sanjoin. The car then gathered speed and disappeared down the road. Ami then started to put two and two together.

"That was Mastao Sanjoin..." she gasped. "He's Nephrite!"

She then immediately took off running down the direction where the car went as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

At the studio, Hiromi was working alone at her desk drawing a frame of Sailor V. Everything was very quiet, the only sound being the scribbling of her pencil. Then she put her pencil down and inspected it. She then sighed in frustration and crumpled up the drawing.

"This is no good!" she said. "The drawing doesn't capture any of Sailor V's love nor her passion! I give up!"

Then she took a look at Kazuko's desk. On top of it was her folder containing all of the frames that she drew.

"Oh wow, Kazuko's already done this much work?" she wondered.

Feeling curious as to how she was faring, Hiromi took a peek inside of her folder. The moment she did, her eyes widened in shock and amazement. All of Kazuko's drawings were of Sailor V like Hiromi's, but to her, they were the most incredible drawings she had ever seen. They far surpassed anything that she had ever drawn.

"Incredible..." murmured Hiromi as she flipped through the frames of drawings. "Kazuko's artwork is really good... she's truly a great artist! I can really see Sailor V coming to life! She's captured the love and passion perfectly! I can't let her outdo me... I guess I'll have to use that again."

She then went back to her desk and sat back down. She opened a drawer and took out a blue pencil case with a pink bow on it. This pencil case was something special to Hiromi. The reason being was way back when she and Kazuko were still in school before they became animators.

* * *

 _Hiromi and Kazuko were gazing at very special pencils on display in a store._

 _"Wow... those pencils are those that professional animators use..." said Hiromi with wonder._

 _"And they're being sold for a limited time!" added Kazuko._

 _Hiromi then smiled at Kazuko. "Hey, since we have that animation job starting this spring," she said. "wouldn't it be great to use these pencils to draw our main characters?"_

 _Kazuko smiled back. "Then let's buy them!"_

 _Hiromi was surprised. "But what about the price? They're super expensive!" she said._

 _"So? We'll both pitch in to buy a set," said Kazuko brightly._

 _Soon enough, Hiromi and Kazuko bought the pencils and Kazuko had divided the pencils into separate cases for herself and for Hiromi._

 _"There. Now we'll split the set into these two pencil cases. This way, it's the perfect gift to mark our careers as animators," she said as she gave Hiromi the blue tin with the pink bow. "And we'll have something special to connect us while we do our work. We'll only use these pencils for special occasions."_

 _Hiromi smiled. "I agree. We'll only use them for the ultimate anime. One that will make kids feel happy!"_

 _"That's right," said Kazuko. "We'll only untie the ribbon's with each other's approval. Agreed?"_

 _"Agreed," nodded Hiromi._

 _The two then linked their pinkies making their promise._

* * *

Hiromi sighed remembering the promise she made. She then took off the ribbon opened to the case to reveal that there was only one pencil that was on the brink of being used up completely.

"I know that I made that promise to Kazuko," she said guiltily to herself. "But I already used my pencils quite a bit without telling or asking her. However... whenever I use them, I feel inspired. And besides if I don't do something soon, Kazuko will soon leave me in her dust."

Just then Hiromi heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. She immediately snapped her head to see Nephrite in his human disguise standing before her.

"Who are you?!" she exclaimed feeling startled.

"Please excuse me," said Nephrite. "You're Hiromi Matsuno, is that right? Pardon for intruding on you like this, but I'm a big fan of yours. I just wanted to drop by and see your work place."

He then picked up Hiromi's special inspecting it. At the very same time, he implanted his two strongest monsters inside of the pencil. Feeling a bit worried about her pencil, Hiromi then stood up.

"Please put that down," she begged politely.

Nephrite did as she asked and placed it back on her desk. "Please forgive me," he said. "I'll take my leave now. Keep up the good work and I hope to see more of your work."

And with that Nephrite left the studio leaving Hiromi feeling very confused and slightly frightened. When Nephrite was outside, he smirked with triumph having to have been successful with the first phase of his plan.

"Now all that's left to do is to lure the Guardians here," he said to himself.

Then suddenly, Nephrite saw that someone was waiting for him standing on top of his car. It was Sailor Mercury.

"Nephrite! "You're up to no good again, aren't you?!" the blue sailor scowled. "Well I, Sailor Mercury, won't not stand for it!"

Nephrite smirked aloofly. "So you're here already are you? Saves me the trouble of tracking you down."

Before Sailor Mercury had a chance to react, Nephrite had leaped into the air and landed beside the driver's seat of the car in front of her in a fast speed. Then using his arm and hit her on her ankles sweeping her feet. Sailor Mercury tumbled falling off of Nephrite's car and onto to the ground on her feet. She looked back in time to see Nephrite getting into his car.

"I hope you and the guardians are prepared Sailor Mercury, because I've prepared just the monsters to deal with you four," Nephrite said. "Until then, I suggest you polish up a bit on your fighting skills!"

"What do you mean by that?!" demanded Sailor Mercury.

But with a squealing of tires, Nephrite had already drove away leaving Sailor Mercury in the dust.

"Oh no... he got away!" she cursed.

* * *

Then Kazuko came back to the studio having to have just come from the store bringing some snacks for her and Hiromi.

"Hey Hiromi!" she said cheerfully. "I stopped by the store and bought us late-night snacks."

Hiromi didn't answer. She simply looked at Kazuko with vacant eyes and seemed to be glaring at her. The pencil that Nephrite contaminated had quickly taken a hold of her. Feeling worried, Kazuko was about to ask what was wrong with Hiromi when Ami came in carrying the envelope that Hiromi dropped having to have just turned back from being Sailor Mercury.

"Excuse me," she said. "But I think your friend dropped this."

Kazuko came up to Ami. "Thank you so much!" she said gratefully. "These are very important to us. Hey Hiromi, look what this nice girl just brought to us."

Hiromi once again didn't answer. She simply stood up and went into another room shutting the door behind her. Kazuko was a bit surprised.

"I'm sorry about that," she said to Ami. "She has a lot of work to do, so she's a bit out of it."

"That's alright," said Ami. "No need to apologize."

"If you'd like, you can come back and visit us another time," said Kazuko. "And then I can show you around our studio as our way of saying thanks."

"Sure. I'd love to," smiled Ami.

After that, Ami headed home. As she did, she was worried about what Nephrite said to her and Hiromi's recent behavior.

"Just what could Nephrite have been doing here?" she thought to herself. "I've got to find out!"

* * *

The very next day, Ami explained what had happened the other night to Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna.

"That's not like you at all Ami," said Luna. "Trying to fight Nephrite all by yourself like that."

"Luna's right," agreed Harusuke. "It was way too risky. You could have ended up getting hurt or worse."

"You're both right," said Ami now feeling a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry..."

"Luna's right!" said Usagi angrily. "If you would have called, I would have rushed on over!"

"Oh my... that's not how Usagi normally reacts," said Luna.

"No kidding. But I can't really blame her," said Harusuke.

"I mean, that's where they're making the new Sailor V anime," continued Usagi. "I could have gotten one of their cel drawings as a souvenir!"

The three stared at Usagi dumbly now knowing her true intentions for her outburst.

Harusuke face-palmed himself and sighed. "I should have known..."

"Just how crass, weird, and wacky can this girl get?" muttered Luna.

"Then why don't we ll go to Studio Dive after school?" suggested Ami. "It's important that we find out just Nephrite is after."

"I agree," said Harusuke.

"Yeah! Yeah! I agree too!" said Usagi eagerly. "We can't possibly ignore the studio knowing that Nephrite's been there!"

Harusuke looked at Usagi. "Usagi... you're still thinking about getting some form of a souvenir over at the studio aren't you?"

"Yup. How'd you know that?" replied Usagi.

Ami, Harusuke, and Luna sighed a little aggravated. It seemed like there was no helping this girl. -_-

* * *

At the studio, everyone was busily at work. Hiromi was working the hardest of them all. In fact she was working at such an incredible pace, that she already had drawn several stills filling many folders without even trying. Kazuko was surprised.

"Wow Hiromi!" she said. "You drew all of those in just one night?!"

"Sure. Doesn't everybody?" said Hiromi gruffly as she immediately went back to room she was drawing in. But before she went in, she turned to Kazuko. "I want to have this room to myself today."

"Um... sure. That's fine but..." began Kazuko. But before she could finish, Hiromi had shut the door after entering the room once again. Now Kazuko was starting to worry. "Hiromi... what's the matter with you?" she wondered.

Inside of the room, Hiromi sat at her desk and resumed her work. The pencil that she was using before was still very short, but then as she resumed her work it mysterious grew into its full length.

"You can't beat me now Kazuko," she chuckled to herself smiling evilly. "Not as long as I have this pencil."

* * *

At her school, Rei had just been contacted by Usagi having to have told her about going to the studio.

"What? An animation studio?" she wondered. "Why would I ever want to visit that place? Besides anime's for little kids."

"Fine then," said Usagi. "We'll go without you."

* * *

It was soon evening and Usagi, Harusuke, Ami, and Luna were just leaving the school due to a certain someone having stay after school for being late. Ami then looked at the clock.

"Oh dear... look at the time," she sighed.

"Good grief Usagi," scowled Luna. "Next time, buy a watch."

"Sorry," said Usagi sheepishly.

"Well there's no helping it," said Harusuke. "We'll just have to hurry to the studio as best we can. Buy the way Usagi, did you manage to contact Rei? We'll probably need her help if we're going to investigate."

"I did, but apparently she said she wasn't interested," said Usagi. "She said and I quote: "Anime is for little kids." "

"That's a bit of surprise. I would have thought that Rei would jump at the chance to go with us," said Harusuke. "I mean after all, she is a big fan of Sailor V just like you Usagi."

Then just as they had exited the gate, they heard a voice.

"You're late!"

The four looked beside the gate where the voice and were surprised to see a certain long raven colored hair girl waiting for them holding a paper bag in her hands looking very cross.

"Rei?!" they all exclaimed.

"That's right," said Rei. "I've been waiting for you all this time! What took you so long?!"

"Someone had to stay after school to catch up with her homework," said Luna.

"Luna! Shh!" Usagi shushed.

"But... Rei. What are you doing here?" asked Harusuke. "I thought you weren't coming."

"That's right. Usagi said that you weren't interested in visiting the studio with us," said Ami.

"C'mon. We can't possibly ignore the studio knowing that Nephrite's been there!" said Rei.

"Now where have I heard that line before?" muttered Luna.

"I'll give you one guess," said Harusuke flatly.

"Anyway, we should get going!" said Rei.

Then as she was turning around swinging her bag, the bag ripped open and then contents of her bag spilled out onto the ground. The others were surprised to see that the contents were autograph boards.

"Rei? What're you doing with so many autograph boards?" asked Luna.

"Looks like someone's expecting to get a lot of autographs sighed," said Harusuke.

Rei quickly picked up the boards blushing bright pink. "Well... these are my friends'." she said quickly. "They asked me to get autographs for them!"

Usagi smirked slyly. "You're such a liar!" she said. "Admit it Rei, you're the one who wants those autographs right?"

"Wait a second..." said Ami thoughtfully. "Rei, you do realize that we're starting high school soon don't you?"

"What's your point?" asked Rei hotly.

Ami then shook her head. "Just saying..."

"Ugh... is she asking for a fight?" Rei growled to herself.

Harusuke then sighed and then went over to Rei. "For crying out loud, you girls are gonna be the death of me," he said as she started to pick up the boards.

"Harusuke? What are you doing?" asked Rei.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm helping you," replied Harusuke. "I mean you're planning to get autographs right?"

Rei could only look at Harusuke as he helped her pick up the rest of the boards. Ami, Usagi, and Ami were surprised too.

* * *

At his mansion, Nephrite was sitting outside of the balcony sipping his drink. He was enjoying the peace and quiet, when Zoisite appeared.

"Well, well. Don't you look calm," he said. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"What is it now, Zoisite?" asked Nephrite not even looking at the man.

"Just wondering about your plan," said Zoisite. "Is it going well this time?"

"Everything is going perfectly," said Nephrite flashing a smirk.

"Is that so?" said Zoisite raising a brow. "You seem to be very confident in the outcome, but... I'll believe it when I see it."

Nephrite only ignored the man as he continued to enjoy his drink.

* * *

That night, the gang had just arrived at the studio. Needless to say, Usagi and surprisingly Rei had become complete fangirls admiring the sketches. Ami and Harusuke however were with Kazuko.

"So sorry to barge in like this," said Ami.

"And I'm sorry for my sister and her friend's... um... behavior," said Harusuke.

"It's fine. We're glad to have you," smiled Kazuko kindly. "Please enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you very much," said Ami. "By the way, would you mind if we asked you a few questions?"

"Why sure." said Kazuko. "What is it you want to know?"

"Has anything out of the ordinary happened recently?" asked Harusuke. "Anything strange or weird?"

"What do you mean?" puzzled Kazuko.

But before Kazuko could answer and as Usagi and Rei continued to fangirl over the sketches, Hiromi had stepped out of her room and suddenly came up to Usago and Rei glaring at the two dangerously.

"Shut up! Can't you see that we're still working?!" she snapped. "You might want to try keeping the voice down. You're being rude and distracting!"

"S-sorry," said Rei and Usagi sheepishly.

Everyone in the studio immediately stopped and looked at Hiromi feeling surprised from her outburst. Kazuko however was cross.

"Hiromi! That's no way to talk to our fans!" she scolded. "They came here to show their support!"

"Yeah right!" scoffed Hiromi. "I bet they're just here to get autographs and free drawings! You shouldn't let outsiders in here."

"These girls aren't like that!" Kazuko protested. "You say that like they're a bunch of freeloaders!"

Usagi and Rei immediately gulped blushing with embarrassment.

"Well... Hiromi's not too far off the mark," Harusuke said to himself.

Just then the phone began to ring. An animator picked it up and answered it. Then she called to Hiromi.

"Um... Hiromi? The Director's calling you," she called.

Hiromi then answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Hiromi!" said the Director cheerfully. "We were just reviewing the drawings you worked on, and whoa! They're filled with so much power and energy! I can't wait to take a look at your work at the final scene! Keep it up!"

Hiromi smirked. "Hey Director. While I have you on the phone, I've got a great ending," she said.

"Really?! What is it?" asked the Director.

Then Hiromoi flashed a twisted smile. "Well you see.. for the last scene, I'm going to kill off Sailor V!"

Everyone in the room gasped including Usagi and the others. Even the Director was shocked.

"Do what?!" he exclaimed.

"That's right," continued Hiromi. "That's exactly the kind of story that the children of today really want to see!"

"Wait a second Hiromi!" cried the Director. "You can't be serious! Please re-"

But by then, Hiromi had already hung up the phone.

"Hiromi... you're not serious are you?!" asked Kazuko incredulously. "Please tell me you're weren't serious about what you said!"

Hiromi smiled darkly. "Yes I am. I'm quite serious, Kazuko," she said. "Since I've been entrusted with the final scene, it's my business to decide what I want to do with it!"

"What has gotten into you, Hiromi?!" cried Kazuko as tears began to fall from her face. "Isn't anime something that we all work on together? That's what you used to say all the time! Creating anime is all about teamwork!"

Hiromi seemed to hesitate. Then she replied. "I hear what you're saying... but it's just anime. Who's needs teamwork when it's dead?!"

"Hiromi...!" gasped Kazuko feeling shaking from her words.

Hiromi then walked out of the studio outside. "This is stupid," she scoffed.

"Wait Hiromo! Where are you going?!" cried Kazuko as she ran outside after her.

Rei then spoke low to Usagi and the others. "I'm sensing an evil presence..."

"Then let's go after Kazuko and help find Hiromi," said Harusuke.

The five then followed Kazuko outside. They looked around trying to find where Hiromi went, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then Usagi spotted someone just getting on top of the roof.

"Over there!" she cried. "She's on the roof!"

They all the raced to the top of the roof and saw Hiromi who was now radiating with a powerful energy.

"Hiromi...!" called out Kazuko.

Hiromi glared angrily at her friend. "Kazuko... you think you're better than me, don't you?" she spat. "Just because you have a little talent, you let it go to your head! But now... I'm the one who's on a roll! As long as I have this pencil, I'l stay on that roll!"

As Hiromi held up her pencil it began to glow in a bright light. Kazuko immediately recognized it as one of the pencils that she and Hiromi bought a while back. At the very same time, Nephrite saw his chance.

"Her energy level's peaked!" he said. "Caster! Pollux! Now!"

The spirals on Hiromi's pencil seemed to come to life as they swirled all around Hiromi draining her energy. Then two bright lights one being red and the other being blue appeared and then gave shape to the two monsters Nephrite implanted, Castor and Pollux. They were both humanoid beings with long tails with were tied together, also wore strange bikini-like clothes with skirts, and were both different colors. Castor had bright red skin with dark red clothes and a pink skirt, and Pollux had light purple skin with green clothes and a teal skirt. Kazuko was so surprised that she immediately fainted upon seeing them.

"Everyone! Transform now!" ordered Luna.

"Right!" everyone replied as they sprang into action.

"MOON PRISM POWER..."

"MERCURY POWER..."

"MARS POWER..."

"MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER, FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

Back at the mansion, Nephrite and Zoisite were observing Nephrite's projection of the stars with the sign of Gemini glowing above their heads.

"So these are the most powerful monsters you described?" asked Zoisite.

"Absolutely," said Nephrite. "Like true twins, they're bound by a deep and powerful connection. Their superior power is far greater than that of those Guardians. Today they will meet their match and their end."

Zoisite raised a brow in doubt.

* * *

"Anime nurtures kid's minds and fosters their dreams!" said Sailor Mars.

"How dare you take advantage of youthful passion?!" scowled Sailor Mercury.

"You can be sure that we will not tolerate such evil!" said Solaris."Especially towards young children!"

"Your evil actions have even made anime-lovers like us mad!" added Sailor Moon. "In the name of the moon..."

"We'll punish you!" the four heroes finished.

Castor and Pollux smirked.

"It's very silly to think..." began Castor.

"That you think that you can win against us," finished Pollux.

"Oh we'll stop you!" said Sailor Moon angrily. "Count on it!"

Castor and Pollux then gestured to the knot made from their tails.

"See this? The powerful bond that we share together..." began Castor.

"... makes us invincible!" finished Pollux.

"In other words, you guardians have no chance of winning!" they both said together. "Take this!"

Then they both spun around and around. Then Castor put hands together with her index fingers pointed and unleashed a ball of fire from them just like a certain sailor. The heroes immediately dodged the attack just barely. The two monster twins then spun around and this time, Pollux attacked unleashing a beam of bubbles just like another sailor guardian. Once again, the heroes barely managed to dodge.

The twins cackled with triumph. "You see that? That's our teamwork!" they both said.

"I don't believe this..." panted Sailor Mercury.

"They're attacking us with the same techniques that we use!" said Sailor Mars.

"Alright then," said Solaris straightening up. "Since they were able to use Mars' Fire Soul and Mercury's Bubble Spray, let's see how they'll fare against this!" He clapped his hands together and created a ball of light unleashing his attack. "SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Solaris punched the ball making it fly right at the twins. However, the twin smirked and then joined hands. From their hands a spiral of blue and pink energy swirled around them making a barrier blocking Solaris' attack.

"No way!" cried Solaris.

The twins cackled evilly as they slowly came up the Guardians.

"Now... I'll finish you off," said Castor as she prepared to attack.

However, Pollux stopped her. "Hey wait a minute! That's my job!" she protested.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Castor. "Finishing them is my job!"

"No way! I get to do it!"

"Why don't you just back off?!"

"I don't think so! Why don't you?!"

Needless to say, all of the Guardians were surprised and confused about this turn of events. They didn't know what to make of this. Then after a few seconds of arguing, Castor and Pollux clearly had enough of each other.

"That's it!" said Castor angrily. "Our friendship ends right here!"

"Just what I have hoping for!" agreed Pollux.

And with a whip of their hands, the knot that tied them together immediately became separated. Luna saw this as a chance.

"Now Guardians!" she yelled. "The enemy has lost their teamwork!"

"Right!" said Sailor Moon. "Come on guys! Let's show them what real teamwork is!"

"Right!" agreed the other Guardians.

Sailor Moon then took off her tiara transforming it into a white disc and took aim. Sailor put her hands together with her index fingers together and created a fire ball. Sailor Mercury gathered energy into her hands creating a bubble. Solaris clapped his hands together and created another ball and took aim.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Sailor Moon's Moon Tiara Action mixed with Solaris' Sunshie Meteor making it an even bigger disc, then the fires from Sailor Mars' Fire Soul heated the disc making it a crimson gold color, and the bubbles from Sailor Mercury's Bubble Spray formed a ring around the disc. The twins looked back in time to see the combined attacks coming right for them and in a brilliant blast of power, the attack destroyed the twins into ashes until they blew away in the wind.

* * *

Back with Nephrite and Zoisite, the picture of Gemini dispersed in a sparkle of stars signaling that Castor and Pollux had been defeated. Nephrite was shocked.

"No... this can't be!" he murmured.

Zoisite smiled mockingly. "That was interesting," he said. "I do find it amusing watching you fail."

Then in a flurry of petals, Zoisite was gone leaving Nephrite seething with fury.

"It would seem that I underestimated those Guardians," he growled.

* * *

Hiromi soon regained conscious and she had just been told what had happened what she did while she was possessed. She felt terrible.

"C'mon Hiromi," soothed Kazuko. "Please don't feel bad. Cheer up."

Hiromi was still feeling miserable. Not just because of what she did, but because of the promise she broke. She knew that Kazuko would find out sooner or later, so she decided to come clean.

"Kazuko... there's something I need to tell you," she said. "I'm really sorry, but... the pencils we promised that we'd never use... I've been using them. Please don't be mad..."

But Kazuko wasn't mad. In fact, she was smiling.

Then she took out her own pencil case and opened it. Hiromi was surprised to see that there were only there little ones left.

"Hiromi... there's... something I've been keeping from you too," she said looking embarrassed. "So... I broke my promise too. I was so frustrated because you always did such great work and these inspired me to do better. I felt like if I didn't do something, I'd just get left behind you."

"You're kidding me..." gasped Hiromi. "I was feeling the same way!"

"You know what Hiromi? I don't think that there was anything wrong with using the pencils to get better," continued Kazuko. "After all, we only be using them to create the ultimate anime, one that will make kids happy, right?"

Hiromi smiled as her eyes began filling with tears. "Yes! I agree!"

"Good," said Kazuko smiling back. "Then let's make another promise! From now on, we'll keep drawing children's dreams..."

"And keep working as hard as we can to make them come true!" the two finished.

The staff members who were watching this tender moment all applauded. Usagi and the others were standing outside having to have heard everything as well.

"Wow... what a pair of good friends," said Harusuke. "I'm sure that those two will make the best anime the world has ever seen!"

"Now I really wanna see the Sailor V anime when they finish it!" said Luna.

Everyone heartily agreed.


	24. Chapter 23

It was another sunny day in the town of Juuban. Usagi and Harusuke were running on the sidewalk as fast as their legs could carry them having to be running late for school.

"Come on Harusuke!" panted Usagi. "We're gonna be late!"

"Don't worry, Usagi! We got plenty of time!" wheezed Harusuke as he ran. "We just have to keep running!"

As they rounded the corner leading to the main road, they both suddenly heard loud whistle being blown made them both stop and look. The road beside them was filled with traffic. In the middle of the road, there were a couple of police officers appearing to be inspecting the vehicles for anything suspicious.

"What the heck?" murmured Harusuke. "It's a police checkpoint."

"I wonder what's going on today?" wondered Usagi. "Some kind of special event?"

Just then, Naru walked past the two of them causing them to notice her. She seemed to be very deep in thought about something The Tsukino siblings then caught up with her.

"Hey Naru," greeted Usagi. "Good Morning."

"Morning, Usagi. Morning, Harusuke," said Naru absently seeming not to take notice of the two.

"Is something the matter Naru?" asked Harusuke. "You seem to be depressed today."

Naru was thinking about what had happened the other night when Nephrite under his alias as Misato Sanjoin had not only seduced her by calling her cute, but he had also disguised himself as Tuxedo Mask and thought that she was Sailor Moon. She was feeling very confused as to what his feelings toward her were.

"I don't get it," Naru thought to herself. "Does. Mr. Snajoin like me or not? What does he really think of me?"

Then Usagi snapped Naru out of her thoughts by grabbing her arm.

"Come on Naru, don't just stand there!" she said. "We're gonna be late if we don't get a move on!"

Usagi then took off running dragging Naru with her and Harusuke following close behind her.

* * *

At the school, Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke had barely managed to make it to class just before the first bell rung quickly taking their seats.

"Whew! We made it!" sighed Usagi. "That was close!"

"Too close if you ask me," said Harusuke. "You really should get yourself an alarm clock, Usagi. That way you don't make me late either."

Then Umino came up to the two. He was excited.

"Hey, Usagi! Harusuke! Have you two heard the big news?!" he said. "The First Princess of the Kingdom of Diamonds has just arrived in Japan!"

"Kingdom of Diamonds?" puzzled Usagi.

"Whatcha talking about Umino?" asked Harusuke.

"They're the world's biggest producer of gemstones," explained Umino. "And tonight, they're gonna be hosting a big a banquet tonight at their embassy reception."

"That explains the checkpoints we saw on the way here," said Usagi.

"But why would they would such a shindig?" asked Harusuke. "I mean what's the occasion?"

"They say that the Princess is set to inherit the royal family's heirloom which is known as the 'Legendary Secret Treasure'," continued Umino. "And they're going to be unveiling this secret treasure to the world for the first time at the banquet!"

"Secret Treasure huh?" said Usagi thoughtfully. "That must be pretty incredible. I wonder what it could be?" She then thought and thought about what could the treasure be, but all she did was make herself confused. "I can't even imagine it!" she cried.

"It does raise a lot of questions," said Harusuke. "But if there's checkpoints, then it must be something pretty valuable."

"I'll go and take a look for you and tell you all about it if you want," said Naru absently who appeared to be uninterested in the conversation. "Considering the fact that my family runs a jewelry store, we've been given a special invitation to attend tonight's reception."

Umino and Harusuke looked at Naru in surprise while Usagi was anything, but jealous.

"Aw! You're so lucky, Naru! I wish I could go with you!" she complained.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Tsukino residence, Luna was by herself reading an article in the newspaper about Princess Diamond.

"Tonight the final mystery of this century will be revealed," she read. "Princess Diamond, from the Kingdom of Diamonds arrives in Japan with the royal family's Legendary Secret Treasure."

She looked up thoughtfully taking an interest of what she had just found out. "I've got to check this out," she said to herself as she left the house.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, the news about Princess Diamond's unveiling of the treasure reached to even the ears of Queen Beryl and her court and the evil queen herself had taken an interest with this news.

"The Kingdom of Diamonds Legendary Secret Treasure," she said. "There's a possibility that it could be the Legendary Silver Crystal."

"I'll check on it for you immediately, Queen Beryl," said Zoisite.

Then Nephrite appeared. "Don't bother," he said gruffly. "I'll look into this matter."

Zoisite was cross. "Nephrite, you stop butting in!" he snapped. "Finding the Legendary Silver Crystal is my job! I'll do it!"

"I'm responsible for all activities on Earth," said Nephrite calmly.

Zoisite glared. "That's a lot for you to cover!" he hissed.

Nephrite took no notice and looked at Queen Beryl. "I'll be able to handle it. Leave it to me."

"Very well then, Nephrite," agreed Queen Beryl who know wore a twisted smile. "If this Legendary Secret Treasure is indeed the Silver Crystal, you must acquire it immediately. With it's immense power, we will finally be able to restore our Great Ruler and the Dark Kingdom will become the rightful ruler of this world!"

"B-but, my queen...!" protested Zoisite.

Queen Beryal paid no attention to him. "Tell me Nephrite, what is your plan?" she asked.

"I would prefer that you just watch rather than plan my own agenda," said Nephrite. "Just wait and see."

And with that, Nephrite disappeared leaving Zoisite seething with fury.

"Nephrite has failed every single assignment you've given him!" he snapped. "Why are you giving him another chance by letting him him handle this?!"

"Because now he's being forced to succeed," said Queen Beryl her eyes glinting with evil. "He's in a tight position and he's starting to grow desperate."

* * *

After that, Zoisite whose feelings of anger had now become sadness and bitterness had gone to the only person he could find comfort from. Someone who was by his side whenever he needed him. Someone who he cared about very much. He was tan, had long white hair, silvers piercing eyes, and wore the same general clothes like the others, but the trims were blue and he wore white gloves and a cape. He was also the fourth member of the Four Kings of Heaven as well as Zoisite's lover, Kunzite.

Zoisite was laying on Kunzite's lap feeling so upset, that his eyes looked like they were about to let loose tears. Kunzite petted his lover's head soothingly.

"Have patience, my dear Zoisite," he said. "It's as they say, the impatient one always loses."

"But Kunzite," protested Zoisite. "I can't..."

"It will be alright," continued Kunzite. "For now, let's watch carefully and see exactly what he has planned. We can then get rid of Nephrite when it suits us to do so."

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi and the others all met up informing each other the news about Princess Diamond.

"You're kidding. A princess?" wondered Rei.

"That's right, and I had a thought right when I heard the news about it," explained Luna. "There's a possibility that this Princess Diamond might be the princess that we've been searching for."

"Are you sure about that, Luna?" asked Harusuke. "I mean not that I doubt your theory or anything."

"You never know, it could be possible," said Luna.

"No way. It can't be," said Usagi.

"The way I see it, we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss Luna's hunch," said Ami. "I say that we should at least try to look into it."

"Yeah, but how? I'm sure that Princess Diamond's gonna have a lot of bodyguards with her," pointed out Usagi. "Not to mention that we can't get into the reception because we don't have one of those special invitations to it."

"Don't you think that we're aware of that?!" snapped Rei. "It's our mission so stop your whining and let's put our heads together and think of a way to get in!"

"You don't have to yell in my face like that," whimpered Usagi whose eyes were welling up with tears. "Why do you always have to be such a meanie, Rei?"

"Will you just grow up?!" yelled Rei who was now feeling irritated.

Usagi then burst into tears wailing loudly. Harusuke immediately stepped in between the two girls.

"Come you two, take it easy!" he said. "It's too early in the day for this!"

"Well, why don't we all meet up at the embassy tonight and put our heads together when we get there?" asked Ami. "Then we'll wait for a chance to check whether or not Princess Diamond is really the princess we're looking for.

Everyone nodded in agreement as they went away to their homes.

* * *

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna eventually had managed to make it back home.

"We're home!" the two kids called.

They had just entered the house when they saw Kenji. He was wearing a black fancy tuxedo combing his hair.

"Hey there kids. Welcome back!" he greeted.

Usagi and Harusuke were surprised seeing their dad in such fancy garb.

"Hey Dad, why are you all dressed up?" asked Usagi.

"Are you going on some fancy date with Mom or something?" wondered Harusuke.

"Nothing like that, Harusuke," said Kenji. "I'm leaving right now to go to the Kingdom of Diamonds Embassy."

Usagi's and Harusuke's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?! You got an invitation?!" exclaimed Usagi. "No fair! I want to go!"'

"How did you manage to get invitation to go?!" asked Harusuke. "You don't own a jewelry store!"

"I'm doing an article for a magazine," explained Kenji. "I'm mostly going there just to look around and write."

"Dad. Can we come?! You gotta take us with you. Please?" begged Usagi.

"Sorry kids, but I can't," replied Kenji as he walked out the door. "But don't worry, I'll take a look at everything and take notes for the three of us. Bye!"

And then Kenji left leaving Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna by themselves.

"Well, that got us in like not at all," sighed Harusuke.

"It's not fair!" grumped Usagi. "We've just gotta get in that reception! But how?" She thought and she thought. Then she gasped. "Wait a second! I got it!"

"What are you gonna do?" asked Luna. "Have you come up with some idea?"

Usagi smiled slyly and dug into her pocket and pulled out the solution. The Disguise Pen.

Luna's eyes widened sensing what Usagi had planned. "No! Usagi, don't!" she cried.

But she was too late. Usagi held up her pen and activated its powers.

"MOON POWER! Transform me into a beautiful princess!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Usagi transformed. Her hair had remained pretty much the same, but she now had read ribbons tied in the buns of her hair. She also wore white slippers and wore a beautiful lavender dress with red roses around the top and white gloves on her hands. She also had a choker with a red rose on it and carried a pink fancy umbrella. Luna and Harusuke were amazed, but at the same time were a little put off.

"Check me out you guys!" said Usagi grinning. "Isn't this dress lovely?"

"Yes it is, but you shouldn't be using the Disguise Pen for your own personal use," chided Luna.

"But I'm not. I'm only doing this for the sake of the mission," said Usagi. "This is all for finding out if Princess Diamond is truly the princess we've been searching for all this time."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Luna doubtfully.

Usagi didn't answer. She was busily fluttering her skirt admiring how pretty she looked much to Luna and Harusuke's chagrin.

"You know, I can't really tell if she's being serious or is just wanting to go just to have fun at that shindig," sighed Harusuke. "Well in any case, Usagi managed to find a way to get us in, so we might as well take advantage. Hey Usagi, mind if I use the Disguise Pen? I gotta disguise myself too you know."

"There's no need for that now, Harusuke," said Luna. "You can change your appearance without the Disguise Pen."

"Wait.. I can?!" exclaimed Harusuke with surprise. "Since when?"

"Since I've upgraded your bracelet," said Luna. "Not only did I add a communicator function, but I also added a disguise function on it. I would have told you sooner, but I forgot to tell you."

"That's great, Luna!" said Harusuke. "It'll definitely save me the trouble from having to borrow the Disguise Pen. So what do I do to activate it? Just say Sun Power and say what I want to look like?"

Luna nodded. Harusuke then raced his hand where his bracelet was worn and activated it.

"SUN POWER! Transform me into a princess' body guard!"

In a burst of light, Harusuke also transformed. He now was wearing a black suit with his hair long and in a ponytail and wore a communicator in his right ear. Usagi was excited and impressed.

"Oh wow! You look so awesome Harusuke!" she cried. "You look like the perfect bodyguard! In fact, seeing you in that gives me an idea!"

* * *

 _Mamoru who was wearing his Tuxedo Mask attire, found himself standing up at a strange castle. It was hidden in a strange mist, but looked very tall in size. Then as he looked up at the castle, he could see someone standing on top of the balcony. He tried to see who it was, but he couldn't tell. All he could see was the shadowy shape of a young woman with long hair. He then heard her speak to him._

 _"The Silver Crystal... You must find the Silver Crystal... Please..." she called out sounding desperate._

 _"I don't understand!" called back Mamoru. "What is the Silver Crystal?!"_

* * *

Mamoru's eyes suddenly snapped open as he woke up from his strange dream in a cold sweat. He held his head in agony as he tried to comprehend what he had just dreampt.

"It's that dream again..." he said as he wiped his brow.

* * *

At a large mansion where the embassy was taking place, Usagi and Harusuke had arrived in no time at all. The two sibling gazed at the mansion in amazement.

"Wow... so this is where the banquet is," said Usagi. "It sure looks big."

"I know," said Harusuke. "Not to mention the fancy scale is pretty high here. Let's get inside."

The two then walked towards the check in trying to look at important and snobby as they could. As they walked in, they happened to walk by Ami and Rei who were surprised to see the two.

"That was Usagi and Harusuke!" they exclaimed.

Usagi and Harusuke continued on until they walked past the man at the reception area. Upon seeing them, the man called out to them.

"Excuse me, do you two have an invitation?"

"I'm a-thinking we don't them," said Harusuke in a thick accent. "For she is the Princess of the Kingdom of Ivanovich. Formerly, Princess Ivanovich!"

"What? The Kindgom of Ivanovich?" puzzled the man as he flipped through his book. "I've never heard of such a thing."

But Usagi and Harusuke had already stepped inside and disappeared inside of the building.

* * *

Inside of the ballroom, a masquerade with taking place. Various different men and women were dancing beautifully and gracefully along the floor all wearing beautiful tuxes and dresses having splendid time. Among them was Naru, who was still in her own thoughts. Then her thoughts were interrupted by a certain man coming up to her wearing a purple tux with a mask to match.

"Pardon me miss, but would you do me the honor of this dance?" he asked as he took Naru's hand.

At first, Naru had no idea who this man was, but then the man lifted up his mask and Naru immediately recognized him.

"Mr. Sanjoin!" she gasped.

"Hello Naru," Nephrite said smiling. "Are you here by yourself?"

"Y-yes I am," said Naru. "In my mother's place."

"I'll say this, I never expected you to be here," said Nephrite. "Never in my wildest dreams. This is turning out to be the best night ever."

Naru who was once again swept away from his charm began to dance with him. The two twirled and spun together having the time of their lives. Not too far away, Harusuke and Usagi had just arrived at the ballroom. Harusuke let out a sigh of relief.

"Well that was easier than I figured," he said. "We managed to get in without any trouble."

"I know!" said Usagi eagerly. "But look at this Harusuke! A masquerade ball! This is so cool! It's like being in a foreign movie!"

"Remember to stay focused Usagi," said Harusuke. "We're supposed to be finding the princess and the treasure, so keep your eyes peeled."

Then Usagi happened to see Naru dancing with Nephrite. "Oh wow! Check it out Harusuke! There's Naru!"

Harusuke looked and saw Naru too, but at the same time he saw the man that Naru was dancing with. For some reason, he immediately felt a bad feeling in his gut.

"I don't know why, but something's telling me that something about that man is dangerous," Harusuke thought. "I'd better keep on my toes and be on guard. Hopefully it's not that Sanjoin guy... if it is..."

Then Kenji walked by taking pictures of the many guests that were dancing. He then saw them. He didn't recognize them, but he couldn't help but sense something familiar about them.

"Hmm... they look a lot like Harusuke and Usagi," he said. "I wonder if my kids will grow up to be as pretty and handsome as those two?"

Usagi and Harusuke who now took notice of their father couldn't help, but snicker as they looked at each other.

"It would seem that not even Dad could recognize us in these get-ups," said Harusuke.

"Yeah. Good thing huh?" smiled Usagi.

Just then, a woman who was standing behind Usagi holding her, accidentally bumped into her. Her drink spilled onto Usagi's dress making a stain.

"Oh no! My gown," groaned Usagi.

"That's all right," said Harusuke. "You go clean up that stain. I'll stay here and take a look around to see if I can find the princess."

Usagi nodded as she left the ballroom to find a place to clean up the stain. As soon as she left, Harusuke then began walking around the ballroom beginning his search for Princess Diamond.

* * *

Down the hallway, Mamoru who was under the guise as Tuxedo Mask, was standing against the wall keeping an eye on a particular door where two men stood outside guarding it.

"If the Kindgom of Diamond's Secret Treasure is the Silver Crystal," he thought to himself. "Then it might be able to tell me who I really am."

Just then, Usagi happened to be walking by still looking for a place to clean up the stain on her dress. Tuxedo Mask happened to see her as she walked by. The moment he saw her, he recognized her in some way. He then thought back to the dream he had before he came here and began to feel curious about Usagi.

"That girl..." he murmured. "I know her! I'm certain that I've met her before. A long time ago..."

He then silently began to follow Usagi.

* * *

Meanwhile outside of the balcony, Naru and Nephrite were alone. Naru was having the time of her life enjoying being with him and was loving every romantic second of it unaware of his true intentions with her.

"Mr. Sanjoin is so wonderful," she thought. "I don't care what happens after this."

"You sparkle like the stars glistening in the heavens," said Nephrite. "Please Naru... look at me."

Naru was timid, but she did as Nephrite asked and looked into his eyes expecting him to kiss her, but she was wrong. The moment she looked at him, Nephrite's eyes began to glow in a red light hypnotizing her. At the same time, something came out of his body and immediately went straight inside of Naru's. Naru's skin immediately turned into a purpleish tone and her eyes glowed with an evil glint.

Nephrite smirked with triumph. "Naru Osaka, you will now do anything I say..." he said. "Is that understood?"

"Yes..." hissed Naru.

* * *

Back in the ballroom, Usagi had managed to clean up the stain on her gown, but she was now all by herself was feeling somewhat lonely.

"I finally got to be a princess, but what's the point?" she thought sadly. "It's no fun if I'm all by myself."

Then she had an unexpected visitor come up to her holding out his hand. When she looked up and saw who it was, she blushed in delight.

"Tuxedo Mask!" she gasped.

"Would you do me the honor?" the masked man asked.

Usagi responded by eagerly taking his hand. The two then went to the dance floor and began to dance together. As they danced, the other couples who were around couldn't help, but take notice. They immediately gave the two some room and were now the center of attention.

"Oh wow... is this a dream right now?" Usagi thought to herself. "It's like a dream come true..."

Usagi was now feeling happy for being the luckiest girl in the world, but as she continued to dance, another feeling crept up in her mind. A feeling that she had experienced something like this before which made her feel confused.

"What... is this feeling?" she wondered. "I feel as if Tuxedo Mask and I danced like this a long time ago... but when..."

* * *

Not too far away on the upper level, Harusuke was still searching for anything suspicious that was going on. So far, he didn't see anything. He didn't even see Nephrite or Naru which made him a little worried. Then as he gazed out towards the bottom floor, he happened to notice a certain girl dancing with a certain masked man. When he saw this, he was surprised.

"What the heck...?!" he murmured. "It's Usagi! And she's dancing with Tuxedo Mask?! When or what the heck is he doing here?!"

Then he saw how everyone was watching the two dance together. The sight alone made even him feel amazed, but at the same time he too began to experience a feeling of nostalgia. A feeling that he had seen this sight before.

"That's weird... Why do I have the feeling this is familiar?" he said to himself. "It's like... I feel that Usagi and Tuxedo Mask have danced together like this before... but... when and where did that happen?"

Then he noticed someone just coming back from outside the balcony. It was Naru, but when Harusuke saw her, he immediately noticed that Naru didn't look right. He saw how purple her skin looked how her eyes looked so sinister.

"What the heck? What's wrong with Naru?" he wondered. "She looks so strange right now."

Feeling worried and curious, Harusuke quietly began to follow her.

* * *

The possessed Naru made her way through the hall unaware that Harusuke was tailing her. She soon came up to the room where the two guards were standing. Upon seeing Naru, the guards immediately were on guard and barred her way from the door.

"Hold it right there!" said the first.

"Who are you?" demanded the second.

"My name is Naru," she said. "I've come to see the princess. We're good friends."

The men were surprised as was confused, but not wanting to question her queen, they decided to let the possessed Naru pass. Naru smirked with triumph as she walked in with the guards behind her. In the room, was a young girl who bore some similarities with Umino making sure that she looked nice for the big unveiling.

"Excuse me Princess," said the first. "But someone who claims to be a friend of yours is here to see you."

"It's me princess, your pal, Naru," she said brightly. "May I come in to see you?"

"Of course you can," said the princess kindly.

The guards who were still feeling unsure about this, then left the room leaving Naru and the princess by themselves. The princess then spoke to Naru.

"You seem to be a fun person," she said. "How may I help you?"

"I came for the Legendary Secret Treasure," said Naru evilly. "It's coming with me!"

Then the being that possessed her immediately left Naru's body and before the princess had a chance to react, the being entered her body possessing her. Naru no longer under the influence immediately fell to the floor unconscious. The princess now possessed immediately went over to the treasure chest which contained the treasure. At that moment, the guards came bursting into the room sensing something was wrong.

"Princess! Is anything the matter?!" asked the first urgently.

Then before he or the other guard had a chance to react, the princess grabbed the chest and barreled right past them running down the hall.

"You're in my way!" she yelled as she ran. "The Legendary Secret Treasure is mine!"

"The princess has gone mad!" cried the first guard.

"Something has to be wrong with her!" shouted the second. "Sound the alarm!"

Not too far away, Harusuke who was hiding behind the corner saw everything that had happened.

"Oh man! This is bad!" he said. "I gotta alert the others!"

He then raced down the halls in hot pursuit of Princess Diamond. He pushed a button on his bracelet and called Ami and Rei.

"Ami! Rei! We got trouble!" he said urgently.

* * *

Back in the ballroom, a large ringing rung throughout the building making everyone immediately stop dancing. Usagi was puzzled wondering what was going on, but then Luna came running jumping into her arms.

"Usagi, we have a situation!" she spoke lowly so no one would hear. "Princess Diamond took the Secret Treasure and went up to the balcony!"

Usagi immediately left the ballroom and raced down the halls to the upper balcony. When she got there, she saw Princess Diamond about throw the chest to Nephrite who was below the balcony outside. Usagi immediately grabbed her arms to stop her.

"Princess Diamond, stop this!" she cried. "You've got to pull yourself together!"

"Let go of me!" snapped Princess Diamond.

She then forced Usagi off of her which made her lose her balance. Usagi then fell off the balcony about to fall to the ground below. Luckily, Tuxedo Mask who had also followed her was able to stop her fall just in time by grabbing her hand. Princess Dimaond immediately smirked seeing her chance and tried to force Tuxedo Mask off as well by shoving him off. Tuxedo Mask grunted from the impact, but he still managed to hold onto Usagi as well as prevent himself for falling. Princess Diamond prepared to shove him again.

"It's time for you both to fall to your deaths!" she yelled.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" yelled a voice.

The next thing the possessed princes knew, Harusuke suddenly appeared and tackled her knocking her to the floor preventing her from doing anymore damage.

Down below, Nephrite growled in frustration upon seeing this turn of events.

"Damn it! That pest Tuxedo Mask is here!" he growled. "At least it's his lucky day to die with a beautiful princess!"

He was about to attack the helpless couple, but then a loud voice rang out.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

A large fireball hit Nephrite square in stopping him from attacking. Nephrite wasn't hurt, but he was now most annoyed for Sailor Mars along with Sailor Mercury has suddenly appeared amongst the flames.

"There's not way I'll let you hurt Tuxedo Mask!" said Sailor Mars. "Not while we're here!"

Usagi and Tuxedo Mask were now dangerously hanging by the balcony. Then the glove that Usagi was wearing slipped off of her and she began fall. Tuxedo Mask desperate to save her reached out and held on to her falling with her. Harusuke who was trying his best to keep Princess Diamond pinned gasped in horror.

"NO! USAGI!" he yelled.

Then thinking quickly, Luna immediately threw the umbrella that Usagi had to her. Usagi managed to catch it and open it saving them both. Thanks to the umbrella, they managed to land safely on the ground completely unharmed. Luna and Harusuke let out their breath feeling very relieved.

"Damn it!" cursed Nephrite.

Not wanting to stick around and deal with this, Nephrite retreated leaping high into the air.

"Hey! He's getting away!" yelled Harusuke as he leaped off the balcony towards the ground.

"Stop, Nephrite!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.

He was about to give chase the villain when Sailor Mercury barred his way.

"Hold it right there!" she said. "Just who exactly are you?! Answer me!"

Tuxedo Mask sighed feeling slightly remorseful. "I wish I could answer that question, but I can't," he said looking away. "That's the reason I need to uncover the mystery of the Silver Crystal."

Everyone looked at Tuxedo Mask feeling a bit surprised. Sailor Mercury then pressed him with another question.

"Are you an enemy then?" she demanded. "Or are you on our side?"

Tuxedo Mask then looked at her right in her eyes. "If we're after the same thing, maybe I am an enemy."

And with a great leap, Tuxedo Mask took off flying disappearing beyond the fence and trees. Needles to say, everyone was feeling puzzled. Usagi however was completely love-struck by the masked man.

"Wow... he's so dreamy," she sighed. "Isn't that guy really something?!"

"Hey! Enough with the goo-goo eyes, Usagi!" chided Harusuke. "Hurry up and transform already!"

"Oh yeah! The mission!" cried Usagi as she focused on the task at hand.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

In the ballroom, all the people who were at the ball had surround an unconscious Princess Diamond feeling worried. Kenji however was excited taking dozens of photos of the unconscious girl.

"This is great!" he said excitedly. "I got myself quite the scoop!"

Then suddenly, Princess Diamond was suddenly enveloped by a black spiraling mist. She slowly rose up from where she lay and was standing on her feet much to the surprise of the civilians.

"Get out of my way!" she hissed. "Anyone who tries to stop me will be sacrificed to our great ruler!"

She held out her hand and unleashed a gust of the black mist that surrounded her. The civilians who were hit by the mist all immediately fell unconscious. The possessed princess smirked with triumph and was just about to make a break for the balcony to escape, when the sailor guardians and Solaris suddenly appeared standing in her way.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon!"

"I am Sailor Mercury!"

"And I'm Sailor Mars!"

"And I'm the guardian with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice, Solaris!"

"And I'm telling you right now, we won't forgive you, you evil monster, for possessing the pure-hearted Princess Diamond, you will be punished!" continued Sailor Moon glaring.

Princess Diamond cackled unimpressed. "I'm taking the Legendary Crystal, whether you like it or not! It's mine!"

She was immediately surrounded by the same black mist allowing her to fly out the window and landing on the ground below, but the Guardians followed in pursuit not giving her a chance to escape. Sailor Mars then pulled out one of her signature ofudas and slapped it right on Princess Diamond's back.

"Evil spirit, be exorcized!" she cried.

The possessed princess was frozen for a moment and then she fell to the ground unconscious. Then the being that possessed her came out of her body. It appeared to be some kind of phantom, but the face was all too familiar.

"It's Nephrite!" the guardians cried.

The Nephrite phantom cackled evilly as it unleashed a powerful blast of black mist from its hand. 'Now, die slowly and painfully!" it shrieked.

The Guardians were buffeted by the attack unable to attack or defend.

"I can barely move!" cried Sailor Mars.

"If this keeps up, we'll all be killed!" yelled Sailor Moon.

Then Sailor Mercury had an idea. "I have an idea!" he called. "But I don't know for sure if it'll work!"

"Try anything!" yelled Solaris. "Do it now before it's too late!"

Sailor Mercury then unleashed her signature attack.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

Sailor Mercury unleashed a powerful blast of bubbles which was able to cancel out Nephrite's attack. Solaris then seized his chance.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

Solaris unleashed a beam from his hands which wrapped around the Nephrite phantom and bound him tight. Right then, Sailor Moon took off her tiara transforming it into a disc of energy and prepared to attack.

"How shameless of you to trick Princess Diamond like that!" she glared. "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you! MOON TIARA ACTION!"

With a mighty fling of her arm, Sailor Moon launched her attack right at the Nephrite phantom. The attack hit the evil thing head on causing it to scream in agony. And then like a dying flame, the phantom faded away disappearing into nothingness.

"Yes! We did it!" cheered Sailor Moon.

"Haha! Take that Nephrite!" smirked Solaris. "That'll teach you to mess with us!"

Then they took notice of Princess Diamond who had finally returned to normal and had regained conscious. Her glasses had come off of her face and she felt very confused. The Guardians then came to her aid worried if she was hurt.

"Princess. Are you alright?" asked Sailor Moon.

"I'm fine, thank you," said Princess Diamond. "But... what have I been doing?"

"You were possessed by a monster," said Solaris. "But not to worry. We took care of that personally."

Then Luna walked up. "Princess Diamond. I wanted to know, could you be the princess that we've been searching for?"

"Hold on a second," said Princess Dimaond as she felt around trying to find her glasses. "I can't see a thing without my glasses." She then found them in front of her and then put them back on her eyes.

Luna the asked her again. "Now... are you the princess that we've been looking for?"

Princess Diamond stared. Then she let out a startled and surprised scream. "That cat just talked to me!" she cried.

She was so startled that she immediately fainted falling unconscious into Sailor Moon's arms.

Luna then sighed with disappointment. "Oh well. I guess she isn't our princess after all," she said.

"You could have found out in a better way, you know," said Solaris.

* * *

After a while, everyone had finally regained conscious and the revealing of the treasure continued on as scheduled. Soon enough, it was time for the unveiling.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said a man. "Princess Diamond will now unveil the Legendary Secret Treasure, the last wonder of the world!"

Princess Diamond then stepped forwards and opened the chest revealing a beautiful statue made of diamond.

"I present to you a two thousand carat diamond statue in the shape of the very first Princess Diamond," said the princess proudly.

Everyone oohed and ahhed in amazement and wonder. However, Harusuke and the others were a bit disappointed.

"Well that was a total bust," said Harusuke. "But at least we were able to stop Nephrite."

"That may be so Harusuke, but now our search for the princess is back to square one," said Luna. Then she noticed something. A certain someone was missing for their group. "Wait a minute... where did Usagi go?" she wondered.

The girl in question was making her way to the dining table where there were dozens of cocktails. Thinking that it was some kind of punch, Usagi took one.

"All this activity is pretty exhausting," Usagi sighed. "I'll just have some of this punch."

She then downed the whole cocktail in one gulp. The moment she did, she instantly became drunk. Her cheeks turned slightly red and she even hiccuped.

"Wow... this punch is really refreshing," she said dizzily.

Then she bumped into a young man who was just behind her. That young man was Tuxedo Mask.

"Oops. Sorry about that," said Usagi her eyes fluttering. "Please excuse me."

Smiling kindly and seeing that Usagi was in need of help, Tuxedo Mask led Usagi away from the party outside on the balcony. Usagi at this point was now very tired and felt very sleepy. Tuxedo Mask seeing this laid Usagi up against a pillar, so she could rest. As Usagi rested, Tuxedo Mask inched his face close to hers now feeling curious about the girl and having a stronger connection to her than he every did before.

"I feel it," he said to himself. "I feel that I've done this once before... A long, long, time ago... I believe... that my memory might be coming back..."

Usagi now sensing what Tuxedo Mask was going to do, closed her eyes as her lips as well as his touched.

"This gentle warmth..." she thought. "It feels so familiar... I know I felt it somewhere before... so many times..."


	25. Chapter 24

It was a hot, sunny, day in Juuban. Everyone was having a good time swimming and relaxing. at the community pool. However, there was one person who wasn't having as much of a good time as the others, kicking her feet in the water absently. That one person was Naru. She was lost in her thoughts thinking about only one person. Mr. Sanjoin. She couldn't help but think about how wonderful and handsome he was. Yes, she couldn't really believe it, but she was head over heels in love with the man.

Just then, a splash of water hit Naru's face snapping out of her daydreams. The splash of water had come from Usagi who was splashing the water at Naru trying to get her attention.

"Splish! Splash! Splish Splash!" she said.

Naru then sighed. "Geez. You act like such a kid, Usagi," she said.

"Well, I try my best," laughed Usagi taking it as a compliment. It didn't take her very long to realize that she wasn't being complimented causing her to glare at Naru. "Wait just a minute!" she scowled. "Are you saying that you're not?"

"That's right," said Naru snootily. "And you know why? Because I know what it's like to be a grown-up in love."

Usagi stared blankly at Naru taken aback. "Hold on a minute!" she cried. "Are you saying that you're actually in love with someone? I mean you have to have someone to actually like you know."

"Oh come on now, Usagi," Naru said as she blushed giddily while she touched her cheeks. "I know that and I'm telling you I am."

Usagi's jaw flapped open in shock. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Then Harusuke came up bringing a couple of towels while drinking a can of tea. "Keep it down, Usagi. You're causing a ruckus," he said. "What are you even screaming about anyway?"

"Harusuke! Naru's just told me that she's in love with someone!" Usagi said.

"Oh wow. That's good," smiled Harusuke as he sat down. "Who's the lucky guy? Umino perhaps?"

"It better not be Tuxedo Mask or Motoki!" said Usagi. "Cuz I called dibs on those two!"

"No. It isn't any of them," said Naru. "I told you that it's a grown-up kind of love."

"Well don't keep us in the dark, Naru," said Harusuke as he took a sip of his tea. "Who's the guy? If you don't us wondering."

Naru giggled. "Oh alright. I might as well tell you two," she said. "It's Mr. Sanjoin."

Usagi's eyes went wide as saucers and Harusuke immediately choked on his tea spitting it out.

"Whaaaaaaat?!" the two yelled.

Naru was surprised by their reactions and was puzzled. "What's the matter you two?" she asked. "You don't need to act so surprised. Is it because he's not a boy? I know he's a little old for me, but you know what they say, age doesn't matter if there's love."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at each other worriedly. Naru still had no idea that Mr. Sanjoin was really Nephrite and were very troubled upon finding out her feelings for him.

"Listen to me Naru, me and Harusuke know all about him and he's bad news!" said Usagi. "He's no good!"

Naru was now cross. "Oh, just forget it!" she snapped. "I never should have told you two!"

And with that, Naru huffily stomped out of the pool. All Harusuke and Usagi could do was watch as she walked off.

* * *

A little later, Usagi and Harusuke called Ami, Rei, and Luna and met up with them at Rei's house explaining the situation.

"This has gotten a bit complicated," said Luna.

"I'll say," agreed Harusuke.

"We have to tell Naru that Masato Sanjoin is really Nephrite before it's too late," said Rei.

"But... shouldn't we wait and see if it becomes a problem?" asked Ami.

"I don't think so," said Usagi. "Knowing Naru's feelings it's not going to be that easy. Not to mention, she feels so strongly about him. She may not believe what we tell her."

"Well unless we do tell her, we won't know what she'll think unless we try!" snapped Rei.

"Take it easy, Rei," chided Harusuke. "You turning to a hot-head on us isn't gonna help."

"What do you think, Usagi?" asked Ami. "What should we do?"

"Me? Well... I guess that we should tell her," Usagi spoke hesitantly. "But..."

"Come on! Make up your mind!" Luna barked. "What are we going to do?!"

Usagi then shook her head shaking all the cobwebs of uncertainty from her mind. "Don't worry! Just leave Naru to me!" she said. "I'm sure I'll think of something! Just let me handle this!"

She then puffed out her chest smacking her hand right on top of it. However, she hit her chest so hard, she accidentally knocked the wind out of her causing her to cough a fit. Ami, Rei, Harusuke, and Luna could only watch the blonde with doubtful looks on their faces.

"When Usagi says she's in charge of anything, that's when it's time to worry," she groaned.

"Well... one thing's for sure," said Harusuke. "We have to handle this problem delicately and quickly. Naru's already been taken advantage of by Nephrite twice now. We have to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Otherwise, Naru will be in serious trouble as we know it."

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl was livid with rage. She was so cross that large amounts of energy began erupting from her staff like it was lightning. All of her subjects cowered in fear not daring to come any closer to her.

"Where is Nephrite?!" she demanded in anger. "No matter how many times I summon for him, he refuses to show up! I've had it with this nonsense!" She then clenched her fist in anger almost enough to draw blood. "That's it Nephrite! You better watch yourself... because you're finished!"

Not too far away and the only who wasn't the bit fazed by Queen Beryl's angry state, Zoisite was watching from above and couldn't be happier by this.

"Looks like Nephrite's luck has finally run out," he thought to himself chuckling. "Poor thing. His future's practically hanging by a thread."

* * *

Meanwhile, in his abandoned mansion in the woodlands, Nephrite stood alone strategizing his next plan.

"I no longer have the luxury of gathering energy anymore," he thought to himself. "It's a pity, but I have no other choice. I must obtain that item. And in order for me to do that, I must relinquish the celestial globe."

Then the sound of laughter echoed in the room. Nephrite looked upwards and saw Zoisite floating above him.

"You again, Zoisite?" he growled. "What do you want?"

"Now, now. That's a rude way to welcome someone with news for you, Nephrite" said Zoisite coolly. "Queen Beryl has been looking for you and she is quite furious as well."

Nephrite scowled. "Kunzite sent you here to spy on me, didn't he?!" he demanded.

"Well someone seems to be having a bad day," smirked Zoisite. "Is everything alright? Judging from your reaction, you don't have anything special planned, do you?"

"That's none of your concern!" snapped Nephrite. "Now get out!"

Zoisite then played with one of his bangs unfazed. "Here's a little bit of friendly advice," he said. "I would suggest you give yourself up before you make Queen Beryl angrier than she already is."

"Ridiculous and out of the question!" barked Nephrite. "I will obtain the Silver Crystal and once I do, I'll rub it in your face!"

Now Zoisite was surprised. "What?! How dare you?! Finding the Silver Crystal is my job!"

"That may be, but whoever finds it first, wins!" smirked Nephrite. "If I get a hold of that crystal, that will be my one shot at redemption!"

Zoisite seethed with fury. "Nephrite! You'll pay for this!" he hissed as he disappeared in a flurry of petals.

As soon as he knew Zoisite was gone, Nephrite let out a shaky breath calming down the adrenaline.

"How pathetic. To think that I would let the likes of Zoisite get the better of me," he said to himself.

Then he focused his mind as his Celestial Globe appeared in front of him which was the project of Earth he had been using to find out which human's energy would be peaking.

"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said. "When the sun forms an ominous angle between the stars surrounding the planets Neptune and Mars, an item will appear. An item with the power to guide me to the Silver Crystal. Its name is the Dark Crystal."

He then placed his hands together with only the fingertips touching. The space between them began to glow in a dark light. The projection of the Earth and stars that was the Celestial Globe became engulfed in that same black light making a giant ball. The ball began to shrink growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely. Then something dropped onto the floor with a clatter.

Nephrite picked it up and inspected it. It was a crystal in the shape of a tetragonal prism completely black in color.

"So this is what will guide me to the Silver Crystal..." he thought.

Then suddenly, the Dark Crystal began to glow in a blue light and an image was being shown at the end. That image was one of Naru.

"Naru Osaka!" he gasped. "Does this mean that she holds the Legendary Silver Crystal?!"

* * *

Back with Zoisite, he was once again seeking comfort from Kunzite after talking with Nephrite.

"I can't stand him! He's such a jerk!" he complained. "He makes me so mad, Kunzite!"

"Let Nephrite do what he wants," said Kunzite soothingly.

"But... what if he finds it somehow?" wondered Zoisite.

"If and only if by chance Nephrite does find the crystal," smiled Kunzite. "We'll just steal it from him. In the meantime, I suggest you have one of your monsters keep an eye on him for now."

Zoisite rubbed Kunzite's hand on his cheek lovingly. "Yes. That's a great idea, Kunzite," he said. He then looked behind him. "Yasha! You heard what he said! Get to work!"

A strange figure appeared behind him in the darkness.

"Yes Master Zoisite," the creature said hissing voice. "It shall be done."

* * *

In the real world, Usagi and Harusuke were walking to the Game Center hoping to speak with Motoki with Luna in tow. Before this, the three were already at Naru's house ready to talk to her. However, Usagi wasn't really ready to talk to her because she had no idea how to go about. So that's when she came up with the idea to ask Motoki for some advice much to Luna and Harusuke's chargin.

The three then walked into the Game Center where they saw Motoki busily teaching a girl how to play the Sailor V game. Upon seeing them, Usagi was starting to feel jealous.

"Why is Motoki being so flirty with that girl?!" she growled. "He's being way too close with her! Doesn't he know that his Usagi is right over here?!"

"First of all, you're reading too much into it," said Harusuke. "Second of all, will you stay focused on the task at hand?"

Then they both heard an all too familiar voice coming from behind them.

"Hey there, Bun-head. Hey there, Harusuke. How's it going?"

Usagi and Harusuke looked behind them and saw Mamoru standing behind them with that same teasing grin on his face. Usagi's cheeks puffed up in annoyance and was about to tell Mamoru to get lost when Mamoru called out to Motoki.

"Hey, Motoki! Your little Miss Bun-Head over here is getting all puffy because she's being ignored!"

Usagi immediately blushed bright pink. "He's lying! I'm not being puffy at all!"

Motoki immediately came over. "Oh! Hey Usagi! Hey Harusuke! Sorry about that, I didn't see you two come in."

"It's no problem," said Harusuke. "You were busy with someone, so it's no big deal."

"Hey. Since you're are here and I'm all done with my shift, why don't we grab a cup of coffee?" he asked.

"Sure!" smiled Usagi. "There's actually some advice I need to ask you about."

"Yeah. A coffee sounds good," said Mamoru. "I'll come along too. I've got nothing else to do right now."

Usagi scowled at Mamoru less than thrilled, but then Motoki spoke.

"Is that alright with you, Usagi?" he asked.

Usagi's scowling face was immediately replaced with a blushing smile. "Nope! It's alright with me!" she said brightly.

Mamoru was a bit urked by how fast Usagi's tune had changed, but Harusuke put a hand on his shoulder.

"Please don't mind her," he said. "She always has a habit of acting like this when Motoki's around."

* * *

A few moments later, the four of them went to the cafe and got some coffee. Usagi and Harusuke then explained what was going on with Naru excluding the fact that the person Naru loved was Nephrite.

"So my friend Naru fell in love with this really bad guy, but for some reason, she doesn't think that he's a bad person," said Usagi.

"Yeah and this guy has also been using Naru to do some pretty bad stuff," said Harusuke. "And we're worried that Naru could eventually get hurt or worse if she continues to hang around with this guy."

"I see," said Motoki thoughtfully.

"So what do you think? I mean... I don't want to hurt her," said Usagi. "But shouldn't I tell her the truth about this guy being bad?"

"Hm, well... if you want my opinion, I'd say just wait and see if it becomes a problem," said Motoki.

"Waiting and doing nothing won't solve the problem though," said Mamoru. "The right thing to do is to tell her the truth."

"Oh man. That's practically the same thing Rei and Ami said," thought Harusuke. "Man... we're right back where we started."

But Harusuke was wrong. For right then, Motoki agreed with Mamoru.

"You know what? I take it back. Mamoru's advice is probably right," he said. "Telling the truth is best. It might hurt Naru's feelings, but in a situation like this one, a true friend would find the courage to explain how they feel and what they're concerned about."

Usagi stared at the two boys in front of her. A smile then worked it's way to her lips.

"Thanks a lot, you guys," she said. "I feel a lot better now. Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I'm feeling hungry!" She then called out a waiter that was a few feet away. "Hey, waiter! I'd like a fruit parfait, a BLT, a strawberry shortcake, and some orange juice!"

All three of the boys immediately gulped and looked nervously at each other.

"Motoki? You got enough cash?" asked Mamoru.

"I thought you were paying," said Motoki. "Harusuke?"

"Don't look at me!" said Harusuke. "I'm practically broke here."

"Oh don't worry guys!" smiled Usagi. "Since you're all here, I'm treating all of you today." Then she called out to the waiter again. "Oh! And don't forget a cheese pizza!"

"Oh Usagi," sighed Harusuke. "Can't you go through one day without being a glutton?" Then he couldn't help, but smile. "At least she's feeling cheerful again," he thought to himself. "Hopefully now she knows what to do about handling Naru when she sees her."

* * *

After eating at the cafe, Usagi and Harusuke went over to Naru's place and stood in front of the door. Usagi was feeling very nervous.

"You feeling OK, Usagi?" asked Harusuke.

"Nope! I'm fine," said Usagi shakily. "Just fine!"

"Remember what Motoki and Mamoru told you," said Harusuke. "Have courage and be honest even if it'll hurt Naru's feelings. Just spit it out and tell her. "

"Right," said Usagi. "OK then. Here goes!"

Usagi then came up to the door and pressed on the doorbell.

"Coming!" called a voice inside.

Then the door opened and Naru's head peeped out from the door.

"Oh, Usagi! Harusuke!" she greeted. "What's up?"

"Listen to me, Naru," said Usagi. "I really need to get this off of my chest. I also know that this will really hurt your feeling, but Sanjoin is a really bad person. In fact, he's not even human!" She then quickly corrected herself. "No, wait! I didn't mean that! But he's very scary, so you really shouldn't go out with him ever! It would be best if you just gave up on him! I beg of you as your friend, please try to understand!"

"But Usagi! Why should I...?"

"Usagi hold on a minute! You're going too..."

Naru and Harusuke tried to speak, but Usagi was already racing down the stairs.

"Just give up on him, OK? Bye!" she said as she disappeared into the stairs.

Harusuke and Naru stared at the stairs where Usagi had gone. Then Harusuke turned to Naru.

"I'm really sorry about this, Naru," he said. "Usagi... was just trying to tell you the truth and well... she did it in the wrong way possible." He then raced down the stairs. "Usagi! Wait up!" he cried.

Naru was now by herself feeling a mix of feelings. Mostly from being upset and confused.

* * *

Back at the Tsukino's, Usagi and Harusuke explained what had happened to Luna.

"I see... So you told her the truth after all," she said.

"Yup. I finally got the courage to talk to her," said Usagi proudly.

"So... how did she take it?" asked Luna. "I mean did you manage to convince her."

Usagi gulped. "Well... um... you see..." she stammered.

"We have no idea," said Harusuke. "Usagi ran off like a jackrabbit before me and Naru had a chance to react."

Luna gawked at Usagi deeply shocked. "You're kidding me... Usagi, are you telling me that you just told Naru that Nephrite's an evil creep and just left? You didn't even stick around to explain?!"

"Give her a break, Luna," said Harusuke. "Usagi did her best and she was practically a nervous wreck. Even though she could have handled it a bit better."

"But that totally defeats the entire purpose!" said Luna. "I mean how was Naru supposed to understand the truth if Usagi didn't fully explain?!"

"I'm... sure that she understood..." said Usagi. "I mean... how couldn't she?"

Luna sighed placed a paw on her head. "I knew I shouldn't have gone with you two for this," she said. "I just hope that Naru doesn't get too confused or takes it personally."

* * *

At the Osaka residence, Naru was sitting in her room still feeling confused as due to the Tsukino siblings recent visit.

"I wonder why Usagi would say all those things about Mr. Sanjoin?" she thought to herself. "He's not like that is he? He's just so dreamy... I wish that I could see him right now."

Just then, she heard her mom calling her.

"Naru! There's someone on the phone who wants to talk to you! Someone named Sanjoin!"

Naru immediately sat up and darted out of her room racing down the stairs her heart filled with joy.

"It's like our minds are really connected!" she thought happily as she picked up the phone. "Hello? Mr. Sanjoin?"

"Yes. It's me, Naru," the voice said. "Sorry to bother you, but I need to see you. Can you meet over at Sankaku Park?"

"Yes! I'll be there right away!" said Naru eagerly.

"Good. Hope to see you then," the voice said.

Naru then hung up the phone. "Mom! I'm going out for a bit!" she called as she raced to the front door.

"Wait... right now?!" Mayumi said a bit surprised. "But why?"

But it was too late. Naru was already gone.

* * *

It was late at night when Naru arrived at Sankaku Park. When she got there, she looked around trying to find the person she longed to see. Then she saw him. There sitting on the bench was Nephrite under his cover as Sanjoin. Naru immediately went over to him feeling very happy.

"Mr. Sanjoin!"

Nephrite looked up and smiled upon seeing Naru. "Naru. You made it," he said. "Please. Have a seat."

Naru blushing up to her ears did so.

"I'm so sorry to call you out of the blue like this," he said. "Especially being so late."

"Oh, it's fine! It's no trouble at all," said Naru. "I was so happy that you called anyway. So... what did you need?"

Nephrite's smile now turned into a frown now looking serious. "Well... the thing is... I came to say goodbye."

Naru felt her heart stop as he looked at Nephrite deeply shocked. Then she looked down at the ground trying to hold back her tears.

"Oh... I see..." she said bitterly. "Is it... because I've become a nuisance to you? I'd understand if it was."

"No. That's not it at all," said Nephrite shaking his head. "It's just that... I don't want to put you in any danger. You see... I'm being threatened by some really bad people for reasons I can't share and the last thing I want is for you to get mixed up in it."

Naru felt relieved, but at the same time, she now felt worried about the man. Nephrite looked back at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's alright. Don't be so gloomy," he said. "At least I got to see you, one last time."

Nephrite then stood up about to walk away, but then Naru grabbed his arm stopping him. She desperately wanted to help him. If it meant that he could stay with her, Naru would do whatever it took to help him.

"Wait! If there's anything I can do, please tell me!" she said. "I'll do anything!"

"It's the Silver Crystal," said Nephrite. "If I only had that..."

"What's the Silver Crystal?" wondered Naru. "And why do you need it? Is it some kind of valuable item?"

"Yes it is," said Nephrite. "If I can give my enemies the Silver Crystal, then I'll be free from them." Nephrite then stopped and shook his head. "No, wait. Please forget I said that."

Naru then suddenly remembered something. She remembered something that might have fit the description of what Nephrite needed. Her mother was showing her one of the rarest crystals in her shop and she could remember how silver it looked.

"Could that have been the Silver Crystal?" she thought to herself. "If it is, then that might be the only way to save Mr. Sanjoin!"

"Stay right here, Mr. Sanjoin!" she said. "I need to go get something! Something that might be able to help you!"

And she raced off. Nephrite watched as Naru ran off now flashing a dark smile. His act had worked and within moments, he would soon get what he wanted from Naru and he would be the redeemed as one of the Four Great Kings of Heaven.

* * *

Naru had eventually managed to get back home. She snuck into the store and got a key to a safe. She then used that key to open it and there in front of her was the crystal that her mother had shown to her on that day.

"Yes! This is it!" whispered Naru victoriously.

She had just taken the crystal into her hands when the lights suddenly snapped on. Naru jumped and turned to see her mother Mayumi standing in the doorway looking very cross and shocked.

"Naru?! What in the world are you doing?!" she demanded. "And what are you doing with that crystal?!"

Naru was at a loss for words not sure what to say. Then she clenched the crystal in her fist and took off running.

"I'm sorry, Mom!" she said. "But I gotta go! Please forgive me!"

Before Mayumi could stop her, Naru had raced out of the store and down the street.

"Naru wait! Stop!" cried Mayumi.

But it was no use. Naru had disappeared into the darkness of the night. Mayumi sank to her knees her eyes filling with tears not sure what to make of this.

"Naru... what has happened to you?" she sobbed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that very same time, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were walking over to Naru's house hoping to check on Naru.

"Um... guys? I'm still not sure about doing this," said Naru. "Maybe we shouldn't."

"Come on, Usagi. We have to check on Naru to see how she's feeling," said Harusuke.

"Besides, we wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't gone and messed this up," said Luna.

"Hey! I did the best I could!" complained Usagi.

Then Usagi happened to see someone as did Harusuke. It was Mayumi wandering around searching for Naru.

"Isn't that Naru's mom?" wondered Usagi.

"It is and she looks pretty worried," said Harusuke.

Then Mayumi saw them. "Usagi! Harusuke! Have you two seen my daughter?" she asked.

"No we haven't," replied Harusuke.

"Why? Did something happen to her?" asked Usagi.

"She took a special stone from our stone safe and then she ran off!" explained Mayumi.

Harusuke and Usagi were shocked.

"Do you have any idea where she could be?" asked Harusuke urgently.

"Well, she got a phone call from someone named Masato Sanjoin," said Mayumi. "I think she said she was planning to meet him in Sankaku Park."

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other and immediately knew what was going on and knew what to do.

"Ms. Osaka. We'll help you look for Naru!" said Usagi. "You keep looking in town while we look in Sankaku Park!"

Then Harusuke and Usagi took off running with Luna close behind them heading towards Sankaku Park.

"There's no doubt about it and it's just as I feared!" said Harusuke. "Nephrite must be taking advantage of Naru for another plot of his again!"

"Unforgivable!" growled Usagi in anger. "How dare he! He's using Naru's feelings for his advantage just to get what he wants!"

Harusuke then pressed a button on his bracelet contacting Rei and Ami. "Ami! Rei! Meet me and Usagi over at Sankaku Park as fast as you can! Naru's in trouble!"

"It's time to transform you two!" said Luna. "Naru's life is at stake!"

"Alright! Let's go, Harusuke!" cried Usagi.

"Yeah! Let's show that creep what for!" responded Harusuke.

The two then sprung into action calling out their transformation words.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

At Sankaku Park, Naru had finally gotten back to Nephrite and given him the crystal she had obtained. Nephrite then took out the Dark Crystal and used it to be sure that if it was the real deal. The crystal was glowing in a blue light on its tip, but then that light slowly and eventually died out.

"The Dark Crystal isn't reacting," he thought. "That means that this is an ordinary crystal."

Then he noticed something else. The crystal began to glow again, this time the blue light wasn't being pointed at the crystal. It was pointing at Naru much to Nephrite's surprise.

"It's... reacting to this girl?! But why?" he wondered as he looked at Naru in surprise. "Perhaps... it would do me good to study her."

"Thank you very much, Naru," he said as he wrapped his arm around her. "Now... if you don't mind, there's something else that I need your help with. Would you mind coming with me?"

Naru blushed bright pink. "Um... yeah. Sure," she said.

The two were just about to walk off when suddenly...

"Hold it right there!" a pair of voices shouted.

Naru and Nephrite jumped and turned around. There standing before them was Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"How dare you take advantage of a young girl's love!" said Sailor Moon. "We'll arrest you for your sneaky scam!"

"And don't you know that older man like you isn't allowed to date someone so young?" said Solaris. "There's a word for creeps like you and that's something I'd rather not say with a lady present!"

"I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice, Solaris!"

"And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Sailor Moon?! Solaris! What are you two doing here?!" gasped Naru.

"Don't be fooled by that man, Naru!" said Sailor Moon. "Masato Sanjoin is not who you think he is! He's really Nephrite, a member of an evil group known as the Dark Kingdom!"

"What?! That can't be! You're lying!" said Naru indignantly.

"It's the truth! He's responsible for hurting innocent lives!" said Solaris. "He's even used you just so he could take your energy for the Dark Kingdom!"

"It's not true! insisted Naru. "He isn't that type of person! He's very kind! Right, Mr. Snajoin?"

Nephrite didn't respond. Then before anyone had a chance to react, Nephrite went on the attack unleashing a burst of light from his hands. The blast hit Sailor Moon right in the midsection and sent her flying a great distance.

"No! Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris.

"Stars of the universe, lend me your power, now," commanded Nephrite.

He held his hand straight in front of him and from his hand, more bursts of light erupted from his hands and came flying straight toward Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon screamed in fear, but Solaris immediately appeared in front of her.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled.

He then punched the bursts of light one by one protecting Sailor Moon from the onslaught until it ceased.

"Thank you Solaris!" said Sailor Moon. "That was scary!"

"Get back on your feet, Sailor Moon," said Solaris. "It's not over yet!"

"I'm done playing with you two," said Nephrite. "Now have a taste of my Starlight Attack!"

He crossed his arms across his chest making a ball of power appear. Then he threw them outward unleashing a powerful blast. Sailor Moon and Solaris immediately jumped out the way making the attack shoot right past them making a large trench on the ground.

"Oh man! That was close too!" cried Sailor Moon.

"What power..." murmured Solaris. "Just how strong is he?!"

Nephrite chuckled with glee. "You two may have been able to dodge that one, but the next time you won't be so lucky."

He was just about to attack again and Sailor Moon trembled in fear while Solaris stood bravely ready to protect her, but then...

"Oh brother. You two always did have a nasty habit of getting into trouble."

"Don't give up you two!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris looked behind them to find that Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars had arrived.

"Sailor Mars on the scene!" the fiery Sailor proclaimed.

"And Sailor Mercury is here too!" the blue Sailor added.

"So all four of you are here," smirked Nephrite. "How nice of you all to come. Now I can send all four of you to hell at once!"

He prepared to unleash his Starlight Attack, but Sailor Mercury unleashed her attack before he could.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

She unleashed a blast of bubbles creating a thick fog that blanketed the area blinding Nephrite and hiding herself and the other guardians. In the fog, Sailor Mars unleashed her attack next.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Mars unleashed a blast of fire and Nephrite saw the attack coming. He jumped out of the way just in time to dodge the attack, but only just barely.

"Mr. Sanjoin! Are you OK?!" called out Naru worriedly.

Nephrite looked back shocked that Naru was still here and wondering why she was. Seeing that as a distraction, Solaris immediately took advantage.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

He unleashed a beam of light from his hands wrapping around Nephrite and binding him tightly. Nephrite struggled, but the binding held him tight. Sailor Moon saw her chance by taking off her tiara and transforming it into a white disk and prepared to fire it at Nephrite.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She then launched the attack making the disc fly straight and true towards Nephrite. But then, the unthinkable happened. Naru immediately stepped in front of Nephrite making herself in the line of fire much to the shock of the guardians as well as Nephrite.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled.

"I won't let anyone hurt, Mr. Sanjoin!" cried Naru.

"Naru! What are you doing?!" shouted Sailor Moon.

"Get out of the way before it hits you!" screamed Solaris.

But Naru refused to move. The disc grew closer and closer to her and just when it was about to hit her...

"NO! TIARA PLEASE STOP!" yelled Sailor Moon.

The Moon Tiara Action immediately stopped just in front of Naru's face and turned back into a tiara falling to the ground with a clatter. Sailor Moon let out a sigh of relief.

"I did it... It really stopped..." she murmured.

"Naru! What were you thinking?!" yelled Solaris. "You could have gotten yourself killed if Sailor Moon didn't stop her attack!"

"I don't care!" said Naru defiantly. "Stop trying to hurt, Mr. Sanjoin!"

"You don't understand!" argued Sailor Mercury. "We can't forgive him for what he has done!"

"That's right! Now move out of the way!" demanded Sailor Mars.

"Never! You'll have to kill me if you want to get to him!" Naru said stubbornly.

Nephrite was now more shocked and confused than he ever was before. "This girl... is defending me?" he wondered. "But why?"

"Naru! Surely you realize all the horrible crimes he's committed," said Sailor Mercury. "So why are you willing to go so far to protect him?"

Fresh tears were now streaming down Naru's cheeks. "Because... I love him!" she sobbed. "I love him so much... And I'll defend him even if it winds costing me my own life!"

"Naru..." murmured Sailor Moon.

"Damn... she's too stubborn for her own good," said Solaris.

Then the Dark Crystal in Nephrite's pocket began glowing brighter than it ever did before causing the man to gaze at it in surprise. He then understood as to why it was reacting the way it was.

"I understand now," he said. "The Dark Crystal not only reacts to the Silver Crystal, but it also reacts to kind hearts as well. The sacrificing of one's self for another. Is this what the humans call love?"

Then suddenly something leaped from the bushes and gunned straight for Nephrite. It had the appearance of a young woman wearing traditional Japanese robes and wearing a mask. It was Yasha, the monster that Zoisite sent.

"So that's the Legendary Silver Crystal?" she squealed with glee. "Give it to me!"

Yasha attacked and Nephrite defended himself. The two traded blows in rapid-fire succession until Yasha knocked the crystal out of Nephrite's hand making it land in front of Naru causing her to pick it up wondering what it was. Yasha then went after Naru.

"Hand over the crystal, girl!" she screeched.

Naru let out a scream of terror and it seemed that Naru was finished, but then Nephrite seeing that Naru was in trouble immediately reacted.

"Naru!" he yelled as he broke free from Solaris' Solar Binding and then unleashed a blast of power right at Yasha sending the monster flying and at the same time destroying her mask. The Guardians, as well as Naru's eyes, went wide with shock for what had just happened.

"Did... he just..." murmured Solaris.

"He did! Nephrite just saved Naru!" gasped Sailor Moon.

Nephrite froze and looked at his hand in shock as much as the others. Naru then fainted falling to the ground. At the very same time, Yasha transformed into her true form. Her face was like a horned demon's and her clothes had changed to all sorts of different colors.

"Curse you, Nephrite!" she roared. "Why are you protecting that human?! Traitors like you must die!"

She charged at the man with her horns aimed for his stomach like a bull, but Nephrite stopped her by grabbing her horns and using his great strength sent her flying into the air. Yasha quickly righted herself and her horns longer and harder than steel. Nephrite stood there calmly ready to intercept Yasha, but then Sailor Moon and Solaris stood up and attacked.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Both of our heroes unleashed their signature attacks at Yasha both combing into a large golden disc of energy.

Yasha looked back in time to see the attack heading straight for her. It hit her straight and true destroying her with a mighty boom.

* * *

After a while, Sailor Moon and the other guardians went over to check on Naru making sure that she was alright. Nephrite went over to them with the crystal Naru had given in his hand. He then placed the crystal on Naru's hand also closing it. Then he started to walked away when Sailor Moon finally spoke.

"Where are you going Nephrite?" she asked. "Aren't you worried about Naru? She risked her life to protect you and you don't understand her feelings at all. Why can't you?"

"I returned the favor didn't I?" replied Nephrite. "I have no need to stay any longer."

"That's it then? You really don't have anything else to say?" demanded Sailor Moon coldly.

"Have you ever thought of anyone else's feelings?!" snapped Sailor Mercury. "Or do you not have a heart at all?"

"Don't bother wasting your time," said Sailor Mars. "Obviously he doesn't have one."

Nephrite smirked. "You're all so naive. When I finally get my hands on the Silver Crystal, the entire universe will belong to the Dark Kingdom! And enjoy playing hero while you still can, for you won't be able to much longer. But feel free to keep spouting nonsense about your silly love and justice!"

"Silver Crystal? What are you talking about?" puzzled Sailor Moon.

Solaris then stood up and faced Nephrite. "Answer me this Nephrite," he said. "You said that love was silly, but I'm having a hard time doubting your words. If you really think that low of love, then why did you save Naru?"

Nephrite scowled. "I only saved her to pay her back," he said. "She saved my life, so I saved hers. It was nothing more, but paying back a debt."

"I see..." said Solaris. "Now let me ask you another question. What did you think of Naru protecting you from us?"

Nephrite raised a brow. "Why would you ask me that?"

"To me, you seemed to be pretty surprised of what Naru did as we were," said Solaris. "If you really didn't care about Naru, then you wouldn't have been so surprised. Not only that... you graciously returned the crystal. No normal villain would go to such lengths just to pay a person back."

The guardians and Luna looked at Solaris confused by his words while Nephrite glared.

"What are you trying to say, Solaris?" he spoke coldly.

"What I'm saying is that despite what you say and what you did, I'm starting to get the fact that for the first time ever in your entire life, even if you say that you feel nothing, you actually care about Naru," said Solaris. "That's why you saved her even if it meant turning against that monster who was considered to be your ally that attacked her."

"Let's get one thing straight, Solaris," growled Nephrite his body glowing in anger. "I'm am Nephrite, one of the proud Four Kings of Heaven of The Dark Kingdom! Such trivial things such as love are beneath me! I only saved the girl because I was paying back a debt, nothing more and nothing less. And the next time we meet, I will crush you and the rest of you guardians and get the Silver Crystal. Farewell."

He then turned on his heel and disappeared into the air. The sailors then looked at Solaris still confused by what he had said to Nephrite feeling puzzled.

"Solaris what was that all about?" wondered Sailor Mars.

"Why were you asking Nephrite about such things?" asked Sailor Mercury.

Solaris stared into the distance eventually looking up at the sky. "I don't know," he said. "I guess... I was hoping he would reconsider and stop using Naru like this..."

Sailor Moon looked down on her friend as Naru was sleeping peacefully. Then she saw a shooting star flash across the sky. She immediately made a wish.

"Oh please shooting star," she thought to herself. "Hear my wish. If Nephrite really does love Naru, then don't let him be evil anymore."


	26. Chapter 25

The very next day after school, things were pretty saddening to say the least. Usagi and Harusuke were at the park with Naru who was now feeling more sad than she ever was before due to the events that transpired last night. They hung out by the slide in silence, Naru sitting on the end and Usagi and Harusuke standing beside the slide. Naru looked more sadder than she ever did before no thanks to the events that transpired the other night. Usagi and Harusuke wanted to help her, but they didn't really know if Naru would listen to them or not. Then after a long and sullen silence that seemed to go on forever, Harusuke lightly nudged Usagi's side.

"Come on Usagi, say something to her," he whispered.

"But what should I say?" Usagi whispered back. "She won't listen to me."

"It's better than sitting around not saying anything," Harusuke whispered. "Besides, I hate seeing Naru like this and I don't want her to be put in anymore danger." He then looked at Naru who was hugging her legs while having her head down. "Naru?" he spoke. "Me and Usagi hate to see you like this and I know that this is the last thing you want to hear, but you shouldn't see Mr. Sanjoin anymore.

"It also would be for the best that you should forget about him too," added Usagi. "I know that this is the last thing you want to hear from us, but..."

"I can't," mumbled Naru. "Even if he's a bad person, I still love him."

"But Naru... surely you realize how dangerous he is," said Harusuke. "I mean... we understand that you love him, but..."

"Harusuke, Usagi, have you two ever loved someone?" Naru asked. "Have ever really understood what it means to love someone?"

"Um... who us? Of course we have," replied Usagi a bit taken aback. "Right Harusuke?"

Harusuke said nothing as he looked away being unable to answer Naru's question as Naru continued.

"Then, you both should understand exactly how I feel right now," she said. "If you truly understand, then you both should know exactly where I'm coming from and I can't just forget about him."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at their friend feeling sorry for her. Not just because she was in love with Nephrite, but because she wouldn't give up on loving him. Even if that type of love was dangerously one-sided.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nephrite was at his mansion in the forest, all by himself playing with the Dark Crystal in his hand as he looked at it. He was thinking about what had transpired the other night as well. Most especially about the Dark Crystal's behavior.

"I just don't understand... Why did the Dark Crystal respond to Naru Osaka like that?" he wondered. "Could it be... the energy of her love for me?"

He then starting thinking about Naru. He thought about her smile and he thought about all the times he spent with her even though they were just farces to his plan. Most of all, he thought about her words from when he protected her the other night. Not only that, but he also remembered what Solaris had to him,

 _"I won't let anyone hurt, Mr. Sanjoin!"_

 _"Because... I love him! I love him so much! And I'll defend him even if it winds up costing me my own life!"_

 _"...despite what you say and what you did, I'm starting to get the fact that for the first time ever in your entire life, even if you say that you feel nothing, you actually care about Naru. That's why you saved her even if it meant turning against that monster who was considered to be your ally that attacked her."_

"What utter nonsense," huffed Nephrite quickly putting those thoughts out of his mind. Then he realized something. "Now that I think about it, Sailor Moon and Solaris know Naru pretty well," he said. "Which means that Naru most likely might know Sailor Moon's and Solaris' true identities." He then flashed an evil smile as he held up the Dark Crystal. "Just you watch, Sailor Moon, Solaris, I will find out who you two really are and then I'll crush you both."

Unbeknownst to Nephrite at the time, Zoisite was lurking in the shadows hiding keeping a close and observing eye on him and most especially the Dark Crystal in his hand.

"So I found it just as I thought. That's the Dark Crystal, which can to determine where the Silver Crystal is located," Zoisite thought. "You are the one who had better watch out Nephrite. For that Dark Crystal will be mine."

* * *

It was now nightfall in Juuban. At the Osaka residence, Naru was fast asleep. Then Nephrite appeared just outside of her window with the Dark Crystal in his hand. When he did, it once again began to glow brightly.

"It's reacting again. To the same girl like before," he said thoughtfully. "I wonder... could it be possible that the Silver Crystal is inside a human body?"

There was only one way to find out about that. Nephrite then appeared in Naru's room without making a single sound. Then he held out his hand with the Dark Crystal in it. The crystal began to glow as it began to levitate off his hand. The crystal then floated over to Naru until it was hovering right above her sleeping body. The crystal searched everywhere inside of Naru's body from head to toe, but Nephrite could see that there was nothing inside the girl.

"It's not there..." he murmured with slight disappointment. "I'm getting no reading inside of her whatsoever."

Then with a wave of his hand, the crystal retreated back into his hand and disappeared outside. At that moment, Naru finally woke up and happened to glance toward the window. The moment she saw Nephrite's shadow, she sat up with a start.

"Mr. Sanjoin? Is that you?!" she cried.

"The man you know by that name doesn't exist. My real name is Nephrite, Naru," said the shadow. "I can no longer lie to you any longer."

Naru was about to get out of bed to try and see Nephrite, but the shadow spoke.

"Stay where you are and listen. Listen very carefully," it said. "I need to talk to you."

Naru obeyed slowly sitting down on her bed. The shadow then continued.

"You are a wonderful girl. And thanks to you, for the very first time in my life, I've learned what love truly and actually is," it said. "However, such an emotion like that doesn't exist in the evil organization that I work for. We betray our allies, kill each other for gain. That was the life that I have come to know and I never expected it to be any more than that. But... your love has opened my eyes and has changed me. In fact, I'm now thinking of joining Sailor Moon, Solaris, and their allies to fight the evil organization." He pause impressively. "Which is why I need you to tell me everything that you about them and how to find them."

Naru who was now overcome with emotion shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "But... I don't know anything about Sailor Moon and the Guardians."

"Don't you trust me?" asked the shadow sounding hurt.

"No! I do believe you!" insisted Naru her eyes filling with tears. "It's just that I really don't know anything about them! Honest."

"I see... How unfortunate," said the shadow.

The shadow then slowly began to fade away. Naru immediately bolted from her bed and rushed straight to the window.

"Wait!" she cried. "Don't go! I want to help you Nephrite!"

She ripped the curtains apart to find that she was too late. There was no one there outside of her window meaning Nephrite had gone. Or so she thought. In truth, Nephrite was staying well enough away from Naru's window.

"Now to watch and wait," he thought to himself. "If Naru really does know Sailor Moon and Solaris' identities, then she'll contact her soon enough."

* * *

Not too far away from Nephrite on another building, Zoisite was keeping his eye out too. An eye for Nephrite that is. He had seen and heard everything that Nephrite and Naru had said and he was rather pleased. He also wasn't alone. Beside him were three of his loyal monsters, Grape, Housenka, and Suzuran.

All three of them looked about roughly the same. They all wore had white skin, their ears were pointed, and wore bodysuits that covered their mouths and noses. However all three of them had significant differences. On her right arm, Grape had her knee and parts of her chest and left arm are covered in dark brown roots like a tree and her left shoulder was a bunch of green leaves and boots of the same color. She also had a one piece lilac bikini on top of her pink bodysuit, light blue eye shadow, and blonde hair in a bob. Housenka had purple hair with a red streak on a big bang, dark purple eye shadow, a yellow bodysuit with green and park parts, and khaki colored gloves and boots that looked like leaves, and had a big flower on her right shoulder and leg. Lastly, Suzuran had long straight blue hair, lime colored eye shadow, a teal colored bodysuit, and seaweed for clothing that covered her chest, wrists, and feet in the form of boots.

"My, my. Did you three hear that?" asked Zoisite with an amused smile. "Nephrite has fallen in love with a human girl."

"We did Master Zoisite," said Suzuran. "We heard everything."

"What a stupid man," spat Housenka with disgust. "Let's take him out now. We can attack him all at once."

"Now, now. Hold your horses. Remember, foolish he may be, but Nephrite is still a powerful warrior," spoke Zoisite. "We need a plan in place before we can take action." He then looked at Naru's window and smirked darkly. "Let's start by taking that girl as a hostage and use her to lure him out. Can you three do that?"

"As you wish, Master Zoisite," acknowledged Grape.

* * *

At the Tsukino residence, everyone was getting ready for bed. Just then the telephone rang and Ikuko answered it.

"Hello? Tsukino residence," she said.

"Um... excuse me," said the voice on the phone. "Could you put Usagi and Harusuke on the line please?"

"Sure thing," replied Ikuko. Then she called out. "Usagi! Harusuke! You have a phone call!"

Usagi and Harusuke came down the stairs a little sleepy, but still awake.

"Geez... Who could be calling at this time of the night?" yawned Usagi. "I was sleeping here."

"Oh stop complaining and answer it," groaned Harusuke as he yawned too. "If it's some kind of telemarketer, tell them you're not interested."

Usagi then answered the telephone. "Hello? Usagi and Harusuke speaking," she spoke sleepily.

A few seconds passed in silence. Usagi thinking that there was no one there was about to hang up, but then a familiar voice was heard from the phone.

"Usagi? Harusuke? Sorry to bother you two so late..."

Usagi and Harusuke knew who it was immediately. "Naru?" they spoke a bit surprised.

"What's the matter?" asked Usagi. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know what to do. I'm so confused right now," said Naru. "You two are the ones I can talk to about this."

"So tell us. What happened?" Harusuke spoke filled with concern. "Are you OK?"

"Well... it's about Mr. Sanjoin," spoke Naru. "He came just came by right now and is looking for the whereabouts of Sailor Moon and Solaris."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at each other their eyes wide with surprise as Naru continued.

"He appeared to be in such a hurry and I get the feeling that he's in trouble," she said. "But... there's nothing I can do to help him. I feel so powerless right now."

"Do you have any idea where he is right now?" asked Usagi.

"Yes. If there's anything you know about him, please tell us," said Harusuke.

Then they heard the sound of crying from the receiver. This made the Tsukino siblings even more worried about their friend.

"Naru... are you..." began Usagi.

Then Naru spoke cutting her off. "It's OK. I'm fine," she spoke her voice cracking a little. "Just forget about it, OK? I'm sorry for calling you guys in the middle of the night."

"But Naru, are you sure?" asked Harusuke.

"Yes. Really. It's alright," said Naru. "Just talking with you two has calmed me down a bit. Thanks for listening you two."

And then, the line went dead meaning that Naru had hung up. Usagi and Harusuke looked at each other and immediately knew what they had to do.

* * *

Back at Naru's place, Nephrite was standing by the window once again as Naru was talked on the phone. He had heard everything.

"Usagi and Harusuke...?" he puzzled to himself.

He then disappeared from the window into the night.

* * *

Usagi and Harusuke were now running towards Naru's house as fast as their feet could carry them with Luna running ahead of them.

"Nephrite is most likely been closing in on Naru," panted Luna. "No doubt that he's definitely up to something with her again!"

"Hurry up Usagi!" said Harusuke. "We've got to hurry to Naru's before it's too late!"

"Give me a break!" wheezed Usagi. "I don't have four legs like Luna, so I can't run as fast!"

"Then I'm going on ahead!" said Luna as she raced on ahead. "I'll meet you there!"

"All right! But be careful!" called out Harusuke. "Don't do anything reckless!"

Luna then disappeared into the distance. Then there was trouble. The world around them began to twist and bend causing the two of them to stop.

"What the...! What is this?!" cried Harusuke. "The world's going crazy!"

"I think I know! It's the work of a monster!" spoke Usagi.

The two of them looked around back to back trying to see the monster causing this distortion of their world, but there wasn't a single one to be seen.

"Where is it?" wondered Harusuke. "I don't see a monster anywhere!"

"Come on out you monster! Show yourself!" yelled Usagi bravely. "You don't scare us! Come out!"

No one answered her. Then she spoke to Harusuke.

"Harusuke! We need to transform!" she said.

"Hold on Usagi," said Harusuke "Something doesn't feel right about this. Maybe we should think before we start transforming."

"There isn't time to think!" screeched Usagi. "If we don't transform now, then we won't be able save Naru! Who knows what kind of trouble she's in and who knows what Nephrite is doing!"

"Well... when you put it like that, I guess we don't have a choice," conceded Harusuke. "Let's go then!"

The two Tsukino sibling then called out their transformation words.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Sailor Moon and Solaris stood ready to fight whatever enemy they had to face. But then suddenly, the distorted space had returned to normal and they heard a familiar sinister voice which laughed, it's sound echoing throughout the night.

"It looks like my little trick worked," it said. "You finally revealed your true identities Sailor Moon. Solaris."

Sailor Moon and Solaris looked around and in front of them and to their horror, Nephrite had appeared before them a victorious smirk etched on his face.

"It's Nephrite!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"So, Sailor Moon is Usagi Tsukino and Solaris is her older brother, Harusuke Tsukino," said Nephrite who sounded more impressed than amused. "Seeing is most definitely believing."

"Damn it! I knew there was something fishy about that space suddenly twisting!" cursed Solaris. "It was all a trick to get us to transform and now Nephrite knows our true identities!"

"Oh no!" cried Sailor Moon and then she turned Nephrite. "Oh please! Don't tell anyone that we're Sailor Moon and Solaris! Let's just keep this between us! I'm begging you!"

"Do you have the slightest idea what you're saying?!" snapped Solaris. "Like hell Nephrite's gonna 'keep it between us' you idiot!"

"I'm panicking OK?!" Sailor Moon tearfully snapped back. "Excuse me for not being calm about it like you are, Solaris! You don't have to act so mean you know!"

"But there's no reason to hide your identities anymore you two," said Nephrite ignoring the two heroes' banter. "For you two are not going to be leaving here alive anyway!"

He raised his hand charging up a great deal of power in his hand. Sailor Moon was frightened and stood there like a deer caught in the headlight, but Solaris stood bravely in front putting up his fists.

"Not I have anything to say about it!" he barked. "You may have tricked us, but you're not getting me or Sailor Moon without a fight!"

He then charged straight at Nephrite letting out a battle cry, but Nephrite released a beam of power from his hand firing it at Solaris. The Sun Warrior bend backwards dodging the blow, but the blast was now heading towards Sailor Moon. She let out a scream in terror and narrowly dodged the attack. Solaris continued running gunning for Nephrite once again, but Nephrite unleashed another powerful blast forcing him to dodge and Sailor Moon as well. Solaris then jumped up and came at Nephrite from above with his fist raised, but he was leaving him wide open to attack. Seizing that opportunity, Nephrite fired another blast aimed for Solaris. Having no way to dodge, Solaris crossed his arms and braced himself for the impact. The blast hit him with an incredible force sending him flying into the air screaming in pain. He fell right to the ground right on top of Sailor Moon with a thud causing the twin-tailed blonde yelp in pain.

"Solairs... get off of me," she groaned as she tried to get the stunned Solaris off of her. "You're...heavy."

Solaris shook his head rapidly getting the cloudiness out of his mind as he got off. "Sorry Sailor Moon," he apologized. "Guess he got me on that one. But.. it's not like I'll give up yet!"

"Now! Prepare to die, Sailor Moon! Solaris!" boomed Nephrite. "It's time to end both of your lives once and for all!"

He took aim and was ready to shoot another blast of power, but then a red rose shot by his cheek narrowly missing it and piercing the ground below. Nephrite looked up and saw a certain masked man in a tuxedo standing on a street light looking down at him as did Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"Defeat doesn't suit the beautiful Sailor Moon and heroic Solaris," he said. "Especially if that defeat is at the hands of evil! I, Tuxedo Mask, will take you on in this fight!"

He then leaped from the the street post and then landed on the ground standing between Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"Alright! It's Tuxedo Mask!" smiled Sailor Moon.

"Thanks for your help," said Solaris. "We could use all the help we could get against this guy!"

Nephrite smirked not fazed by Tuxedo Mask's appearance. He raised his hand ready to fight him along with Solaris and Sailor Moon when suddenly thanks to his inhuman hearing, he heard something that made him turn around behind him.

"No! Help me! Get away!" the voice said. "Help me, Nephrite! Help!"

"That voice...!" Nephrite said knowing who the voice he heard was. "There's no mistaking it! It's Naru!"

"Something the matter Nephrite?" asked Tuxedo Mask.

"We will continue this battle later. It seems that I have other matters to attend to," replied Nephrite. Then he turned to Solaris and Sailor Moon. "Besides, now that I know Sailor Moon's and Solaris' true identities, I can attack them anytime I want. So I'd watch your backs if I was you."

And with that, Nephrite vanished from sight. Sailor Moon was now pale in the face horrified.

"Aw, what are we gonna do?!" she cried. "Nephrite's discovered our true identities! Luna's gonna be so mad at us!"

Solaris then punched the ground seething in anger. "Damn it all! He played us like fools! I should have been more aware of my surroundings! I shouldn't have agreed to transform! Now we along with everyone else we know and love is in more danger than before!"

"There's no cause for worry. Even Nephrite knows about that, you can't him discourage you," reassured Tuxedo Mask. "You're both smart and clever kids. You'll figure something out. Till then, farewell and don't give up."

And the Tuxedo Mask walked away disappearing into the night leaving the two heroes by themselves. Sailor Moon was still worried, but she a little better from Tuxedo Mask's words. Solaris was a lot calmer, but he still blamed himself for letting this happen.

Then after a few minutes, Solaris stood up and made a decision. "Sailor Moon listen carefully," he said. "I'm gonna go after after Nephrite."

"What?! Are you serious?!" exclaimed Sailor Moon. "You can't!"

"I am and I will," said Solaris firmly. "I want you to contact Ami and Rei have them meet me at my location. There is no way in hell I'm gonna let Nephrite get away with what he's done. He has messed with me, Naru, and everyone else he's hurt for the last time!"

"Solaris! Think about what you're saying! You can't...!"

Sailor Moon tried to reason with Solaris, but he had already took off running into the distance down the road and taking off into the air with a giant leap.

* * *

At the Osaka residents in the apartments, Luna had managed to make it there. When she did, she saw something above her that made her eyes go wide with shock. Housenka was floating right above her carrying an unconscious Naru in her arms.

"No! I'm too late!" she cried. "I must inform the Guardians about this right away!"

And she raced away as quickly as she could. At that very same time, Nephrite had appeared inside of Naru's room. The room was completely empty with Naru nowhere to be seen. Then he saw something on her bed. It was a note from Zoisite and his minions. It said:

 ** _IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE GIRL ALIVE AGAIN,_**

 ** _HAND OVER THE DARK CRYSTAL OR ELSE!_**

"So that's the way it is. This has got to be the work Zoisite and his henchmen," scoffed Nephrite. "What a bunch of fools. Do they honestly think that I care about what happens to that girl?"

He clenched his hand crumpling up the note and then made it burst into flames. He then turned around about to leave the room when he stopped. Someone stood in front of the window barring his way and it didn't take Nephrite long to figure out who it was.

"Solaris," he said. "So you caught up with me. What business do you have with me? I told you I'd deal with you later."

"You should know already," Solaris spoke hotly. "I came here to take you down. You not only tricked me and Sailor Moon to exposing our identities, but now I find that you kidnapped Naru too? Just how far are you willing to go to take us down?!"

"If you think that I kidnapped Naru, then you're sorely mistaken," said Nephrite calmly. "That deed was done by Zoisite."

"And why should I believe you?" demanded Solaris. "Everything you've ever said was a lie. Tell me where Naru is and I won't beat you up too badly!"

Nephrite stared at Solaris as the sun warrior glared dangerously at him his eyes flared with anger and hate. Nephrite then spoke again.

"Solaris, as much as I would love to waste my time with you, I have bigger things to worry about," he said as he calmly walked past him. "If you really want to settle things with me, then I suggest you wait until my business with Zoisite and his minions is done."

Solaris looked back glaring daggers at Nephrite's back. "Hey! Get back here! I'm not finished with you!" he barked as clapped his hands together preparing to unleash his Sunshine Meteor. "We're settling this now! Face me and tell me where Naru is!"

Nephrite stopped and looked back. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Then after a while, Nephrite spoke again.

"Tell me Solaris or should I say Harusuke, first of all I didn't kidnap her. It was all Zoisite's doing. And second, do really have the time to be fighting me when you could be saving Naru?" he asked. "After all, it is your duty as a guardian who fights for love and justice correct?"

Solaris then froze like something slapped him across his face. Nephrite made a good point. Naru was more important than fighting Nephrite. He then lowered his hands clenching them at their sides.

"I hate to admit this, but you're right," he spoke coldly. "But if what you're saying is true, then where exactly is she? I know that you know."

Nephrite paused for a brief moment. Then he turned around facing Solaris.

"Actually, I have another idea. If you really want to save Naru, then I have a proposition for you," he said. "Why don't the two of us team up?"

Solaris eyes opened wide as saucers and his heart skipped a beat two times. "Excuse me?"

"I believe that you and I both know you heard me," said Nephrite. "Zoisite and I may both be members of the Dark Kingdom's Four Kings of Heaven, but unlike me he's ruthless and is as cunning as a rat willing do whatever it takes to win. He has had it out for me for quite some time now. Therefore, I'll need help to defeat him and his minions. If you help me, then I'll keep you and your sister's identities a secret and I won't target you nor attack you."

"And why should I trust you?" spoke Solaris doubtfully. "I mean how will I know you won't stab me in the back? It would make Queen Beryl pretty happy to have me or the other guardians served on a silver platter."

"You have no reason to. Then again, you don't really have a choice in the matter," spoke Nephrite. "And also, Queen Beryl at this point has deemed me a traitor due to my... negligence in following orders, so there's no point in telling her now. I'm not exactly too thrilled about this either, but beggars can't be choosers. Especially since we both share a common enemy. So... do we have a deal Solaris?"

He then held out his hand expecting Solaris to shake it. Solaris looked at Nephrite's hand and then back at him. He stared into his eyes for a pungent pause, then he made his decision.

* * *

Meanwhile in an abandoned bar far across from Juuban, Grape, Housenka, and Suzuran were inside in the basement with a very frightened Naru tied up against the wall. They were waiting for Nephrite hoping that he would show up.

"Nephrite better hurry up and get here," grumped Housenka. "I'm growing tired of waiting. I mean, do you honestly think that he's going to come for this human?"

"Well if he doesn't, then I guess we'll be forced to eliminate her," said Grape simply. "I mean why bother keeping her around right?"

"The poor little thing," Suzuran chuckled as she looked back at Naru who was still terrified. "She's looks so frightened, it's almost pathetic."

Then there the sound of something moving for up the stairs. The three monsters were immediately alert as someone walked down the stairs. Naru was immediately overjoyed.

"Nephrite! You came for me!" she said happily.

Then someone else came walking down the stairs next to Nephrite. Naru's as well as the monster sister's eyes widened in shock for that person turned out to be Solaris.

"What?! It's Solaris!" exclaimed Grape. "What is he doing here and how did he find us?!"

"I bet I know!" hissed Suzuran. "Nephrite and Solaris are working together!"

"Nephrite, you traitor!" yelled Housenka angrily. "How dare you team up with him?! We've got a way of dealing with traitors and fools like you and your partner! Now die!"

She unleashed a wave of strange red balls at them, but Solaris and Nephrite separated dodging the attack causing lots of explosions on impact. Suzuran than waved her hands and released a strange supersonic noise. The noise rang in both the men's ear causing them to fall to the floor unable to take the sound. Housenka saw her chance and unleashed her red ball barrage again. The balls hit where Solaris and Nephrite were standing causing smoke to billow everywhere.

"Did we get them?!" wondered Housenka as she tried to see into the smoke.

She soon got her answer. For right then, Solaris and Nephrite and shot out of smoke completely unharmed and unfazed and went on the attack. Nephrite punched Suzuran square in the gut stunning her and Solaris gave Housenka a powerful kick to the kick sending her flying to a table with a mighty crash. Nephrite then dashed straight toward the Grape materializing a sword made of crystal from his hand. Using her left hand, Grape took aim with and then her limb stretched its sharp thorns aimed right for the man, but Nephrite dodged the attack with ease and before Grape had a chance to react, Nephrite had her pinned to the wall stabbing his sword into the wall just inches away from her neck.

"I have a message for you to deliver to Zoisite," he said. "I will never hand over the Dark Crystal!"

Grape then sank to her knees shaking from fright after coming so close to death. Nephrite then went over to Naru and began untying the ropes.

"Naru? Are you OK?" he asked. "You're not hurt in anyway are you?"

"I'm... I'm fine," answered Naru looking completely spellbound.

Then suddenly Grape screamed having to have recovered from her shock. "You traitor!" she yelled. "I'm not letting you leave with that girl!"

Nephrite snapped his head around and prepared himself to fight once again, but suddenly Solaris came right at that moment and decked Grape right in her gut knocking the wind out of her completely and knocking her out cold. Nephrite was a bit surprised as was Naru, but that surprised was replaced with an amused grin.

"Thanks for the assist," he said. "I suppose you saved my life."

"Don't get the wrong idea," said Solaris. "I only saved you because you're helping me save Naru." He then headed towards the exit. "We should get out of here. Those monsters will recover pretty quickly and we don't want to be around when they do."

Soon enough, Nephrite had untied Naru and then he while carrying Naru in his arms and along with Solaris left the abandoned bar behind them and heading down the street into the night.

"Thank you both for saving me," said Naru. "Especially you Nephrite."

"You really don't have to thank me. I don't even know why I saved you myself," said Nephrite. "Besides, I've been deceiving you all this time and knowing myself I may continue to lie to you."

"Ain't that the truth," muttered Solaris. "I'm surprised she hasn't given up on you after all the stuff you've done."

But Naru paid no mind to Solaris' remark and placed her head lovingly in Nephrite's chest. "It's alright with me," she said blushing. "As long as you always stay by my side, I can live with the lying.

Nephrite was taken aback as his cheeks grew a little pink. Solaris was also taken aback by this and could only shrug.

"Well it's as they, love is blind," he thought.

Then Naru noticed something which made her worry. On Nephrite's right shoulder, a large rip was there and on his skin was a large cut that was oozing blood that was an emerald green color.

"Oh no! Nephrite, you're hurt!" she cried with worry as she got out of his arms and inspected the wound.

"I'm alright," reassured Nephrite. "It's just a small wound."

"No it's not!" insisted Naru. "This happened to you because of me! We have to get that treated right away!"

Solaris saw the wound as well and to him, it seemed that it was a lot more than a small wound. He also could see that Naru was genuinely concerned about the man. He wanted to contact the other guardians as soon as he could, but at the same time, he had to keep Naru and Nephrite hidden in case that the trio of plant monsters were on their trail. Then he saw a sign that lead to a certain area which was an ideal place to hide.

"Let's hide in Juuban Park," he said pointing to the sign. "We'll be able to find some cover from those monsters and be able to treat his wound. Follow me."

Then Solaris entered the park with Naru and Nephrite following close behind. The three walked deep into the park until they came to grove of trees. They then stopped to rest.

"You guys stay here," Solaris spoke. "I'm gonna keep an eye out. Let me know if there's anything suspicious or if you're in trouble."

And with that, Solaris disappeared into the bushes leaving Nephrite and Naru by themselves.

"All right, I'll take care of your wound now," said Naru. "You'll need to take off your jacket."

Nephrite did so and Naru then ripped a part of her pajama top off and then wrapped it around his wound tying it tightly, but not too tightly to that it would hurt. As Naru continued to dress Nephrite's wound, Solaris peeked out from behind the bushes keeping his eye on Nephrite. He was still having his doubts on whether or not that Nephrite was up to something. However, he was veering to the point of calling the other guardians here to take him out.

"If I call the other now, then we'd be able to take down Nephrite for good in his weakened state," he thought. "In fact, I should probably do that now. The others are probably wondering where I'm at."

He was about to push the button on his bracelet to contact Sailor Moon and the others, but then Naru's voice suddenly made him stop.

"Around third avenue, there's a little shop that serves the best chocolate parfaits," she said.

"Chocolate parfait?" puzzled Nephrite.

"That's right," said Naru. "You don't like them or something?"

"Oh. O-of course I do," said Nephrite quickly. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh come on!" growled Solaris to himself. "He's already lying through his teeth! And I'm willing to bet that Naru's gonna blindly say how much they both have something in common and stuff..."

But Solaris was wrong. Naru chuckled and then shook her head as she finished dressing his wound.

"You're lying again, but I'll give you points for making it into a sweet lie to making me believe we have something in common," she said smiling. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me sometime. I know that it's a silly idea, but I've always wanted to go there with you. To share a chocolate parfait with the one I love."

Nephrite was taken aback for Naru's response as well as her request. Not only did she see right through him, but she didn't mind it and she was asking him to do something with her. At first, he was silent. Then for the first time ever, a smile worked its way to his lips. Not an evil one, but a heartfelt and genuine one.

"Sure. Let's do it," he said.

"You mean it?" asked Naru incredulously.

Nephrite then looked at Naru. "Do you think I'm lying now?"

Naru shook her head. "Nope. I can't wait," she said happily. "But... will your evil organization will give you the day off like.. on Sundays maybe?"

Nephrite stared at Naru blankly. Then he began to chuckle thinking for what Naru said was funny. Soon enough, Naru began to laugh too. Solaris who was watching the entire thing had his jaw hung open in surprise.

"I don't believe it..." he thought. "Nephrite... is actually smiling and laughing? Genuinely? I never thought he had it in him. Not to mention that he really looks like that he cares about Naru. And I never thought that she would be able to see right through him and accept him for who he is. Maybe... maybe I was right about him the first time around..."

He then came out of his hiding place and then walked on over to the two. "Hey there you two," he said. "You guys look like you're having fun."

Nephrite then looked at Solaris ceasing his laugh scowling, but Solaris smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm on your side," he said. "I actually wanted to make you an offer, Nephrite."

Nephrite raised a brow in confusion and Naru tentatively clung to his arm expecting the worst.

Solaris then spoke. "How would you like to join me and the Guardians?" he asked.

Nephrite stared at Solaris. "Is this some kind of joke?" he demanded.

"No. It's no joke. I... kinda have had a change of heart about you some what," said Solaris. "You're pretty tough, cunning, and quite powerful and I was thinking that you'd be a great ally since... well... you saved Naru and stuff. It'll take a while for the others to accept you, but I'm sure I can convince them."

"You really mean it, Solaris?!" asked Naru incredulously.

"Yes. I do," said Solaris. "Would I ever lie to you?"

Nephrite stared at Solaris a bit surprised, but then he chuckled. "Are you sure you want to do that for me Solaris?" he asked. "I mean after all, you wanted to settle things with me."

"Yeah... but I decided to let it slide," said Solaris. "Besides, I don't want to make your girlfriend more worried than she already has. After all, you two love each other right?"

Naru and Nephrite looked at each other and then they smiled. Solaris then flashed a toothy smile

"Then that's that," he said. "Although, don't expect me to be the best man for your wedding or anything like that. I'm not exactly good at that kind of thing."

"M-married?!" squeaked Naru as her face turned bright red.

Solaris then laughed at her reaction. Nephrite at first didn't know what to think, but then he started to chuckling too. Then Naru began to giggle as well. All three of them were now smiling and laughing like they were the best of friends.

But then suddenly, Nephrite stopped laughing sensing danger. Then before Solaris and Naru had a chance to react, Nephrite had pushed them both out of the way just before he was stabbed right on the right side of his chest with a familiar thorny arm. The thorny arm then snapped off leaving the thorns that were embedded in his shoulder as he winced in pain. Naru and Solaris gasped in horror as they looked to the source of the attack. Grape, Housenka, and Suzuran were just above then chuckling in triumph.

"No! Nephrite!" cried Naru.

"You monsters!" yelled Solaris clenching his fists in anger as he too rushed to Nephrite's aid.

"You let your guard down. Those thorns will continue to suck on your energy until you meet your death. A fitting end for a traitor like you," smirked Grape.

Solaris then stood bravely in front of them ready to fight. "I'll make you guys pay for what you did to him!" he roared.

He went on the attack going straight for Grape, but then Housenka barred his way unleashing a barrage of bombs. Solaris immediately defended crossing his arms as the bombs hit him dead on sending him flying into a tree with a thud. Solaris recovered and tried again, but this time Suzuran blocked his path.

"Not so fast, Solaris," she hissed. "You're not getting past me!"

She then released her sonic waves causing Solaris to hold his ears in agony. He recoiled stepping back, but he bravely stood his ground. Then he ran straight for Suzuran and before she had a chance to react, he gave her a wicked headbutt to the forehead stunning her and shutting off her waves.

"Now I have you!" Solaris yelled as he clapped his hands together and created a ball of light preparing to attack. "SUNSHINE METE-"

"I don't think so!" shouted Grape as she attacked by making her left arm stretch turning into a giant fist and slammed Solaris before he could unleash his attack. Solaris screamed as he was sent flying and slamming to the ground hard. Solaris now in pain struggled to try and get up, but before he could, Housenka and Suzuran stood above him.

"Stay where you are, Solaris," said Suzuran. "Otherwise, the next blow will kill you."

Solaris growled in anger being unable to move as Grape turned back towards Nephrite and Naru.

"Now then Nephrite," she said. "If you don't want us to kill Nephrite or your partner, you'll hand over the Dark Crystal."

Nephrite growled finding no way of getting out of this predicament, but then he felt himself getting weaker due to the thorns in his shoulder. "Fine then," he said with reluctance and weakness. "You can have it." He then looked back at Naru. "You must hurry and get out of here! Run away now while you still have the chance!"

"No! I can't!" said Naru. "I won't leave you!"

"Naru! You have to get out of here!" yelled Solaris. "Leave us and save yourself!"

But Naru refused to to listen as she ran over to Nephrite to try and help him. Then she took two of the thorns embedded in his shoulder and started to pull trying to get the out. The thorns shocked her as they began draining her energy too, but Naru refused to let go and kept pulling.

"What a fool," scoffed Grape. "Do you really think a pathetic human can pull out my thorns?"

"Stop it Naru!" pleaded Nephrite. "You've done enough! You have to get out of here while you still have the chance!"

"Those thorns are draining your energy too!" shouted Solaris. "If you don't let go, you'll die!"

Naru stubbornly refused to give up even with the great pain the thorns were causing her. She pulled and she pulled until finally, the thorns that she was pulled were finally starting to pull out much the shock everyone who was watching.

"Impossible!" gasped Grape.

Then seizing his chance due to the the sisters watching Naru pull out the thorns, Solaris swept Suzuran's and Housenka's with his and then raced on over to Naru and Nephrite and then he took his hands on the thorns and started to pull too feeling the shock.

"Come on Naru!" he yelled. "Keep pulling! We almost got them out!"

"I'm trying!" Naru cried.

Nephrite stared at the two completely awed by their actions. "Why...? Why are you two going so far for me?" he asked. "Why...?"

Solaris gritted his teeth as he pulled flashing a smile. "Isn't it obvious...?" he winced. "It's because you're our friend! Good or bad, you're still a person! A person who've I've come to like! When I saw you and Naru laughing, I saw the real you... it... it made me want to be your friend! And Naru loves you... more than anything in the world... And friends and lovers always protect those they care about! No matter what!"

At that moment, the thorns that Naru and Solaris were pulling had finally come out of Nephrite with a sickening pop. Grape and her sisters couldn't believe their eyes.

"We did it!" gasped Naru wincing in pain. "We got them out!"

"We're not done yet, Naru!" panted Solaris. "We've got to get the rest of them out!"

"Not to fast!" yelled Housenka who had more than enough of this nonsense. "I'll finish the three of you at the same time! Now die!"

Solaris turned around in time to see that Housenka had unleashed a bigger barrage of fireballs than before. He was about to move with the hopes of protecting Naru and Nephrite, but at the last moment, something got in front of him knocked to the ground. The next minute a huge explosion rocked the area. Smoke billowed everywhere and the Dark Crystal than Nephrite was holding fell out of Nephrite's pocket and then landed on the ground. When the smoke cleared Solaris and Naru had no idea what had just happened, but then a shocking sight met both their eyes. At the last moment, Nephrite had shielded them from Housenka's attack protecting them from harm and mortally wounding him more in the process.

"N-nephrite! You..." murmured Solaris.

"Are... you two... all right?" groaned Nephrite.

He appeared to be in more pain than he ever was before and no thanks to the thorns that remained, he grew weaker and weaker. Just then, Zoisite appeared. Seeing the Dark Crystal out of the open, he held out his hand making the Dark Crystal float towards him until he clasped it in his hand.

"Well done you three," he said smirking with triumph. "The plan was a big success and the Dark Crystal is now ours."

"Who the heck is that?" wondered Solaris glaring at this new enemy.

"Zoisite..." spoke Nephrite.

"It's really too bad Nephrite," continued Zoisite. "You were once a proud member of the Four Kings of Heaven, but have been reduced to weakling on the brink of death, all because you fell in love with a human and even made friends with your enemy. But on the bright side, at least you'll get to die with girl you love and the man of which you made friends with." He then turned to Grape and her sisters. "Girls? Give Nephrite a good beating before you finish him off and while you're at it, kill Solaris too."

Solaris then stood up glaring dangerously at Zoisite in anger. "You coward! How could you do something like this?!" he demanded. "Wasn't Nephrite one of your comrades?!"

Zoisite took one look at the Solar Guardian and laughed.

"Comrade? What utter nonsense!" he scoffed while playing his hair. "Nephrite is just a stepping stone. A stone that I intend to use to find the Silver Crystal."

"You won't get away with this!" shouted Solaris. "I'll make you pay for what you did to him!"

"Don't you worry Solaris," said Zoisite. "We'll have our time. That is... if you don't die tonight that is."

And with that, he disappeared in a flurry of petals.

"This should be fun," Grape spoke as she and her sisters prepared to attack once again.

Naru was horrified as she saw Nephrite's fresh wounds on his back. His shirt was in tatters and his back was charred with blood oozing out, but Nephrite still put on a brave face.

"Please... Solaris... Naru... run," he wheezed. "Get out of here... while you still have the chance..."

"No! We won't leave you!" wailed Naru.

"Damn it... we're in deep trouble," said Solaris. "We need help..."

Solaris didn't know what to do now. He was outnumbered, Nephrite appeared on the brink of death, and Naru didn't want to leave him. Things have definitely taken a dangerous turn. Just when it seemed all hope was lost...

"Stop right there!" yelled out a voice.

Everyone immediately stopped turning their heads to the right of them and Solaris' eyes lit up with hope for he knew who it was. It was Sailor Moon along with Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars! And all three of them were looking for a fight!

"How dare you interfere with two people that are in love?!" spoke Sailor Moon. "That is truly despicable! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Cleanse yourselves in water and repent!" said Sailor Mercury.

"And in the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" proclaimed Sailor Mars.

"So the Sailor Guardians are here too? Fine then! We'll deal with you first!" snarled Grape as she along with her sisters attacked the Sailor Guardians.

As they fought, Solaris immediately ran over to Nephrite and Naru to see if Nephrite was still alive.

"Nephrite! Are you alright?!" he asked. "Please hang on!"

"Solaris! Please help him!" begged Naru. "We have to remove those thorns or he'll die!"

Solaris was about to grab a thorn and start pulling, but Nephrite stopped him.

"Solaris... listen to me..." he spoke his voice growing all the more weak. "I need you... to answer me something..."

"What is it, Nephrite?" wondered Solaris.

Nephrite coughed before saying his next words. "Did... did you mean what you said... when you said that... you were my friend?"

"Of course I meant it," replied Solaris. "You are my friend, no matter what anyone says otherwise!"

Nephrite then smiled. "That's good... then... do you trust you me?"

"Yes," said Solaris automatically. "I know I said I didn't before, but I do now... why?"

Nephrite then held up his hand and grabbed Solaris' hand. When he did, Solaris felt a surge go through his body as Nephrite began to glow.

"Nephrite? What are you doing?!" cried Solaris as he felt this strange sensation.

"I'm giving you... what little strength that I have left," said Nephrite. "Use it to help the guardians and to protect Naru for me!"

The glow that was emanating from Nephrite's body then transferred to Solaris making him glow. Solaris was now filled with a strange power as he stood up.

Back in the fight, the Sailors were giving the three monsters a run for their money. They had finally gained the upper hand were ready to finish them off.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

Sailor Mercury's attack created a thick blanket of fog covering the area and blinding the three monsters. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars seized their chance.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The two attacks combined making into one powerful attack shooting straight at the three plant sisters. But then at the last moment, Grape pushed her sisters in front of her and jumped into the air. The attack hit Suzuran and Housenka dead on immediately destroying them in the process while Grape was high in the air.

"No way! She survived?!" exclaimed Sailor Moon.

"She moved her sisters into the line of fire, so that she would be able to dodge!" said Sailor Mars.

"Nice try, guardians!" smirked Grape. "But you'll have to do better than that!" She then saw Solaris, Nephrite, Naru and went straight towards them. "Now's my chance! I'll finish you off for good, Nephrite!"

She dove down heading straight for them much to the sailor guardian's horror. Naru shut her eyes as she clung to Nephrite. But then at the last moment, Solaris stood in front of them protecting them from harm still radiating with the power given to him by Nephrite.

"You're not laying finger on them!" he yelled. "In the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

He then crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Several little balls of light appeared all around him as he held out his hands. The lights gathered into his hands swirling around them.

"TAKE THIS!"

He then flung out his hands causing all of the balls of light to shoot towards Grape all of them hitting her at the same time. Grape screeched in agony as the attack reduced to nothing but ash. The sailors stared at Solaris is surprise and shock.

"What... was that attack?" murmured Sailor Moon.

"I don't know," said Sailor Mars. "But that was incredible..."

Solaris was surprised by what he had just did as well, but then he quickly remembered Nephrite and then rushed over to him and Naru. He now looked paler and weaker than he ever did before.

"Nephrite, we're safe now," said Naru. "Sailor Moon and the other guardians saved us."

Nephrite smiled weakly as he looked up. "Sailor Moon. Solaris. It would seem... that both of your identities will remain a secret after all."

Sailor Moon and the other guardians felt their hearts tighten knowing what Nephrite was insinuating.

"No... it can't be!" murmured Sailor Moon.

"No, Nephrite! Don't die!" pleaded Solaris. "You've got to try and hang on!"

"It's... too late," gasped Nephrite. "I... don't have any strength left... nor do I... have the energy..."

"Then why did you give me your energy?!" demanded Solaris his voice filled with sorrow. "You could have lived a little bit longer if you did! So why?!"

"It's because... you've proven me something to me," coughed Nephrite. "You've proven... that Queen Beryl was my enemy all along. But you... you and Naru have proven to be my friends. And so... you now the ability to summon the power of the stars like I do... use it well, defeat Queen Beryl and her followers, and most especially... please watch over Naru for me... you and the guardians... And... thank you for calling me your friend... it made me... happy."

Solaris bit his lip from behind his mouth guard as he looked away trying not to cry, but he nodded.

Nephrite then looked at Naru lovingly cradling her cheek with his hand. "And I really must apologize to you... Naru... I don't think... we'll be having that chocolate parfait together... I guess... I ended up lying to you... until the very end... Please forgive me."

Naru's eyes filled with tears and she held Nephrite's hand. "No... please... don't die Nephrite... Don't leave me..." she sobbed.

"Thank you... for being a part of my life Naru," continued Nephrite his voice growing quieter. "You'll always... be in my heart."

Then Nephrite took his last breath and his arm went limp. Naru's tear stained eyes widened as she gently shook him trying to wake him up.

"Nephrite? Please wake up," she tearfully begged. "Come on... wake up."

Solaris stood up his hands clenching at his sides. "He's gone Naru," he spoke quietly. "There's nothing you can do for him now... He's gone."

Suddenly, Nephrite began to glow in a strange colored light and his body slowly began to fade away. Naru was frantic.

"No! Please! You can't go!" she sobbed as she left Nephrite's body fading in her arms. "You promised that we'd go eat chocolate parfaits together! Don't leave me!"

But it was no use. Nephrite's body soon faded from existence leaving only the makeshift bandage that Naru made behind. Naru realizing this let loose a wail of despair as the floodgates in her eyes opened. The Sailors also had tears streaming down their eyes too as they too mourned for Naru's loss and felt sorry for what had befallen her. Solaris looked up into the sky as the light that was emitting from Nephrite was floated upwards to the sky.

"Nephrite... I promise you," he thought to himself as his eyes slightly filled with unshed tears. "Your sacrifice will not be in vain... No matter what anyone says... you died a comrade and someone... who followed his heart till the end."

The forest was filled with the sound of sobbing and shed tears as the light that was once Nephrite continued float and shine into the starry filled sky..


	27. Chapter 26

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl was alone in a separate room kneeling in front of what appeared to be a strange cocoon. It was in the middle of a large skull with its mouth open and looked like a large egg yolk that was huge in appearance. In her hands, Queen Beryl was holding a green orb of energy which represented the energy that she received from Jadeite and Nephrite.

"Awaken, Great Ruler," she commanded. "To you, I offer this vital energy. Hear my plea and awaken once more. Arise! Oh, Great One!"

She then blasted the cocoon using the energy in her hands, the object absorbing everything Queen Beryl gave. A few moments of silence passed, then the yolk began to glow and shift as a heartbeat could be heard. Then a voice could be heard coming from inside the cocoon.

"So... it seems that the energy from the humans has stirred me from my long sleep," the cocoon spoke.

"Yes, Great One," said Queen Beryl. "How long we have waited for this day. Truly an auspicious moment!"

"But... is it not enough Queen Beryl," the cocoon said. "I can feel myself being drawn back into a deep sleep once again."

"I see," spoke Queen Beryl.

"You must find the Legendary Silver Crystal at once," spoke the cocoon. "It is absolutely necessary to obtain it, otherwise my resurrection will be impossible!"

"We're searching for it as we speak Great One, but we do not know where it is," said Queen Beryl.

"Then you must revive the Dark Kingdom's strongest warriors," said the cocoon. "The Seven Great Monsters. If you do so along with the Rainbow Crystals, only then will the Silver Crystal shine brightly to be found."

Queen Beryl was pleased as she bowed respectfully. "Yes, of course, Great One!" she said. "It shall be done!"

* * *

In the real world, in the town of Juuban, Usagi was running as fast as her feet could carry her with Harusuke and Luna right behind her with the black cat carrying a small pink bag in her mouth.

"Come on Harusuke! Hurry up! We're gonna be late for school!" yelled Usagi.

"Man! This is the third time this week!" complained Harusuke. "Why haven't you gotten yourself an alarm clock yet?!"

"Usagi! You forgot your lunch!" yelled Luna as he ran alongside. "Make sure you don't forget it!"

"Thanks, Luna!" panted Usagi. "Make sure you bring it with you!"

Then there was trouble. Usagi had just turned around a corner when she slammed into something hard causing her to fall flat on her butt on the ground. Usagi rubbed her behind in pain as she sat up as Luna and Harusuke immediately went to her to check if she was alright.

"Usagi? Are you alright?" asked Harusuke.

"I'm alright," replied the twin-tailed blonde. She then apologized to whoever she bumped into. "I'm sorry for bumping into-"

Then she stopped and her face immediately paled as did Luna's. Even Harusuke couldn't help but gulp a little. The person that Usagi bumped into was a man wearing a purple shirt with black pants. With him were two muscular men, one having an orange button down with blue pants and sunglasses, and the other having an aqua colored tank top with black pants and shoes. The one who Usagi bumped into held his leg in pain.

"You broke my leg!" he wailed. "I swear I heard it snap!"

The two muscular men glared at Usagi. Then one the with the orange button down sunglasses went up to her scowling.

"Hey! What're you gonna do about this, young lady?" he demanded. "Maybe if you fork over your money, it'll make him feel better."

Usagi immediately squeaked in fear as she hid behind Harusuke. Her brother then stood bravely in front of the men.

"Hey! Back off bub! If you mess with my sister, you're messing with me!" he spoke.

The thug in orange laughed. "What are you gonna do about runt?" he mocked. "You're like a twig compared to me."

Harusuke glared not wanting to back down, but he knew that there was no way he could take on all three of them at once. A voice was heard.

"She said she was sorry. So why don't you guys back off?"

Everyone immediately turned around and there stood a young girl. She was tall, a few inches taller than Harusuke, had long brown hair tied in a ponytail with long bangs, and wore school uniform that had a long brownish green skirt with a pair of high heels that matched. She also had a pair of pink rose earrings on each of her ears.

"I saw the whole and even someone as dumb as you three could see that she barely bumped into you," the girl continued. "Not to mention that you were trying to con a girl and beat up her brother. That's pretty low, even for you guys."

"What'd you say?!" growled the man that wore orange now glaring dangerously at the girl.

"No one talks to us like that," said the man in the aqua tank top. "Not even a girl like you!"

The man in the aqua tank top was just reaching out towards the girl about to grab her shoulder, when suddenly the girl immediately grabbed his hand and before he or anyone else had a chance to react, threw him over her shoulder and slammed him into the concrete ground stunning him. The man in orange then charged at the girl with his fist raised. The girl saw the attack coming and tilted her head dodging the blow and at the same time gave the man in orange a sharp knee right in his stomach knocking the wind out of him and knocking him out. Usagi and Harusuke were amazed while the leader of three was shaking in fear for what the girl just did. Then he took off running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Awesome..." murmured Usagi.

"She... she took them both out in seconds!" gasped Harusuke.

The girl then looked at the Tsukino siblings and smiled kindly. "Are you two OK?" she asked.

"Y-yes! We're fine!" stammered Usagi.

"Good," smiled the girl. "You two take care now."

The girl flashed one more smile as she walked away her earrings glistening in the sun. Usagi and Harusuke and even Luna were amazed as the girl disappeared from sight.

As the girl went on her way, she couldn't help but look back at Harusuke in particular. When she did, her cheeks flushed bright pink.

" _Wow! That guy looks so_ _cute!_ " she thought. " _He looks just like the guy that broke my heart!"_

* * *

Back in the Dark Kingdom in the throne room, Queen Beryl had summoned Zoisite as well as Malachite and explained what she had been told.

"When the Seven Great Monsters and the rainbow crystals are revived together," she said. "The Legendary Silver Crystal will shine brightly and be found. Those were the words of the Great Ruler."

"I remember the Seven Great Monsters," spoke Malachite. "Long ago, they were our most powerful monster allies, but they were sealed away by our enemy."

"Your memory serves you well Malachite," said Queen Beryl. "The legendary Seven Great Monsters were our most powerful in the Dark Kingdom. Until the day we suffered a great loss to Queen Serenity. She used the Silver Crystal to seal away each of the seven into separate fragments of the Silver Crystal itself and then banished them to Earth. Those are the seven fragments known as the Rainbow Crystals."

"And what of the Seven Monsters?" asked Zoisite. "What became of them?"

"They lost their memory of what they once were and have been reborn as humans," said Malachite solemnly.

"I see..." said Zoisite thoughtfully. "So if we remove these Rainbow Crystals from the reincarnated humans, will those crystals lead us to the Silver Crystal?"

"Correct," smiled Queen Beryl. "And what's even better is, that those who have their crystals removed will immediately be reincarnated to what they once were."

Queen Beryl then held out her hand over her scepter and it began to glow white. From it, something came out of it and it flung right at Zoisite causing the young man to catch it in his hand. It was the Dark Crystal. The same Dark Crystal that Nephrite had previously owned before Zoisite had taken it.

"I've modified The Dark Crystal to react only to the Rainbow Crystals," Queen Beryl explained to Zoisite. "Use it well, Zoisite."

"Thank you, my queen," smiled Zoisite.

He then held out his hand outwards making the Dark Crystal levitate and spin. The crystal stopped spinning and the tip of it began to glow and a strange vortex shot out from it revealing an image of a boy. He was young, wore a white t-shirt with an orange jacket on top, glasses, and a blue baseball cap backward.

* * *

At school, Usagi and Harusuke were walking outside in the courtyard hoping to enjoy their lunch period. Usagi was humming a merry tune as she skipped along.

"Lunchtime! Lunchtime! My stomach's growling like a big old bear!" she sang.

"Well that's original," chuckled Harusuke. "You should be a songwriter Usagi."

Then as they rounded a tree, Usagi stopped and gasped causing Harusuke to stop too.

"Usagi? What is it?" he asked.

"Harusuke, look!" Usagi said pointing.

Harusuke looked and sure enough, there by the bush was the girl that helped Harusuke and Usagi earlier this morning sitting all by herself eating her lunch.

"Hey! It's that girl with the rose earrings!" he murmured.

"I know, but what's she doing here?" wondered Usagi.

As the two looked back at the girl, Umino suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.

"Hey there you guys! Whatcha doing?" he asked.

Usagi and Harusuke screamed a little feeling a bit startled and the two immediately grabbed Umino by the collar ready to tear him a new one.

"What is the matter with you Umino?!" Harusuke spoke crossly.

"Yeah! Don't scare us like that!" Usagi added angrily.

"Calm down you two. I only came here to tell you about that girl you're both stalking," said Umino. "She's a transfer student who just joined Class 6 today. Her name is Makoto Kino. She's incredibly strong and word on the street was that she was kicked out of her old school for fighting, so if I were you two, I'd keep my distance. If you're not careful, she might-"

Then when Umino looked back at the Tsukino siblings, Harusuke was still standing there listening, but Usagi had mysteriously disappeared.

"What the-! Where'd Usagi go?!" asked Umino.

"She's over there," replied Harusuke pointing to the bush where Makoto was.

Umino looked and was horrified to see Usagi tip-toeing towards her.

"Usagi what are you doing?!" Umino yelled/whispered. "I told you that girl is dangerous!"

"Umino, first and foremost we are not stalking her," said Harusuke. "Secondly, you're jumping to conclusions. In fact, that girl saved me and Usagi earlier today from a group of thugs. Those things you told us are probably just rumors."

He then walked over to Usagi much Umino's shock. When he and Usagi were close enough, they could see the contents of Makoto's lunch. There was rice balls, fried pork and even a couple of vegetables. She even had a separate box in the shape of a heart that contained sliced apples, strawberries, and oranges. Usagi couldn't help but drool with hunger from the sight of them.

"Wow... her lunch looks so cute and yummy!" she whispered. "I can almost taste it!"

Even Harusuke had to admit that the food looked delicious. "Yeah... it makes me wonder where she got all that from."

Then Makoto suddenly snapped her head around startled, but on guard. "Who's there?!" she demanded gruffly.

Harusuke and Usagi jumped a bit startled by Makoto's expression.

"Um hello again!" greeted Usagi sheepishly.

"Yeah. Hey there," said Harusuke embarrassingly.

Makoto's face then softened as soon she recognized the Tsukino siblings. "Hey! It's you two. It's great to see you both again," she said. "So you both go to school here too, huh?"

"Indeed we do," said Usagi brightly. "I'm Usagi Tsukino and this is my big brother Harusuke."

"Nice to meet you," greeted Harusuke politely.

"N-Nice to meet you guys too," smiled Makoto as her cheeks flushed pink again. Then scooted over. "Do you two wanna join me?"

Usagi immediately sat down next to Makoto. "Sure!" she said eagerly. "We would love to join you!"

Harusuke then took a seat on the other side of Makoto. "Thank you for having us," he spoke politely. "And thank you for saving me and sister earlier."

"A-Anytime!" Makoto spoke nervously as she twiddled her thumbs. "Gl-Glad to help you out."

Harusuke then noticed Makoto acting strangely and was a bit puzzled. "Is something wrong, Ms. Kino?" he asked. "Your cheeks are looking a bit red there."

Makoto furiously shook her head. "No! It's nothing! I'm fine!" she squeaked nervously. "Don't worry about me!"

Makoto then took notice of Usagi drooling over the sight of her rice ball. She then held out a rice ball to Usagi.

"You want one?" she asked.

"Well... I'm not a big eater, but if you insist..." said Usagi as she took the riceball and took a bite. "Yummy!"

Makoto then held out one to Harususke shyly looking away. "Here. You want one too?"

"Sure. Thank you very much," said Harusuke as he took the rice ball also taking a bite. "Wow! Delicious!"

"Th-thank you very much," smiled Makoto. "You know, I'm really glad you two came along. For some reason, everyone at school here seems to be afraid to talk to me."

"Well considering the fact that you saved me and Usagi from a couple of thugs, of course, rumors are gonna start flying around," said Harusuke. "But don't worry. We're on your side."

"Yup! Don't worry about a thing Mako!" added Usagi.

Makoto looked at Usagi a bit surprised.

"Um... is it OK if I call you Makoto?" asked Usagi.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah. I don't mind."

Usagi smiled. "Great! Anyway, Mako, the food you have for your lunch is really delicious! Your Mom must be a really good cook!"

Makoto then blushed. "Well... actually, I made all this myself."

Harusuke and Usagi stared at Makoto their eyes filled with surprise.

"You made all of this by yourself?! That's amazing!" said Harusuke.

"Yeah! No kidding! You gotta teach us how to make these!" said Usagi. "Or you can make them for us..."

Harusuke glared. "Usagi! Don't be so greedy!" he scolded.

Usagi laughed while she stuck out her tongue. "I was just kidding," she giggled.

Umino who hadn't left had seen everything. He could not believe it.

"Unbelievable! Usagi and Harusuke can make friends with anyone!" he muttered.

* * *

After school, Usagi and Harusuke took Makoto to the Game Center. On the way there, they talked a little until they arrived.

"So Mako, how come you're not wearing our school uniform?" wondered Usagi.

"What I'm wearing now, suits me better," replied Makoto.

"That makes sense," spoke Harusuke. "It really does suit you. It really matches your earrings."

Mako blushed a little. "Thanks, Harusuke."

They soon came to the Game Center and entered it. Usagi looked around looking for a certain someone there, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Aw... It looks like Motoki's not here today," she grumped.

"Maybe he has the day off or something," said Harusuke.

"Who's Motoki?" asked Makoto. "Is he your sister's second older brother or something?"

Usagi almost fell over in surprise while Harusuke shook his head.

"Not really. Motoki is a guy that works here at the Game Crown and is a good friend of ours," he explained. "Although... I guess if you think about it, he's kind of like a brother since he's always helping out me and Usagi whenever we need it."

"Come on Mako! Don't listen to him! Motoki's not like that!" said Usagi indignantly. "Motoki is a special guy! And he's... well... he's..."

She began to blush madly thinking about Motoki, but Harusuke interrupted her by poking her shoulder.

"Um... Usagi. If you're talking to Mako, she's over there," he said.

He then pointed to Makoto who was now playing the Sailor V game. Usagi fell over in surprise once again while Harusuke chuckled sweatdropping. Just then, Ami and Rei entered the Game Center with Ami carrying Luna in her arms.

"Hey, Usagi. Harusuke," she said. "So this is where you two were."

"Hey, Rei. Ami" greeted Harusuke. "What's up?"

"Is there something wrong?" asked Usagi.

"Luna was just telling us that she's concerned about that girl over there," explained Ami motioning over to Mako.

"Who? Mako?" wondered Usagi. "Don't worry. Luna's worrying too much."

"Yeah. Makoto's a really nice person," said Harusuke. "In fact, she saved me and Usagi today from some thugs earlier. Come on, we'll introduce you."

Usagi and Harusuke then led their friends over to Mako who had just now gotten a game over.

"Darn it! How could I lose that one!" she complained.

"Hey, Mako. We want you to meet some friends of ours," Harusuke spoke. Then he introduced her. "This is Makoto Kino. She just transferred to our Middle School today."

Makoto then stood up and smiled. "Nice to meet you," she greeted.

Ami and Rei were a little surprised with how tall Makoto was, but they greeted her back. "N-nice to meet you too," they said.

Usagi then took her turn with introductions. "Mako, that's Ami the really smart one and Rei... she's the mean one."

Rei looked at Usagi. "I'm sorry, who are you calling the mean one?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice.

"I said you were," Usagi spoke.

Rei then got closer to Usagi seeming to be angrier. "I... didn't you that time. What did you say I was?"

"The mean one," Usagi spoke.

Harusuke pinched his nose. "And here we go..." he groaned.

Rei was now very angry. "And just what year, month, week, day, time, hour, minute, and second was I ever mean to you?!" she yelled.

"You're being mean to me right now!" Usagi shouted back. "That's exactly what being mean is!"

Makoto smiled. "How nice. You both get along so well," she said.

"No way!" said Usagi and Rei at the same time.

"As soon as we see each other she starts an argument every time!" said Rei.

"I do not!" countered Usagi.

"You do so!" Rei argued back.

"But just started it right now Rei," sighed Harusuke. "I swear, can't you two get along for at least a few seconds?"

"Well you know what they say," said Makoto. "The more you argue, the closer you are."

Rei and Usagi stared dumbly at Makoto for what she said while Harusuke and Ami laughed.

"That's a good one Makoto," chuckled Ami. "She got you two on that one."

Rei and Usagi didn't answer. They both glared at each other sticking out their tongues turning away from each other in a huff. Makoto then took notice of Luna. She went over and then scratched Luna under her chin causing the cat to meow and purr in delight.

"How cute!" Makoto laughed as she continued to service Luna.

"Oh! That's Luna our cat," explained Usagi. "She's a black cat with a crescent bald spot on her forehead, so she's pretty special. She lives at our place."

Just then the group heard some people wowing and oohing in amazement. The group looked at they saw some people gathering around a large crane game admiring a young man playing who also had a large box of toys he won. It was the exact same man that the Dark Kingdom identified as a holder of a Rainbow Crystal, but no one knew about this just yet. The young man inserted another coin and started playing again. Feeling rather curious, Usagi's group decided to watch too. The young man directed the crane over to a particular toy. He lowered the crane and then just when the crane opened and without anyone noticing, he tapped the glass placing her palm on it. The toy seemed to shoot up into the claw just as the claw clamped on it. The claw then dropped the toy into the opening much to everyone's amazement.

"Wow! He got another one!" exclaimed a boy.

"He's good!" said another.

Harusuke and Usagi then heard one of their classmates, Yumi.

"Hey there you two!" said Yumi. "Did you two see that?"

"Yeah we did," said Usagi. "Who is that guy?"

"That guy's named Joe, but everyone calls him, 'Joe the Crane Game Troll', " explained Yumi. "

"Crane Game Troll?" puzzled Harusuke. "Why do people call him that? Because he's good at crane games?"

"Exactly! He's practically a genius at those games," said Yumi. "I've also heard that every single stuffed toy that he sets his sights on, he gets! He's got hundreds of them!"

"Wow... that's nuts," murmured Usagi. "Don't you think so Mako?"

Makoto didn't answer. Usagi and Harusuke looked at her wondering why, but they were surprised to see that Makoto was in some sort of a trance staring right at Joe.

"He's just like him..." she murmured dreamily.

"What're you talking about?" asked Usagi.

Makoto didn't respond. She just continued to stare at Joe not taking her eyes off of him.

Usagi then waved her hand in front of her eyes trying to snap her out of her trace. "Hey! Mako! Snap out of it!" she said. "Earth to Mako! Come in Mako!"

But it was no use. Makoto didn't budge nor did she come to her senses.

"What's gotten into her?" wondered Usagi.

"Who knows?" said Harusuke. "Although, she reminds me of you whenever you think about Tuxedo Mask or Motoki."

* * *

Later that day, Joe was walking home with a bag of his recent winnings slung on his back. Then suddenly, someone appeared before him in a blizzard of petals. It was Zoisite.

"Well, well," he smirked. "Looks like I found you."

Joe jumped dropping his bag of toys feeling startled. "Wh-who are you?!" he demanded.

"There's no need to answer that," said Zoisite. "This will only take a moment."

He then summoned the Dark Crystal from his hand pointing it at Joe. The crystal began to glow emitting a strange frequency. Joe then felt a strange pressure inside of his body mostly coming from the center of his chest making his yell in agony. In the center of his chest, a strange hole opened and in it was a red crystal.

"Stop it!" screamed Joe as he was in more agony than before.

But Zoisite smirked with triumph and he was just about to take the crystal from his body when he heard a voice.

"Stop that right now! It's not nice to bully people that are weaker than you!"

Zoisite looked to his right and there standing a few feet away from him was Makoto.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he closed his hand hiding the Dark Crystal. "I'll make you regret from interring, girl!"

Makoto then rushed in between them protecting Joe who was still reeling in agony. Then she dashed towards Zoisite throwing a flurry of punches at him.

Zoisite dodged each and everyone with ease and smirked cockily. "And what was that supposed to be?" he asked coolly. "How barbaric."

"I'll admit that you're good, but I'm not done yet!" Makoto spoke as she went on the attack again.

She threw another punch, but Zoisite dodged the blow once again. Then Makoto took off one of her earrings and threw it. Zoisite tilted his head making the earring miss, but that was the opening that Makoto needed. Before he had a chance to react, Makoto finally connected landing a back-handed chop right across his cheek. Zoisite staggered, but he didn't go down. He glared daggers at Makoto now very angry.

"You scarred my precious face, you prehistoric witch!" he hissed venomously. "You're gonna regret that!"

Makoto didn't back down as she took a fighting stance, but then she heard a pair of familiar voices.

"Mako!"

"Where are you?"

Makoto turned around and saw Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna on the bridge just above from where she and Zoisite were. The moment she had her head turned, Zoisite saw his chance and retreated disappearing in a flurry of petals. Usagi and Harusuke then rushed on over upon seeing Joe on the ground holding his chest in pain. Makoto rushed on over too.

"Makoto, what happened here?" asked Usagi.

"Was there some kind of fight going on?" wondered Harusuke.

"I don't know," said Makoto.

She then looked at Joe feeling worried about the boy. She was just about to help him on his feet when Joe knocked her arm away.

"Let go of me!" he snapped.

"Hey! Take it easy!" said Harusuke. "We were just making sure that you were OK!"

"Mind your business!" snapped Joe. "Leave me alone!"

And with that, Joe staggered away leaving Usagi and the others behind. He even left the toys he had won behind too.

Usagi was cross. "What the heck is his problem?!" she grumbled crossly. "We were just trying to help him!"

Makoto then went after Joe following him.

"Wait! Mako, where are you going?" asked Harusuke worriedly.

"Tell us what's going on!" called Usagi.

But Makoto didn't reply. She continued to follow Joe until they were out of sight. Luna's eyes narrowed.

"I can sense it..." she said. "Something was here."

"What do you mean Luna?" asked Usagi.

"Something was just here and it had a powerful evil aura," said Luna. "I'm certain of it."

"Something evil? Does that mean... that something from the Dark Kingdom was just here?" asked Harusuke.

Luna nodded. "Without a doubt."

"Then... if that's true, Mako and Joe are in serious danger!" exclaimed Usagi. "We've got to follow them!"

She took off running after Makoto and Joe with Luna and Harusuke following close behind.

* * *

Makoto continued to follow Joe until they reached back into town. At this point, Joe had quite enough.

"You need to stop following me," he said. "How long do you intend to keep this up?"

"I'm just afraid that someone else is gonna come after you," said Makoto. "So I figured I'd be your bodyguard."

"And just why would you think anyone would be after me?" Joe asked crossly.

"Maybe because you won too much of that crane game," smiled Makoto. "Maybe the folks at the game center hired someone to hunt you down and kill ya!"

Joe then smiled. "No way... I doubt that much," he said.

Makoto then grew a little shy seeing Joe smile. "So... you think that you could teach me some tricks on winning a crane game?"

"You could never do it," scoffed Joe. "It takes-"

Then Joe felt a sharp pain run through his chest causing him to clutch it and wince. Makoto grew worried.

"What's the matter, Joe?" she asked. "Are you OK?"

Joe didn't answer. He staggered until he walked through the door to a cafe close by. Makoto was about to follow him inside, but Joe looked back, stopping her.

"I'd like to drink my coffee alone," he spoke as the door closed behind him.

Then Usagi and Harusuke appeared along with Luna who happened to have heard and seen everything.

"Well he's certainly got an attitude," grumped Usagi. "Talk about unfriendly."

"Makoto, I gotta ask you, why are you bothering with that guy anyway?" asked Harusuke. "I mean he hasn't exactly been nice to you."

Makoto then blushed. "Well, that may be so, but that's what I like about him," she said. "You see... he reminds me of the guy that broke my heart."

Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna looked at the tall girl in surprised as she gazed at Joe through the window in the cafe lovingly.

"Now that is the face of a girl in love," whispered Usagi to Harusuke.

"If you say so," said Harusuke. "Although I am wondering why love makes girls act so dopey." He then spoke to Makoto. "So... I take to you're going to stay here and keep an eye on Joe? If that's the case, then we'll stay here with you."

"You really don't have to," said Makoto. "I'll be OK by myself."

"It's no trouble at all," said Usagi. "What are friends for?"

Then the three noticed Joe who was looking directly at them. He then motioned towards Mako inviting her inside to sit by him. Makoto was nervous while Usagi was excited.

"He wants you to go inside, Mako!" she said excitedly. "Go for it!"

"But... what'll I do?" murmured Makoto nervously. "I don't know if-"

"You gotta stop talking and get going!" insisted Usagi as she pulled Makoto by the arm. "Go on! There's no waiting when it comes to love! And good luck!"

Makoto protested, but Usagi kept on pushing until she was in the cafe. Harusuke could only sigh as he watched.

"Girls," he muttered. "Go fig."

Makoto then went over to Joe's table blushing up to her ears as she sat down in front of him. Joe took a few sips of his coffee that he ordered, then he placed his cup down.

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's just too annoying to see you standing outside watching me," he said. "Anyway, you wanted to know how I'm so good at the crane game right? Well, I'm good at it because I've got some supernatural power."

"Supernatural power?!"

"That's right. Ever since I was a kid, I've had this weird ability," explained Joe. "Here, I'll show you."

He then looked at a coast on the table beside him and hovered his hand over it. The coaster began to rattle and shake and then it began to levitate much to Makoto's surprise. Joe then closed his hand and coaster fell back to the table.

"You understand now? I've never met anyone else that can do that," smirked Joe proudly. "That's why I know you could never win that crane game."

Makoto picked up the coaster looking at it. "But... isn't that cheating though?" she wondered tentatively.

"Doesn't matter," Joe spoke. "I've got this ability and I'm putting it to good use."

Makoto wasn't sure, but she didn't say anything more. Then she heard a man's voice next to her.

"May I take your order?" the man asked.

"I'll have a large order of curry rice," began Makoto, but then she shook her head changing her mind. "No, wait! Never mind. Tea with milk!"

Then when she looked up, she froze and her eyes widened in shock. The man that she thought was a waiter was really Zoisite. She and Joe immediately jumped in surprise. And before they had a chance to react, Zoisite waved his hand sending a force of energy knocking Makoto and Joe to the ground turning over a chair. Usagi and the others saw what was going on.

"He's the one I sensed before!" said Luna. "He's from the Dark Kingdom!"

The three immediately headed for the entrance hoping to help Makoto, but the door opened, Joe was crawling on the floor scared out of his wits and leaving Makoto behind. Usagi and Harusuke scowled at him appalled by his behavior.

"Where do you think you're going?!" demanded Usagi. "Crawling away and leaving Mako behind?!"

"I don't care about her!" cried Joe. "She's the one that followed me!"

"How dare you say that?!" snapped Harusuke. "And you call yourself a man acting this way?!"

"She's not my responsibility!" Joe snapped back. "Besides, giant girls like that aren't my type!"

Now Harusuke was mad. "You jerk!" he yelled. "Why I oughta-!"

He was about to grab Joe by the collar, but Joe managed to slip away running as fast as his feet could carry him. Using his powers, Zoisite broke the window and leaped out of it chasing Joe in hot pursuit. Harusuke and Usagi then went over to Makoto making sure she wasn't hurt.

"Mako, are you alright?!" asked Usagi.

"Yeah. You're not hurt are you?" Harusuke wondered worriedly.

Makoto appeared to be OK, but she was hurt more emotionally rather than physically. She had heard everything Joe had said about her.

"That's the second time a guy I liked said that about me," she spoke bitterly. "I've had it!"

Her face was now filled with anger as she bolted out the door chasing Joe and Zoisite.

* * *

Joe was still running as fast as he could into the park. The sun had already set as it was now nightfall. Zoisite then appeared before him having finally caught up.

"Pl-please! Let me go!" begged Joe.

"There's no need to run away," Zoisite spoke calmly. "After all, you are one of us."

"One of you?" puzzled Joe fearfully. "What do you mean?"

Zoisite responded by summoning the Dark Crystal again making it emit the same frequency as it did before. Joe screamed in agony as he felt the waves again, this time there was no stopping him. At the very same time, Makoto arrived in time to see a hole open in Joe's chest and the red crystal that was inside was taken out and going to into Zoisite's hand.

"I'll be taking this Rainbow Crystal," he spoke.

"What did you do to him?!" demanded Makoto.

Zoisite then glared at her. "It's you. The girl who scarred my precious face!" he growled. "Well now, it's payback time! Arise Gamecen! Return to your former self and take this girl down!"

Joe was then enveloped by a bright light screaming in agony. At that moment, Usagi and Harusuke arrived and watched with horrified eyes as Joe was enveloped by a strange tornado. The tornado dispersed and what was once Joe wasn't Joe anymore. The being that stood in his face had a brown-red body, wore strange white armor on his left calf, right upper thigh, and shoulders. He also had a white helmet in his head with red markings on top of his head and beady red eyes.

"Oh no! Joe turned into a monster!" cried Usagi.

"Come on Usagi, we gotta help Makoto!" spoke Harusuke urgently.

"Both of you! Transform!" ordered Luna.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!" yelled Usagi.

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!" shouted Harusuke.

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Makoto stood bravely at Gamecen ready to protect herself with Zoisite smirking with glee when they all heard a pair of voices.

"Stop right there!"

"Yeah! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!"

Makoto looked behind her and immediately recognized the two heroes. "It's Sailor Moon and Solaris!" she cried.

Zoisite laughed not afraid. "I'm sorry, but you're a little too late, Sailor Moon and Solaris," he spoke.

"Just who are you?!" demanded Sailor Moon.

Zoisite then took off into the air. "Allow me to introduce myself," he spoke. "I'm a member of one of the Four Kings of Heaven of the Dark Kingdom. Call me Zoisite."

The moment Solaris heard that name, he suddenly remembered. Back to a night where he first saw him. His hands balled up into fists as he was now shaking with anger.

"It's you!" he yelled with rage. "You're the one who sent those monsters to kill Nephrite!"

"Oh, him? Oh yes. I remember that," Zoisite spoke coolly. "Killing him was quite something, wasn't it? Although, it is rather sad that you're mourning over such a weak and helpless creature like him."

"You bastard!" Solaris roared as he immediately took a giant leap gunning straight for Zoisite with his fist raised.

Zoisite calmly remained floating as Solaris drew closer and closer. "We'll have our time Solaris," he spoke. "But for now, I'll have Gamecen keep you and your friends entertained for a bit."

Then at the last moment, Zoisite disappeared making Solaris punch nothing but air as he landed on the ground.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

"He disappeared!" cried Sailor Moon.

Then the monster Zoisite addressed as Gamecen went on the attack. A white gauntlet appeared on his hand and he pushed a button on top of it making a spiked mallet appear. The mallet extended in his hand as he swung it down towards Sailor Moon, Makoro, and Luna. The three ran out of the way as the mallet slammed into the ground. Gamecen continued his assault slamming his hammer at Sailor Moon and the blonde superheroine dodged and jumped narrowly avoiding the mallet. Solaris immediately rushed to her aid jumping into the air with a flying kick. Gamecen saw the attack coming and grabbed Solaris' foot. He then threw Solaris with a great force causing the man to land right on top of Sailor Moon causing the girl to help in pain.

"Solaris... get off... you're heavy!" complained Sailor Moon.

"Sorry... Sailor Moon..." he groaned.

Gamecen seeing his chance raised his mallet about to strike, but then suddenly Makoto came to the rescue lifting Gamecen up above her head.

"Just what do you think you're doing to my heroes, you monster?!" she yelled. "Leave them alone!"

Then in the middle of her forehead, a glowing green symbol appeared as she threw Gamecen into the bushes with her great strength. Luna saw this and gasped.

"That symbol!" gasped Luna. "That means..."

The black cat jumped into the air doing her signature backflip leaving a trail of light. The light swirled around and a pen appeared. It was like Ami's and Rei's, but it was green. Luna quickly carried then pen over to Makoto. At the same time, Gamecen recovered and pressed the button on his gauntlet and his mallet was replaced with a large clamp. The clamp shot forward heading right toward Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"Look out!" yelled Makoto

But it was too late. The clamp clasped around Sailor Moon and Solaris squeezing them tightly.

"I... can't move...!" winced Sailor Moon.

"Me... either...!" groaned Solaris.

"Hang on you two!" cried Makoto. "I'm coming to help you!"

"Hold on a minute!" said a voice coming from behind her. "You can't help them the way you are now!"

Makoto looked down and she saw Luna with the green pen in front of her. She was surprised.

"L-luna?! You can talk?!" she exclaimed.

"There's no time to explain, Makoto," spoke Luna. "Listen and listen carefully. You are a Sailor Guardian just like Sailor Moon! In order for you to help her and Solaris, you must hold up the pen and shout: Jupiter Power Make Up! It's the only way to save them!"

Makoto took the pen in her hand and nodded in understanding. She then did as Luna asked and held up her pen.

"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Makoto_

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"No way!" exclaimed Sailor Moon. "Mako's a Guardian too?!"

Solaris' eyes went wide with wonder as well, but then he felt a sharp pain in his mind, beginning to have another vision once again. He saw that same white castle under the starry sky and he saw a young man kneeling before a young woman with long hair. He also saw that same young man leaping into the battle letting out a fierce cry, but now Solaris could see the young man's opponent. It was a sinister looking woman carrying a staff with an orb on it. She appeared to be powerful, but the young man wouldn't back down as he swung his sword. That was when the vision ended.

"Damn it... those visions again!" he thought. "Why am I getting these visions every time we get a new guardian?! Just what the heck is going on?!"

Gamecen pressed another button on his gauntlet summoning another clamp and shot it towards Sailor Jupiter. She jumped up dodging the blow and she crossed her arms with her pinkies and index fingers extended. On her tiara, a small lightning rod extended forth sparking with electricity. A lightning bolt came down and struck Sailor Jupiter's lightning rod charging the hero with power.

"Jupiter, my guardian planet!" she commanded. "Bring forth a storm! Summon the clouds and bring down your mighty thunder! JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

She extended her arms and shot a powerful blast of lightning at Gamecen. The attack hit Gamecen shocking him and breaking the clamps that held Sailor Moon and Solaris setting them free.

"Thanks for the assist, Sailor Jupiter!" called out Solaris.

"Alright! One more!" spoke Sailor Jupiter as she readied herself to attack again, but Luna then stopped her.

"No! Don't!" she yelled. "Gamecen may be a monster, but he still has Joe's human heart! That still makes him a human being!"

"Then how are we supposed to beat it?!" cried Solaris.

"Sailor Moon has to return the monster back into its original form!" explained Luna. "It's the only way!"

"But how?!" cried Sailor Moon. "I can't do that!"

Luna then jumped doing a backflip leaving a trail of light again. This time from the light, a strange wand appeared and landed in Sailor Moon's hands. It had a short pink handle with a yellow crescent moon in the end.

"What is this thing?" asked Sailor Moon.

"It's called the Moon Stick!" explained Luna. "Hold it up and shout: Moon Healing Escalation! It will return Joe back to normal!"

Sailor Moon did as Luna asked and held up her the Moon Stick as it began to emanate trail of glitter and dust as she waved it around in a circular motion.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Gamecen was enveloped by the dust and glitter as he began to glow in a bright light groaning in agony.

"REFRESH!"

Then Gamcen transformed back into Joe who fell to the ground unconscious.

"Wow... it really worked," murmured Solaris. "Joe's back to normal!"

Luna then turned to Sailor Moon and Jupiter. "Sailor Jupiter, you are now the fourth Sailor Guardian, Sailor Jupiter," she said. "As for you Sailor Moon, we now have five Guardians on our side. And now that we do, you will be the leader of the team to find the princess and protect her."

Sailor Moon gawked at the cat in surprise. "What?! Me?! The leader?!"

"Yes. The Moon Stick is proof that you're the leader," spoke Luna. "Make sure you use it well."

* * *

The next day, Usagi, Harusuke, Luna, and Makoto were at the Game Center. Makoto was furiously playing the Sailor V game due to what happened with Joe.

"Darn it, darn it, darn it! Come on!" she yelled as she blasted one enemy after another. "Who needs boys?!"

Then an enemy hit her taking her last life resulting in a game over. Still feeling upset, Makoto inserted one more coin while the Tsukino siblings and Luna looked on with worry. Just then, Motoki came up.

"Hey, Motoki! It's you!" Usagi spoke happily.

"Hey, Usagi. Hey Harusuke," he greeted. "Hey, I heard that Joe the Crane Game Troll was here yesterday. Wish I could have seen him."

"Trust me, you don't want to," spoke Harusuke flatly. "We had a chance to talk to him and well... let's just say he was not what we expected."

Motoki raised a brow in confusion and was just about to ask what Harusuke meant, but Usagi cut in.

"Hey Motoki, let us introduce you to a friend of ours, Makoto Kino," she said. "Makoto, this is Motoki. The friend of ours we were telling you about."

"Nice to meet you," smiled Motoki.

Makoto looked at Motoki and her eyes sparkled with wonder. "You're just exactly like my former love who broke my heart," she spoke dreamily.

Usagi and Harusuke gawked at the tall girl in surprise.

"Wait just a minute!" exclaimed Usagi. "You were just saying the exact same thing about Crane Joe yesterday!"

"Well, I just meant his voice," spoke Makoto.

The Tsukino twins fell over in surprise.

"Come on Mako," groaned Usagi.

"Man! This girl has more crushes than you do, Usagi!" groaned Harusuke.

"She's a strange one alright..." groaned Luna. "Just exactly what we need around here..."


	28. Chapter 27

_Mamoru found himself standing in a strange void dressed as Tuxedo Mask. He didn't know where he was or what was going on._

 _Then a strange castle slowly came into view. The castle that he had seen from his dreams before._

 _Above him on the balcony, there stood a lone girl with a white gown. The same woman from his dreams before._

 _"Please... Hurry and find the Silver Crystal," she begged._

 _"I don't understand!" Mamoru called out. "Tell me! Who are you?! And what is the Silver Crystal?!"_

 _"The Silver Crystal... Find the Silver Crystal and all will become clear." the mysterious woman said. "Find the Silver Crystal and all will become clear."_

* * *

Mamoru then woke up with a start. His body was sweating and he felt more scared and confused than he ever did before. He took a few deep breaths until he got his breathing in order and looked around. He could see that he was in his apartment with the window open and the curtains flapping in the gentle breeze. He then got out of his bed and then walked outside the balcony. It was still night with the full moon and stars shining above in the sky. The town of Juuban was also illuminated with lights from the main tower to the lampposts in the streets.

"That dream again..." he thought himself. "Why is it that it's showing up again?"

He leaned against the wall and sighed placing a hand on his face wiping the sweat off.

"Who is that princess?" he continued to think. "And... am I Tuxedo Mask?"

He thought back remembering what the princess had told him and this gave him an idea.

"The Silver Crystal," he spoke aloud as he looked back into the sky. "If I find it, maybe all of my questions will be answered."

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite was making his report to Queen Beryl after obtaining the first Rainbow Crystal.

"I see then. As it stands right now, we have obtained one of the rainbow crystals," she said. "Zoisite, what's your next move?"

"Well, the Dark Crystal has detected another Rainbow Crystal, my queen," said Zoisite. "The next Rainbow Crystal is inside this man."

He then threw out his hand and the crystal spun until it stood upright in the middle of the court. Then it began to glow brightly as it showed an image of the very person with the next Rainbow Crystal. It was a young man who had fair skin and wore black pastor clothes. His hair was smooth and brown and he also holding what appeared to be a bible and wore a gold-chained necklace with a silver cross.

Queen Beryl smiled feeling pleased. "Very good. Then I'll leave it to you," she said. "Make sure you retrieve it."

* * *

It was another school day at the Juban Public Middle School. Everything in class was going as usual, the students were paying attention to whatever Ms. Haruna was teaching them, but there were two people who weren't paying attention to her. Those two people were Usagi and Harusuke. Harusuke was staring out of the window looking depressed and zoned out while Usagi was staring at a particular desk that was empty. The empty desk belonged to Naru who hadn't been to school for quite some time. Usagi then began to think back to when she and the others saw Nephrite's final moments.

She couldn't help, but feel worried and sorry for the girl. "Naru didn't come to school again today," she thought. "I guess she's still in shock with what happened to Nephrite." She then looked at Harusuke who was still staring out of the window looking sad. "And I guess Harusuke's taking it pretty hard too... Then again... I can't blame them."

After a while, School had ended for the day, Usagi and Harusuke met up with Umino. Usagi wanted to speak to him about Naru while Harusuke walked beside them in silence.

"You're going to Naru's place?" asked Umino.

"That's right. I mean... she hasn't shown up in school in well over a week now," Usagi spoke sadly. "I guess she really hasn't gotten over everything yet. And she's not the only one."

"You mean it's something more serious than a cold?" wondered Umino.

Usagi then looked at Umino dubiously. "Are you kidding me? How can anyone be as dense as you?" she muttered.

Umino was still feeling puzzled, but Usagi shook her head.

"Never mind. Just try to cheer up Naru once we get to her place," she said.

"Whatever you say, Usagi," said Umino brightly. "You can count on me!"

Usagi sighed feeling annoyed, but she was feeling glad that Umino was willing to help. She then looked at Harusuke who was still keeping silent.

"And for that matter, Harusuke could use some cheering up too," she thought to herself.

* * *

Soon, the three came to Naru's place and were having iced tea in her room. Usagi and Umino sipped at their teas while Harusuke played with the straw in his cup. Naru, however, was sitting by the door of her balcony staring into the sky.

"Sorry to barge in here unannounced," apologized Usagi. "But we were wondering how you were doing, Naru."

"Yeah. I mean all this time, I thought that you were out with a cold or something," said Umino. "Or... did someone break your heart?"

Usagi then smacked Umino in the face with a powerful punch sending him slamming into the floor. "Don't go there, you idiot!" she whispered hotly. "Couldn't you have thought of anything else to say?!"

"Hey! What'd you go and do that for?!" groaned Umino as he held his nose.

"Just think of something else to talk about!" snapped Usagi whispering.

So Umino did. "Say uh... Naru. You wanna go get some chocolate parfaits somewhere?" he asked.

Usagi then slammed Umino's head to the floor grinding it with great hate. "I can't believe you, you idiot!" she growled. "You're such a-"

Then for the first time since they got here, Naru spoke. "Usagi, let's go hang out somewhere," she said as she looked at her friends. "Let's go out and get something to eat. Is that OK?"

Usagi was a bit surprised, but she agreed. "Sounds great," she said smiling.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikwa Shrine, Luna met up with Ami, Rei, and the recent newest member Makoto met up for an important meeting. Luna had just begun to explain the overwhelming power of the Silver Crystal.

"No way! You're saying that it has enough power to destroy the planet?" gasped Ami.

"That's right," said Luna. "If the Silver Crystal falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the end of all life as we know it!"

"Wow. That's a pretty scary thought," said Rei.

"So, where exactly is this Silver Crystal?" asked Makoto.

"Well, we're not really sure where it is," said Luna. "But I do know that it's been split into fragments. The Rainbow Crystals."

"Rainbow Crystals? You mean like the one that Joe had?" puzzled Ami.

"Correct," said Luna. "The Rainbow Crystals are pieces of the Silver Crystal. It was a long time ago, back when the fragments were the Silver Crystal itself. There was a group of monsters that served Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom known as the Seven Great Monsters. Someone sealed these monsters in the fragments of the Legendary Silver Crystal and once the monsters were sealed, they became good and descended down upon Earth reincarnated as humans so they could live peaceful lives. However, Zoisite is trying to extract the Rainbow Crystals from the seven people that were reincarnated and if he does and obtains all seven of the Rainbow Crystals, he will have the Silver Crystal and the reincarnated people will go back to being monsters once more. Thus our enemy will have the power to destroy our world."

The girls were stunned after Luna finished her story.

Makoto then smiled bravely. "Well, as long as you got me around, there's no way that these evildoer's plan succeed," she said.

"Damn it. That's exactly what I wanted to say," complained Rei enviously.

"But how do we find the people who have the Rainbow Crystals inside of them?" asked Ami.

"The Moon Stick I gave to Usagi reacts to their presence," said Luna. "As it stands, she's the only one who can locate them."

The girls then gasped as they stared at Luna in surprise.

"Luna, you have to be kidding," said Rei. "If that's the case, then I'm totally against letting Usagi have the stick. It'll be useless in her hands. If I know here, she'll probably try to use it like a hammer or something."

"Oh, come on Rei, that's ridiculous," said Ami. Then she paused before changing her mind. "Actually... she might do something like that."

"Oh come on! I have faith that Usagi could handle it!" protested Luna. "It's true that she has no sense of duty and can be unreliable, but that's why I want her to be the leader, so she can gain some confidence."

"Gain confidence?" puzzled Makoto.

"Yes. It's my belief that she's given responsibilities, she will rise to the challenge," said Luna. "Try to have some faith in her and accept her as your leader."

"Like that's ever gonna happen," scoffed Rei. "Say what you will, but I'm still opposed."

"Well... I'm willing to give Usagi a chance," said Ami.

Then Rei gave Ami a hard pinch on her ankle twisting the skin hard. Ami groaned as she felt pain shoot up her ankle.

"But... on the other hand, maybe we should see how it goes for a while..." she whimpered in agony.

Luna sighed. "I wish you'd guys would believe in her a little more."

"Well... that's hard to say," said Makoto. "I mean I haven't known her long enough to decide if she's fit or not. But I have been told by her brother that she's somewhat dependable"

"That's the way, Makoto!" smiled Luna her eyes twinkling. "If you get to know Usagi better, I'm sure you'd agree, Mako! Not to mention that I forgot about Harusuke!"

"He's only just saying that because Usagi's his sister," muttered Rei. "Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Usagi's personality was beginning to rub off on him."

Makoto then pulled out her communicator and pushed the button to contact Usagi. Soon enough, Usagi's face then popped up on the screen.

"Hey there!" Usagi greeted.

"Hey, Usagi. Me and the girls were in the middle of an important meeting, here," said Makoto. "Do you think that you could come by for a bit?"

"Oh, sorry, but I can't," apologized Usagi. "You caught me on my way to Yokohama with some friends. The three of us are going there to eat some yummy food! I'll talk to you later OK?"

Usagi's face then disappeared from the screen leaving Makoto astonished.

"You see? What did I tell you?" said Rei. "She has zero responsibility."

"Wh-what about Harusuke?" asked Luna not wanting to give up. "Surely he'll show that he can be responsible too."

Makoto then pressed on the communicator again. This time, she called Harusuke. Then, Harusuke's face popped up on the screen.

"Oh. Hey there Mako," he said. "What's up?"

"Hey, Harusuke. Me and the others are at the Hikawa Shrine," explained Makoto. "We were wondering if you could swing by for a bit."

"Sorry Mako, but now's not really a good time," said Harusuke. "For some reason, I got dragged to Yokohama with Usagi and the others and we were gonna go out. Besides, I... need some time to think for a bit. Maybe some other time."

And with that, Harusuke hung up leaving Makoto even more dumbfounded along with Rei and Ami and Luna in tears of despair.

"Oh man. It looks like Usagi's rubbing off on him after all," spoke Rei. "And I was just kidding."

* * *

In Yokohama, the place was bustling with people as they walked back and forth going about their daily lives. Among them outside of the big gates was Usagi, Umino, Harusuke, and Naru, but they weren't in a restaurant. Instead, they found themselves standing outside of a cemetery. Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru stared at the many graves that laid before them not saying a word. Umino, however, was feeling a bit confused and awkward about this.

"Um... you guys? How come you're all just standing there?" he asked. "You do realize that Yokohama is right over there, right? And you brought lots of money right, Usagi? Harusuke?"

Neither of the Tsukino siblings replied as they looked towards Naru who seemed to be sadder than ever seeing the graves.

"There are so many graves here..." she spoke quietly. "But there's no grave from Nephrite..."

Her eyes slowly began to fill with tears as she started to cry.

"Oh Naru please don't cry," said Harusuke. "It's OK."

Usagi felt sorry for Naru too, but then Umino came up trying to lighten the mood.

"You know what? Peking Duck sounds pretty good right now!" he said. "They say that there's nothing better than Peking Duck! I've always dreamed of eating Peking Duck since I was a child..."

Usagi then grabbed Umino by the throat squeezing tightly. "Or... maybe I'd like to cook you into a Peking Duck!" she hissed dangerously.

"I... just want to eat... it..." choked Umino as he struggled to breathe.

Harusuke sighed as Umino and Usagi went about their banter. Then he saw someone in the corner of his eye. There below walking around the cemetery was the pastor. The same pastor that Zoisite identified as a Rainbow Crystal holder. He then had an idea.

"Say Naru, we don't we go speak to that pastor down there?" he asked. "Maybe talking to him will help you."

Naru looked up at Harusuke and nodded. Then the two of them then quietly walked away from Usagi and Umino and heading to the pastor.

It wasn't long before Umino took notice of Harusuke and Naru mysteriously disappearing.

"Hey... Usagi? Where did Naru get to?" he asked his face still pale from the choking.

Usagi then turned around and saw that Naru and Harusuke were gone too. "What the...! Naru?! Harusuke?! Where'd they go?!" she cried. "Umino! Let's split up and look for them! They've got to be somewhere close by!"

Umino and Usagi then separated looking around hoping to see any sign of the two, but they were nowhere to be seen. Then suddenly, Usagi's handbag began to emit beeping sounds as a small light began to flash from inside.

"What... is that?" wondered Usagi.

Then Luna suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. "It's the Moon Stick!" she cried. "It's picking up a signal!"

"What the...! Luna, what're you doing here?!" yelped Usagi in surprise. "And how did you get here?!"

"Never mind that! Just take the stick out of your bad! Quickly!" urged Luna.

Usagi then dug into her bag and did so. Sure enough, the Moon Stick was emitting the noise with gem flashing brightly.

"That stick is telling you where one of the seven Rainbow Crystals are," explained Luna. "And based on the stick's reaction, there's one very close by!"

"Seven Rainbow Crystals?" puzzled Usagi. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain everything later," spoke Luna. "Right now, there's a chance that a monster might appear at the signal's source, so you need to call Mako on your communicator!"

"Hold on a minute, Mako's close by?" wondered Usagi. "How'd she get here? And what about Harusuke?!"

"Just hurry and call Mako!" snapped Luna. "We don't have time!"

Usagi then pulled out her communicator and then contacted Mako. Then she and Luna briefed her about the situation.

"So there's trouble over at the cemetery? I'll be there right away!" spoke Makoto.

After that using the Moon Stick as a tracker, Usagi and Luna raced into the cemetery in search of the Rainbow Crystal holder. As they ran, the light of the crystal grew stronger and stronger and beeped a lot faster.

"The signal's getting stronger! Hurry, Usagi!" said Luna.

"I know! I'm going!" said Usagi as she ran.

* * *

Naru and Harusuke were walking into the cemetery trying to find the pastor, so Naru would get help. Soon enough, they found the pastor who was praying over one of the graves. Naru looked over at Harusuke feeling a bit uncertain, but Harusuke nodded.

"Go on, Naru," he said. "It's OK."

Naru paused. Then she walked over to the paster just as he was finished praying. The pastor taking notice of Naru's presence smiled as she came up him.

"Why hello there, young lady," he said. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Please Pastor... I... I don't know what to do!" sobbed Naru. "I need you to tell me something. Someone very dear to me has died." She dug into her skirt pocket and pulled out a cloth bandage. The very same one that she made for Nephrite. "He... was living with so much pain in his heart... But I just couldn't save him from it... And now that he's gone forever... I'm left with nothing!"

She then fell to her knees and began to cry once again. Harusuke could feel his eyes filling with tears too seeing Naru cry, but he quickly wiped them away not wanting to be seen crying.

The pastor then went over to Naru and spoke kindly to her. "Your feelings for your loved one are admirable," he said. "I am certain that his soul has been saved and is at peace."

"Really?" sniffled Naru.

"Yes. And I don't think it's true when you said that you have nothing," went on the pastor. "Even now, you're surrounded with love. All you need to do is turn around and love will be there for you."

"Turn around," puzzled Naru.

She then turned around to find Harusuke standing there, but she wasn't looking at him. Someone else had arrived and as Harusuke turned around as well, he soon found out who it was. A certain general from the Dark Kingdom.

As soon as he saw him, Harusuke jumped taking a step back. "No! It's Zoisite!" he thought as he clenched his hands into fists.

Harusuke wasn't the only one to recognized Zoisite. Naru did too. And when she did, she glared at Zoisite in anger.

"It's you!" she cried. "You're that guy who attacked me and Nephrite!"

"Well, well. What do we have here?" smirked Zoisite. "What a coincidence running into you here."

"And just who are you?" demanded the pastor.

Zoisite looked at the pastor. "Wouldn't you like to know more about yourself rather than a stranger?" he asked coolly.

"I'm just a simple pastor," replied the pastor.

Zoisite then chuckled as he then pulled out the Dark Crystal from his pocket. "Is that what you think? Why don't we let this Dark Crystal show who you really are?"

Naru took one look at the Dark Crystal in Nephrite's hand and recognized it. "That crystal belongs to Nephrite!" she yelled. "Stop using it for evil!"

She then lunged at Zoisite wanting to take the crystal from him, but Zoisite kept her at an arm's length preventing her. Harusuke then leaped into the fray with a fist aimed for Zoisite.

"Take this you monster!" he yelled.

He then swung using all of his strength, but Zoisite was able to dodge the incoming blow with ease. At the very same time, Usagi arrived on the scene along with Luna and saw the commotion.

"Oh no! It's Harusuke and Naru!" cried Usagi. "They're both in trouble!"

"Hold on Usagi!" said Luna. "You should wait till Mako get here! And for that matter, wait till Harusuke transforms too!"

But Usagi was not having it. "I can't wait! Naru and Harusuke are in danger!"

She then let loose her five magic words. "MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Naru was still struggling trying to take the Dark Crystal from Zoisite, but Zoisite pushed her away knocking her down. Harusuke came towards him trying to punch him, but Zoisite dodged and then knocked him away too with a force of energy from his hand sending Harusuke flying to one of the gravestones hitting it hard. He was more stunned than he was hurt.

"This violence must stop!" spoke the pastor firmly. "Cease at once!"

Zoisite wasn't intimidated. "How very compassionate of you," he said. "But you should be more concerned about yourself."

He was about to try again in using the Dark Crystal when a certain female voice stopped him.

"Hold it right there!"

Everyone turned and there standing on top of a monument on a cross was Sailor Moon.

"Zoisite! You dare to try to commit evil on sacred ground?! You won't get away with it!" she spoke. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Zoisite was annoyed upon seeing Sailor Moon, but he kept his cool. "Sailor Moon looks like you came after all," he said. "But I'm afraid you arrived all too late! I'll be taking that Rainbow Crystal now!"

Then before anyone could react, Zoisite threw out his hand activating the Dark Crystal's power and shot a beam of light right into the pastor's chest. From his chest, a crystal appeared. It was the exact same thing as Joe had before, but this crystal was orange.

"Yes! I can see it!" shrieked Zoisite with triumph. "Now come forth, Rainbow Crystal!"

"No! Pastor!" cried Naru.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Harusuke.

But it was too late. The pastor was engulfed by a swirl of purple clouds as he began to transform. At the very same time, the Rainbow Crystal that he had suddenly shot high into the air and disappeared into the cemetery. Zoisite immediately flew up and looked around trying to find the Rainbow Crystal, but he couldn't see it anywhere.

"Where did it go?!" he growled frantically. "Where's that Rainbow Crystal?!"

At the very same time, the clouds that once covered the Pastor dissipated and Naru and Harusuke could see the outline of his body.

Naru felt relieved. "Pastor... you're safe," she said.

But unfortunately, Naru was wrong. It was the pastor, but he had now become a sickly green color in skin tone and had pointed ears and red eyes. His feet had turned into talons and he also now had a large pair of orange feathered wings like a bird. He also wore a pair of blue shorts with red stripes on the sides and had a wrestling bell of sorts for a belt buckle and wore a pair of red boxing gloves on his hands and even had some headgear matching in color.

"You're wrong about that," he newly reborn monster said. "I'm not a pastor. I have been reborn as the monster known as... Boxii! I can hear the roar of the crowd as the fans cheer me on. I... am the champion!"

"Boxii! Do me a favor and knock out Sailor Moon and these humans!" called out Zoisite. "Make sure you destroy them, while I search for the Rainbow Crystal!"

"Hold on a minute!" squeaked Sailor Moon. "I don't know anything about boxing!"

Boxii was now excited. "Alright then! Put up your dukes Sailor Moon!" he said. "Let's fight and find out who the real champion is!"

"But I told you, I don't know how to box!" wailed Sailor Moon.

"Either this monster's really into boxing or he's just really stupid," muttered Harusuke.

The bell on Boxii's belts gave a single ding and then Boxii dashed straight at Sailor Moon with his poised and ready. He threw his fist and the boxing glove shot out like a rocket.

"LOVELY PUNCH!"

Sailor Moon immediately jumped out of the way as the glove bashed into the monument behind her reducing it to nothing but rubble. Then another glove reappeared on Boxii's as he smiled evilly.

"I am... the king of kings," he spoke.

"Oh man! Maybe I should have waited for Mako and Harusuke!" she cried.

"This sucks! I have to help Sailor Moon!" Harusuke thought to himself. "But I can't transform with all these people around! I need some kind of distraction!"

Just then Naru stood in front of him. "Please! Stop this Boxii!" she begged. "I'm begging you, please go back to being the kind pastor that I know!"

"Naru! Run away!" yelled Harusuke. "This monster isn't someone you can reason with!"

But it was too late. Boxii took one look at Naru and aimed with his glove.

"I have heard enough of your yapping!" he yelled. "Now die!"

He then fired another one of his boxing gloves and made it shoot straight at Naru. Then just when it seemed that it was all over for Naru, an unlikely hero came running from out of nowhere and tackled Naru out of the way making the glove miss her just in time. Usagi and Harusuke couldn't believe their eyes for that unlikely hero turned out to be Umino.

"I... I don't believe it," murmured Sailor Moon. "Umino just saved Naru!"

"Incredible..." spoke Harusuke. "I didn't know he had it in him."

But their surprise was short lived as Boxii went on the attack again shooting another boxing glove from his hand.

"Look out, Sailor Moon!" yelled Luna.

Sailor Moon looked in time to see the boxing glove right in front of her. The boxing glove hit its mark causing a huge explosion or so it appeared. Right then, another hero arrived picking up Sailor Moon in his arms and got her out of the way just in time. It was Tuxedo Mask.

"Thank you, Tuxedo Mask," gushed Sailor Moon.

"Boxers are gentlemen!" Tuxedo Mask spoke to Boxii. "They never hit beautiful young ladies!"

Zoisite who was watching was now furious. "Boxii! Knock out that pathetic nuisance this instant!" he commanded.

Boxii did as he was commanded and fired another Lovely Punch at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask still carrying Sailor Moon jumped up dodging the attack and then set Sailor Moon on the ground. Then he redirected his attention to Boxii and then jumped up into the air. Boxii seeing this as an opening unleashed a barrage of punch attacks, but Tuxedo Mask deflected them all with ease with a spin of his baton. As Sailor Moon watched on with wonder, she saw something lying on the ground next to her. It was a strange object in the shape of a star with a small chain on it.

"What is this?" she wondered.

At that time, Harusuke saw his chance as an opening. "Umino! Naru! You both have to get out of here and get somewhere safe!" he yelled.

Naru and Umino did so and took off running getting as far from the area as possible. Harusuke then looked up making sure that Zoisite wasn't watching and then took off running into the bushes to another part of the cemetery. Then he saw someone running towards him. It was Makoto running as fast as her legs could carry her to help her comrades. Luna also appeared.

"Harusuke! Makoto! Transform! Hurry!" she cried.

Harusuke and Makoto then sprang into action.

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
_

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of rose earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"Sailor Jupiter! Solaris!" cried Sailor Moon feeling relieved.

"Ah! Another challenger!" said Boxii as he charged right at them. "Fight me!"

"You take care of Boxii. I'll take care of Zoisite!" said Solaris as he leaped into the air straight towards the man in question. "Hey! Zoisite! Remember me?!"

Zoisite let out a surprised yelp and Solaris tackled into him and sent himself along with him falling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Sailor Jupiter saw Boxii coming for her and crossed her arms with her pinkies and index fingers pointed and her lightning rod in her tiara at the ready as she prepared to attack.

"Jupiter, my guardian planet," she said. "Bring forth a storm! Summon the clouds! And bring down your mighty thunder! JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

The lightning rod in her tiara sparked with power as Sailor Jupiter threw out her arms unleashing her attack. The lightning shocked Boxii making him roar in agony as his boxing gloves were destroyed. He then slumped over seeming to be stunned by the attack.

"Now Sailor Moon!" yelled Sailor Jupiter. "Here's your chance!"

"Right!" acknowledged Sailor Moon as she took out her Moon Stick. "MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

She waved her Moon Stick making it let out a trail of sparkling glitter and dust. The dust and glitter swirled around Boxii making him squirm in agony as he began to glow in a bright light.

"REFRESH!"

Then Boxii transformed back into the pastor. Only this time, his clothes were now a pure white color.

"Do you believe in God? I believe in Him," he said. "Go forth and love your fellow man!"

Zoisite and Solaris who were continuing their fight couldn't help, but stop and see the pastor. Zoisite growled in annoyance seeing this and he took off into the air.

"Hey! Get back here!" yelled Solaris. "I wasn't finished with you!"

Zoisite didn't listen. Then he saw even more bad news for him. There on the ground was Tuxedo Mask and he was holding the orange Rainbow Crystal in his hand smirking with triumph.

"No! He's got the Crystal!" he gasped.

"Sorry, but I'll be taking this Rainbow Crystal," said Tuxedo Mask. "Farewell!" And he raced away.

Zoisite clenched his hands seething in anger. "I promise you Tuxedo Mask, I'll get it back someday!" he hissed. "Count on it!"

And with a flurry of petals, Zoisite was gone.

"Damn it! Zoisite got away!" cursed Solaris. "We've got to go after him!"

"Never mind him!" snapped Luna. "Tuxedo Mask is getting away with the Rainbow Crystal! Sailor Moon, stop him!"

Sailor Moon wasn't listening. She was still in a girly mood after being saved from the masked man.

"Tuxedo Mask... he saved me again..." she sighed dreamily.

Luna and Harusuke could only stare at the girl and sigh face-palming their faces.

* * *

At the harbor near Chinatown, Tuxedo Mask gazed into the Rainbow Crystal that he now had in his possession. The orange crystal began to glow in a bright light as Tuxedo Mask transformed back into Mamoru.

"I finally get it now. At last, I finally understand who I really am," he said. "I really am Tuxedo Mask."

* * *

Back at the cemetery, Usagi, Naru, and Umino were sitting on the bench. Umino had apparently damaged his arm during the fight and Naru was bandaging his arm with the cloth that she used to bandage Nephrite.

"There we go. It should be fine now," said Naru.

"Thank you very much Naru," said Umino blushing.

"Naru... are you sure about this?" asked Usagi. "I mean that's..."

"I know, but it's fine," said Naru. "Umino did get hurt trying to save me back there. And... I owe you an apology Usagi for making you worry. Starting tomorrow, I'll be coming to school."

Usagi smiled seeing that her friend was all better and getting over her grief. She then dug into her pocket and pulled out the locket she had found during the battle. As she opened it, it began to play a beautiful melody. Naru and Umino couldn't help but notice it.

"That music... it sounds so nice," said Naru. "Where is that from, Usagi?"

"Oh... you know..." replied Usagi as she grew emersed with the locket's music.

Not too far away, Makoto and Luna were there watching Usagi from afar.

"I'm really sorry Makoto," apologized Luna. "I was hoping you'd see Usagi's good side, but it was nothing more but a waste of your time."

"Well, one thing's for sure," said Makoto. "She sure cares a lot about her friends and family."

"Yeah. You're right," smiled Luna. Then she took notice of something. Someone wasn't with them.

"Say, where's Harusuke?" asked Luna.

"I think that he was taking a walk around the cemetery for some reason," said Makoto. "Although I'm not sure why."

* * *

At the cemetery, Harusuke was walking around by himself seeming to still be glum. Naru may have gotten over Nephrite's death somewhat, but he, on the other hand, was still feeling the grief from it. He could still hear the words of what Naru said before.

 _There are so many graves here... But there's no grave from Nephrite..._

Because of those words, Harusuke couldn't help but feel that what happened to Nephrite was his fault.

"If only that I had been more aware," he said to himself. "If I had been more aware of what was going on... Nephrite wouldn't be dead and he'd still be alive."

"Oh. You're the boy that was with that girl earlier," said a voice. "What brings you here?"

Harusuke jumped and turned to see the pastor standing before him smiling kindly. Harusuke then shook his head trying his best to smile.

"Don't worry sir," he said. "I'm... just needed to take a walk is all."

"Are you sure about that?" asked the pastor. "Because I can see that you're in turmoil about something. If you want to talk, I'm here and will listen."

Harusuke paused not sure if he should, but then he gave in and decided to talk.

"OK. It's like this sir," he said. "You see... I lost someone to me too. He... died and I feel like that it's my fault. I mean... if it wasn't for me, he would still be alive and..."

The pastor then gently placed a hand on Harusuke's shoulder. "Now, now. There's no need to blame yourself," spoke the pastor. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. We humans find it easy to blame ourselves for even things that aren't our fault, but the most important thing is to try to move on from the pain. Does that make sense?"

Harusuke looked at the pastor and felt a tad bit better. "Well... I guess so," he said. "Thank you, Pastor. I feel a little better."

"I'm glad," smiled the Pastor. "Now I would suggest you get going. It's getting late and you should be getting home."

"You're right," Harusuke nodded. "I'll get going. Bye Pastor."

And then Harusuke left. As he left, he couldn't help but think about Nephrite again. Not only that, but he also began to think about Zoisite. The mere thought of him made him angry.

"I swear... I will avenge you Nephrite," he thought. "I don't care how strong Zoisite is, but I will avenge you. Count on it!"


	29. Chapter 28

In the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite and Kunzite stood before Queen Beryl once more discussing their next plan of attack and obtaining the next Rainbow Crystal.

"There are a total of seven Rainbow Crystals and we will not able to obtain the Silver Crystal unless we gather all seven of them," said Queen Beryl grimly. "As I'm sure you're both well aware."

"Yes, my queen," acknowledged Kunzite and Zoisite.

"As it stands right now, we only have one in our possession," went on Beryl now looking at Zoisite a bit crossly. "We would have been able to have two, but you allowed Tuxedo Mask to get away with one, Zoisite."

"Please accept my deepest apologies, Queen Beryl," apologized Zoisite.

"There's no cause to be worried," soothed Kunzite. "I'm sure that it won't happen again as he goes after the other Rainbow Crystals. The next time that he appears to help the Guardians, we will destroy him and reclaim the Rainbow Crystal that he possesses."

"That better happen soon," said the evil queen clenching her hand into a fist. "And don't forget, I want the other five Rainbow Crystals as well. We need all seven of them to revive our Great Ruler."

"Speaking of which, I've noticed that one particular guardian seems to have a grudge against you, Zoisite," said Kunzite. "Solaris, I think his name was. Do you have any particular reason why?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Zoisite. "I'm not really sure why myself."

"It doesn't matter what grudge he has," snapped Queen Beryl. "Don't let anyone stand in your way. Not Tuxedo Mask nor the Guardians!"

* * *

It was another day in the town of Juuban. Ami was walking on her way to school burying her face in a book, studying. As she was walking past a building site, a young boy came running up behind her. He was about Ami's age if not a year younger had short brown hair and had brown eyes to match. He was one of Ami's classmates known as Ryo Urawa.

"Miss Mizuno!" the boy called. "Please wait!"

Ami then stopped reading and walking and turned her attention towards Ryo. "Oh, good morning Ryo," she greeted with a smile.

"Um... yeah. Good morning to you too," spoke Ryo now being a bit shy. "Umm... well... you see..."

He seemed to be wanting to tell Ami something, but he just couldn't find the right words for it. Ami smiled waiting patiently for Ryo to say what he wanted. Then Ryo happened to look up to the building site where the builders were using a crane to lift a large iron girder. As soon as he saw it, he said nothing more.

"What is it Ryo?" Ami asked. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Then there was trouble. As the iron girder was being lifted, the rope being used by the winch wasn't able to hold it properly. It suddenly began to slip until it fell out of its loop completely.

"Oh no!" a worker cried. "Look out!"

Ami heard the warning. She turned back in time to see the iron girder falling straight towards her. The iron girder fell right on top of a worker's car demolishing it with a mighty crash. Then it fell right onto the ground with a boom just in front of Ami. Ami stood there completely frozen in shock, her heart beating like a jackhammer. She could not believe that had almost just happened to her. If she was standing a few steps further, then she would have died being crushed by the girder.

Two of the workers then rushed up to her.

"Hey, are you alright?!"

"You're not hurt are you?!"

"No. I'm fine," said Ami. "But that was a close one."

Ami then remembered Ryo making her recover from her shock. She turned around wanting to be sure that her friend was alright, but to her surprise, there was no one behind her. Ryo had mysteriously disappeared.

* * *

At Juuban Middle, everyone was checking out their results from the recent midterm test results. Some of the students were happy with what results they got while others were not so happy due to doing poorly. One certain blonde, in particular, was not exactly happy with where she stood on the rankings was she, her brother, and Makoto were checking out their scores.

"Aww man... I got two hundred and third place," Usagi moaned miserably. "Mom's gonna be mad at me again."

"Well, she should be," chuckled Makoto. "That's one awful score you got there. You should study more."

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Makoto," said Usagi cheekily. "You didn't really do that well yourself you know."

On the board, two ranks ahead of Usagi's score was Makoto's She was in two hundred and first place. The sight alone made Makoto's face pale a little.

"Well, maybe if you two had studied, both your scores wouldn't be so low," spoke Harusuke. "I mean you had plenty of time to study."

"Oh yeah? Where's your score then, Harusuke?" asked Makoto huffily.

Harusuke then pointed to the other end of the results. Usagi and Makoto looked through the scores trying to find Harusuke's name. Then their eyes widened in shock. There on the board in twentieth place on the results was Harusuke's name. The two girls then looked at each other and let out depressed sighs.

"This really blows," they moaned.

Harusuke could only shake his head and shrug. Then the three heard the other students talking about the results.

"I wonder who this Ryo Urawa is?" wondered a boy. "He got a perfect score!"

"You're kidding!" said another. "He must be some kind of super genius!"

Feeling curious, Usagi, Makoto, and Harusuke took a look at the end of the results which showed the top score. Sure enough, there was Ryo Urawa's name showing that he was in first place. But that wasn't the only name they saw. Just below his name in second place much to their surprise was none other than Ami.

"No way! Ami came in second?!" exclaimed Usagi.

"I know," said Harusuke. "Usually it's Ami that's always got the top score."

"I guess there's always someone better," commented Makoto.

Just then, Ami came walking by catching the three's attention. The three then came up to her.

"Hey Ami!" said Usagi. "What a bummer, huh?"

"Yeah. I was thinking that you'd get a perfect score like always," said Harusuke.

"Yeah, I know. I was one point short of a perfect score," said Ami. "I guess I didn't study enough. Next time, I'll study even harder."

"That's the only thing you can do," said Harusuke. "Don't worry. You'll get it next time. I'm sure gonna be studying hard too."

"Wow... those two are way above me," Usagi thought to herself.

"By the way, Ami, that Ryo Urawa guy who got the perfect score. Isn't he in the same class as you?" asked Makoto.

"That's right," said Ami now seeming excited. "What's even more amazing is that he just transferred here too."

"You're kidding," said Harusuke with amazement. "He's a transfer student and he's a genius to boot? Just when you think we have enough transfer student geniuses around here."

Just then, the very boy that they were talking about happened to be walking by.

"Oh! Hi Ryo!" said Ami cheerfully.

Ryo jumped a little and his cheeks blushed bright pink upon hearing and seeing Ami. "Oh! Um... hi, Miss Mizuno," he said shyly.

He then ran off down the hallway until he was out of sight. Usagi and Harusuke watched him leave feeling a bit confused by Ryo's behavior. Then Usagi gasped and then smiled mischievously as she understood.

"I see what's going on here," she said.

"Usagi... what are you plotting?" asked Harusuke suspicious. "I know that look. You're thinking of something regarding Ryo's behavior aren't you?"

Usagi then looked at her brother still smirking. "If you know, then come with me!" she called.

Before Harusuke could answer, Usagi grabbed him by the shoulder and then ran towards the direction Ryo ran dragging her brother with her.

* * *

A little bit later, Ryo was standing by himself on top of the school lost in his own thoughts. He was reading a particular newspaper clip that he had been keeping with him. It had a picture of Ami on it smiling proudly as he held up a degree with a headline that read: SUMMER MOCK EXAMINATION RESULTS AMI MIZUNO (JUUBAN DISTRICT) NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION.

Ryo sighed as he looked up towards the sky recalling a memory of him and Ami on a particular day.

* * *

 _It was in the middle of class during the midterm exams. Ryo was sitting next to Ami trying to do his best to finish the exam, but he was feeling very nervous and even a little frustrated. Then he saw a particular answer he had written was wrong. He furiously tried to erase it with his eraser, but in his haste made the eraser slip from his hands. The eraser bounced across the desk until it bounced against Ami's hand and came to a stop._

 _Ami then noticed then erased and handed it to Ryo. "Here you go," she whispered. "You should try to relax a little more and not get so upset."_

 _Ryo's cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink as he took back the eraser. "Th-thank you," he stammered shyly._

 _Ami smiled kindly. "Anytime," she said. "Good luck."_

* * *

Ever since then, Ryo had developed a bit of a crush on Ami for her kindness and her high intelligence. He desperately wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn't know how to approach her.

"Oh, Mizuno," he sighed wistfully.

"Just as I suspected!" cried a voice beside him with glee. "You do have a crush on Ami!"

Ryo jumped almost dropping his newspaper clip. He looked beside him to see that Usagi and Harusuke had suddenly appeared next to him.

"M-miss and Mister Tsukino!" he stammered.

Harusuke then took a look at the newspaper clip. "Hey, that's the article about Ami back when she took first place in the nation," he said. "That came out quite some time ago."

"And by the looks of it, he's had it for quite some time," smirked Usagi in a teasing tone. "You've had a crush on Ami forever haven't you, Ryo~?"

"Well... it's not like that at all," denied Ryo. "All I'm trying to do is to study as hard as I can so that eventually, I can be as smart as she is."

"And here you are surpassing Ami with all that hard studying," Usagi continued teasingly nudging his shoulder. "Way to go."

"That's not true at all!" protested Ryo. "This time I just happened to get lucky, that's all. I don't even come close to her level of Miss Mizuno's intelligence. And what's more, how I might feel about her won't make a bit of difference."

He then looked towards the school grounds below and saw Ami playing with Makoto and the other girls with a ball looking a bit sad.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Ryo," said Harusuke. "I mean... it doesn't matter if you got a perfect score by luck. You still managed to beat Ami by one point. That definitely counts for something. Besides, you never know. Ami just might feel some things about you."

"Do you think so?" asked Ryo sounding hopeful a bit. "I don't know..."

There was a brief pause. Then Usagi spoke pounding her fist to her chest.

"Have no fear!" she spoke confidently. "I'm an expert when it comes to solving love problems!"

"Since when?" asked Harusuke skeptically. "You've never even had a boyfriend before."

Usagi glared at Harusuke then she refocused her attention at Ryo. "Just leave everything to me!" she said.

She then ran off about heading towards the exit of the building. Harusuke then ran after her.

"Hold on, Usagi!" he said. "Where do you think you're going?"

Then Ryo called out.

"Hold on Miss Tsukino!" he said. "There's something I should warn you about!"

Usagi and Harusuke then stopped and looked back towards Ryo.

"What is it?" asked Harusuke.

"You should be careful whenever you're near any water," spoke Ryo.

Usagi and Harusuke were puzzled.

"Water? What do you mean by that?" wondered Usagi.

Her answer came sooner than expected. Above then on the exit door was janitor just finishing up his work. He then threw his bucket spilling out all the contents inside. Water went all over Usagi making her soaked from head to toe. Harusuke was surprised while Ryo face-palmed himself.

"Oh man. I guess I should have mentioned it sooner," he said.

Usagi then burst into tears. "I'm soaking cold!" she wailed.

Harusuke then looked at Ryo. "How the heck did you know that?!" he asked. "It's like you knew this would happen."

"Oh... um... it was just a fluke," spoke Ryo.

Harusuke raised a brow in suspicion as Usagi continued to cry with the janitor apologizing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rei and Mamoru were going on another date together walking down the street in town with Rei hugged Mamoru's arm lovingly.

"So where should we go to next, Mamoru?" asked Rei sweetly. "I'll leave it up to you."

But Mamoru didn't hear her. He was busy deep in his own thoughts. He was thinking about remembering his past and the Silver Crystal.

"I'm starting to learn about my past, little by little," he thought. "But there are still so many things that I don't know. Guess the only way to pull it all together is to transform into Tuxedo Mask and find the Legendary Silver Crystal."

"Hey, Mamoru! I'm waiting!"

Rei's impatient voice then snapped Mamoru out of his thoughts causing the boy to stop walking.

"Oh. Sorry, Rei. Did you say something?" he asked.

Rei was now a bit worried. "Are you okay, Mamoru?" she asked. "You've been acting very strange lately. Has something happened?"

"No, it's nothing," reassured Mamoru. "Just the same stuff as always. Let's just get going."

"Alright then," smiled Rei now feeling better as she and Mamoru continued on with their date.

* * *

Not to far away at a cafe, Harusuke, Usagi, and Ryo along with Luna were at a table having some drinks as Ryo's way for an apology for what happened to Usagi. As they sipped away at their drinks, Usagi handed Ryo a small pink envelope.

"Here you go," she said. "This is for you. Go ahead and open it."

Ryo did so. Inside of it was a picture of Ami looking surprised as she was about to eat a burger of sorts. Harusuke and Ryo were surprised upon seeing this photo.

"Usagi, where the heck did you get this photo?" Harusuke asked. "I don't think I've ever seen this one before."

"Let's just say that I have my sources," said Usagi. "A master of love never reveals her secrets."

"And just exactly who is the master of love?" thought Harusuke to himself.

Ryo then smiled admiring the picture. "Can I really keep this?" he asked Usagi. "I mean is it OK?"

"Of course it is," smiled Usagi. "It's a lot better than a newspaper clipping. I especially like how silly she looks."

Unknown to the kids at the time, a beeping noise was heard coming from Usagi's bag. The only one who took notice of the sound was Luna. She peered into Usagi's and saw that the beeping sound was coming from the Moon Stick.

"The Moon Stick is reacting!" Luna thought to herself as she looked up at Ryo. "I wonder... could this boy be...?"

"In any case, I really love it," said Ryo. "Thanks for giving it to me, Miss Tsukino. I'll treasure it."

"Oh, there's no need to thank me," smiled Usagi. "But... I'm kinda curious about something. When are you going to tell Ami how you feel about her?"

"Actually, my mind was made up from the moment I found out I was transferring to the same school as Ami," Ryo said with a hint of determination. "That's when I decided that I would tell her how I felt when I measured up to her academically."

"Well then, that means you're good to go at any time," said Harusuke. "I mean you already have the academics part covered considering that you beat her by one point on the midterms."

"Well... I suppose that's true..." faltered Ryo.

Usagi then suddenly stood up. "In that case, here's the deal," she said excitedly. "Once Ami's finished with her cram school today, we'll get her and bring her to you!"

"Hey. What's with this "we" stuff?" complained Harusuke. "I never wanted any part of this scheme you cooked up."

"Oh come on, Harusuke. You're my brother. You're supposed to help in times like these," said Usagi brightly. "It's your obligation." She then turned back to Ryo. "Just wait here for us, OK?"

Then Usagi then raced off going straight out the door with Harusuke and Luna following close behind her.

"Usagi! Wait up!" Harusuke yelled. "Will you listen to me for two seconds?!"

Ryo watched as the Tsukino siblings left the cafe. He then looked back at the picture of Ami that was given to him. He was happy that he had a couple of friends that were willing to help him with his crush, but he was still feeling worried and it wasn't about telling Ami how he felt about her.

"Mizuno..." he murmured to himself. "What should I do? I'm not ready... not yet..."

Unbenknownst to Ryo, someone was watching him at the cafe in from the Dark Kingdom. That someone was Zoisite.

"How amusing," he chuckled darkly. "This boy's so innocent and naive, that it's almost hard to believe that he's another one of the Rainbow Crystal holders and one of the Seven Great Monsters." He then clenched the crystal that was showing him Ryo and grew determined. "I will not fail you this time, Queen Beryl," he thought to himself. "I will get that Rainbow Crystal and the one that Tuxedo Mask stole!"

* * *

Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were now outside the OK Cram School waiting for Ami to be done with her class for the day. As they waited, Luna was still feeling worried about the Moon Stick reacting to Ryo. Harusuke couldn't help but notice.

"Is something the matter Luna?" he asked. "You look a little worried."

"Well... actually there is," said Luna. "There's something that I've been meaning to tell you two, but I wanted to be sure before I said anything."

"What is it?" wondered Usagi.

But before Luna could answer, the door to the OK Cram School opened and the students came walking out with Ami among them. Usagi immediately forgot about Luna.

"Hey there, Ami!" Usagi greeted.

"Oh, hi, Usagi. Hi, Harusuke. Ami greeted back. "What brings you two here?"

"Well... me and Harusuke wanted to bring you to this awesome place we just found," explained Usagi. "So we wanted you to come with us for a bit."

"Just FYI, this is all her idea," said Harusuke flatly. "I have absolutely nothing to do with what she's got planned."

"What do you mean?" puzzled Ami.

"Just come on!" said Usagi eagerly. "You'll see when you get there."

And before Ami could say anything more, Usagi grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away with Harusuke following close behind and Luna still looking very worried.

* * *

Ryo was walking home to his house which was the Juuban District Corporate House. As he walked he began to feel a sense of dread as if he was expecting something. Sure enough, he heard the sound of laughter coming from above him causing him to stop and snap his head towards the source of the laughter. There above him was Zoisite sitting above the sign.

"Welcome home, Ryo," he purred darkly. "I've been dying to meet you."

"So you must be Zoisite," Ryo said. "You have to be."

Zoisite's smile vanished upon hearing his name come out of Ryo's mouth. He immediately jumped down from the sign and stood in front of Ryo glaring dangerously at him.

"Explain yourself!" he scowled. "How do you know my name?"

"Ever since I was little, I've had the power to see into the future," explained Ryo. "Lately this ability has been getting stronger and because of that I know now what my true identity is... even though I wish I didn't."

"Well, that makes my job a lot easier then," said Zoisite as he took out the Dark Crystal. "Now transform into your monster form and kneel before me."

"No! I won't!" yelled Ryo. "I would rather die than become a servant of a demon!"

Ryo then attacked attempting to punch Zoisite, but the dark general simply raised his hand and unleashed a force of power sending Ryo flying into the air and crashing on the ground flat on his back.

"Now then... be a good little boy and accept your fate," said Zoisite as the Dark Crystal began to glow in his hand releasing its light.

As Ryo was bathed by the crystal's glow, he began to feel pain throughout his body as he started to lose his sense of reason. He tried to get away and resisting, but he could feel that he was losing himself.

At that very same time, Usagi's group was just coming around the corner with a still eager Usagi still dragging Ami by the arm and Harusuke and Luna following her. Ami immediately saw them.

"Look! That's Zoisite!" she cried.

Harusuke and Usagi looked and they saw them too.

"Oh no! And it looks like he's attacking Ryo!" cried Usagi no longer eager.

"Then let's go help him!" said Harusuke.

"All of you transform! Immediately!" spoke Luna urgently.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Ryo struggled and struggled as he stood up trying to get away from Zoisite, but Zoisite released a force of power on the ground causing Ryo to fall back to the ground. At that moment, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Solaris burst onto the scene.

"That's enough, Zoisite!" said Sailor Moon. "As long as the moon shines in the night sky, no evil deed will go unpunished! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon!"

"And even though the night rolls on, the sun will always shine in the sky!" said Solaris. "I am Solaris the Sun Knight!"

"And I'm Sailor Mercury!" said the guardian of water. "Now let that boy go!"

Zoisite immediately clenched his hand on the Dark Crystal stopping its function. "How dare you three interfere?!" he hissed.

Sailor Moon and Solaris then stood bravely between Ryo and Zoisite while Sailor Mercury went over to Ryo to see if he was unharmed.

"Sailor Mercury! Take Ryo somewhere where he'll be safe!" said Sailor Moon.

"Leave Zoisite to us!" added Solaris.

"Right!" acknowledged Sailor Mercury

She then lifted Ryo to his feet with his arm over her shoulder and carried him to safety. Zoisite tried to go after them, but Sailor Moon and Solaris blocked his way.

"Where do you think you're going, Zoisite?" mocked Solaris. "Don't you wanna play with us?"

Zoisite clicked his tongue. "I don't have the time to be playing games with children," he scoffed.

He then flicked his hand up and before Solaris and Sailor Moon could react, a blizzard of petals blasted them from underneath blinding them. The petal soon died down and they could see again, but Zoisite was nowhere to be seen.

"Wait... Where'd he go?" wondered Sailor Moon as she looked around.

"I don't know, but we got to find him before he finds Mercury and Ryo," said Solaris. "Hopefully those two hadn't gone far."

"Try finding them with the Moon Stick," said Luna. "If you use the Moon Stick, you two should be able to find Ryo and Mercury. It'll react to the location it reacts to."

"What are you talking about, Luna?!" cried Sailor Moon indignantly. "You make it sound like Ryo's a Rainbow Crystal Monster for that stick to work!"

"That's because he is one," Luna said simply.

Sailor Moon and Solaris looked at the black cat in shock.

"Luna, are you sure?" asked Solaris.

"Yes. I am. That's what I've been trying to tell you two before," she said. "Now there's no time to waste! Sailor Mercury is going to be in danger!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris looked at each other and nodded. Then Sailor Moon took our her Moon Stick and then she along with Solaris and Luna took off beginning their search for Mercury and Ryo.

* * *

 _Ryo was holding his head in agony. He was trying to resist becoming his monster form, but he couldn't hold it back anymore. He then transformed. He became large, his hands became scissors, his eyes were red, his skin was green, and he wore some kind of strange silver armor on his upper body and legs reminiscent of what a gladiator would wear._

 _He then saw a person of who would become his first victim. That person was Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury's eyes widened in fear as the transformed Ryo leaped straight at her swiping her with his scissor hands. Mercury screamed in terror and agony as the monster ripped her to shreds._

* * *

Ryo eyes slowly opened as he woke up with a start. It didn't take him long to realize that he was having a vision of the future. As his vision came into view, he saw Sailor Mercury who was watching over him to see if he was alright. Ryo sat up looking around. Sailor Mercury had taken Ryo to the park which was far enough away from Zoisite's eyes where they could both be safe. Ryo was still feeling a bit unwell due to almost turning into a monster, but thankfully he was still OK.

"We should be safe for the time being," said Sailor Mercury. "How are you feeling, Ryo? It looks like you were having a bad dream."

"I'm... I'm alright," said Ryo. "Although, I should say that wasn't a dream. It was a glimpse into the future. In any case, thank you very much for saving me, Miss Mizuno."

Sailor Mercury felt her heart jump. "He knows my real name?!" she thought. "How does he know I'm Sailor Mercury?!"

Ryo then smiled sadly. "It's alright. I know it's you, Miss Mizuno," he said. "It's because I have a mysterious ability to predict the future. It's how I was able to get a perfect score on the midterm exam. Besides, I've always looked up to you for a long time now, but I guess... it is my fate to fight you. I know it seems a bit crazy, but..."

Sailor Mercury now sitting on the bench next to Ryo taking in his story. After listening to him, she couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so funny?" asked Ryo sounding a bit hurt. "You don't believe me at all do you?"

"I don't," replied Sailor Mercury kindly. "But not because of your powers. You seem so sure about what will happen in the future, but maybe you've got it wrong. Like mistaking me for Miss Mizuno for instance."

Ryo sighed. "I see... I'll leave at that," he conceded. "But... there is something I want you to do." He paused for a moment then looked at Sailor Mercury with determined eyes. "If and when I turn into a monster... I want you to kill me without any hesitation! That is my future and it cannot be changed."

Sailor Mercury was shocked at Ryo's request and she could see that he was serious. She then stood up.

"You're wrong, Urawa!" she said with slight indignance. "The future is something you create for yourself! If you give in to negative thought like that, nothing will change! You can create any fate you want if you just believe yourself enough to know that you can do it."

Ryo looked up at Sailor Mercury bewildered and hopeful by her words. "Do you really think so?" he asked.

Sailor Mercury smiled. "Of course I do," she said.

Ryo then stood up now feeling much better. "You're right," he said. "Thank you Miss Miz- I mean Sailor Mercury."

"Oh my. What a touching moment," said a voice. "But it's pointless. Do you honestly think that you can escape from the power of the Dark Crystal?"

Ryo and Sailor Mercury jumped upon hearing that voice. Sure enough, on the surface of the lake, Zoisite suddenly appeared.

"Zoisite!" cried Sailor Mercury as she bravely stood in front of Ryo protecting him.

"Aw. How cute. You're still defending him, eh Sailor Mercury," cooed Zoisite mockingly. "It makes me wonder if you'll still be willing to do that when you see him is his true form."

He made the Dark Crystal float from his hand and once more activated it. The frequency and glow from it shot out and bent behind Sailor Mercury and once more shined on Ryo. Ryo cried in agony as he was once more felt his reasoning slipping again.

Zoisite cackled in triumph. "Now watch closely, Sailor Mercury as you are about to see the emergence of Bumbo, one of the Seven Great Monsters!"

"No! Ryo!" cried Sailor Mercury as she rushed over to try and help.

But she was too late. Ryo was enveloped in red smoke as a yellow crystal shot out from it and into Zoisite's hand. At the very same time, Ryo transformed into the monster that he foresaw, the one called Bumbo. Bumbo roared and glared dangerously at Sailor Mercury pointing his scissor hands at her.

"Get her Bumbo!" crowed Zoisite. "I want you to crush that Sailor Guardian!"

"Ryo... is that you in there?" Sailor Mercury spoke worriedly. "Please... calm yourself!"

Bumbo stopped staring at Sailor Mercury. He may have been a monster now, but Ryo's mind was still somewhat intact. The monster then remembered what Sailor Mercury said to him about making his future his to create. Bumbo then charged forward, but instead of attacking Sailor Mercury, he went straight for Zoisite. Before the Dark General had a chance to react, Bumbo had tackled straight into him forcing him to drop the Rainbow Crystal making it fall into Sailor Mercury's hands.

Zoisite was shocked. "Impossible! He still has human emotions!" he exclaimed.

Then just before he and Bumbo hit the water, Zoisite teleported himself out of the way making Bumbo hit the water with a mighty splash. He then activated the Dark Crystal's power once more in an attempt to control the monster.

"Bumbo! You will obey me!" commanded Zoisite. "Your enemy is that Sailor Guardian, Mercury! Get her! And take back that Rainbow Crystal too!"

Bumbo grew larger in size and growled at Sailor Mercury towering over her. Sailor Mercury immediately took off running as Bumbo stepped out of the lake. Just then, Sailor Moon, Solaris, along with Luna came to her rescue having to have just seen what happened. Solaris shot straight at Bumbo and gave him a mighty kick causing Bumbo to stumble back a little, but still remained standing.

"You OK, Sailor Mercury?" asked Solaris.

"I'm fine, thank you," replied Sailor Mercury.

"Zoisite, you monster!" Sailor Moon spoke angrily. "What you did was unforgivable! How dare you corrupt an innocent boy's feelings for your own purposes! You're nothing, but a coward!"

Zoisite smirked. "You seem to have the wrong idea," he scoffed. "That boy's true form is the monster you see now."

This made Sailor Moon all the more angrier. "Unforgivable!" she shouted. "Absolutely unforgivable! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Hey! Sailor Moon!" called out Solaris. "I'm all for kicking Zoisite's butt, but there are more pressing matters to attend to!"

"He's right!" cried Sailor Mercury. "Please, use your Moon Stick to turn Ryo back to normal first!"

Sailor Moon looked and saw that Bumbo was closing in on her teammates. She immediately took out her Moon Stick and waved it making it unleash a trail of sparkling dust.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

The sparkling dust enveloped Bumbo making him groan in agony, but he didn't turn back. Bumbo was still Bumbo as he charged at the guardians once again forcing the three to run.

"I don't get it!" cried Sailor Moon. "Why isn't he turning back?!"

"It's no good! Ryo's completely under the control of Zoisite's evil power!" said Luna. "In order to turn him back, you're gonna have to try to weaken him first!"

Bumbo then went on the attack unleashing large triangular metal shrapenals from his mouth. The shrapenals shot past the Sailor Guardians piercing into a tree nearby. The first two hit the trunk, but the third cut a large branch off making it fall to the ground and in front of the Guardians' path.

"Oh, no! We're trapped!" cried Sailor Moon. "Now what?!"

"Guess we don't have a choice," said Solaris taking a stance. "We're gonna have to fight this thing!

But Sailor Mercury was worried. She didn't want to hurt Ryo in any way possible, but she also remembered what Ryo said to her about killing him without any hesitation. She then shook her head shaking those thoughts out of her mind.

"Don't worry, Ryo," she thought. "We'll return you to normal! I promise!"

Bumbo then aimed his scissors and fired them at the scissors turning them into projectiles.

"Incoming!" yelled Solaris.

Everyone immediately hit the dirt just as the first scissor projectile shot past them cutting the tree behind them with ease. The second one pierced the ground just in front of them making them scream in surprise. Bumbo then regenerated his scissor and fired again. Then...

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

A large ball of fire shot forth and a bolt of lightning came forth and knocking the projectiles out of the way. Then Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter appeared.

"That was close," said Sailor Jupiter. "We almost missed out on the action."

"Yeah, that's for sure," agreed Sailor Mars. "Sorry, we're a little late."

"Better late than never," smiled Solaris. "We're just glad you're both here."

Then Sailor Mercury unleashed her attack unleashing the flurry of bubbles creating a fog that spread throughout the area.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Bumbo looked around trying to see where his enemies were, but he couldn't see anything.

"Now Sailor Moon! Now Solaris!" Sailor Mercury cried. "Use your powers to save Ryo!"

"We're on it!" the two heroes said.

Sailor Moon then took off her tiara turning it into a white disc while Solaris clapped his hands together and created a ball of light aiming with his fist.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Sailor Moon threw her disc while Solaris punched his ball firing. The two attack then merged together creating a large golden disc. The golden disc shot into the fog and hit right in the middle of Bumbo's midsection. Bumbo roared in agony as the stumbled from the attack. As he was stunned, his body slowly shrunk into it wasn't as large as before.

"He's been weakened! Now's your chance Sailor Moon!" yelled Luna.

Sailor Moon once more took out her Moon Stick and blasted Bumbo with its sparkling dust.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

"REFRESH!"

This time it worked. Bumbo writhed in agony until finally, he transformed back into Ryo as he fell to the ground unconscious. Sailor Mercury immediately rushed to Ryo to be sure he was alright.

"Ryo! Are you alright?!" she asked gently lifting him up.

Ryo slowly opened his eyes and smiled. "You saved me again, Sailor Mercury... thank you."

From above, Zoisite was now livid. Now the Guardians had their hands on a Rainbow Crystal and he was sure that Queen Beryl would not be happy.

"I'll get you next time, you brat!" he hissed as he retreated back to the Dark Kingdom.

Not too far away, there was someone else who was watching the guardians from the shadows. It was Tuxedo Mask.

"So the third Rainbow Crystal is in the hands of the Guardians," he thought to himself smiling. "I shall leave them alone for tonight..."

And with a wave of his cape, he walked away disappearing into the night.

* * *

The next day, Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Harusuke, all met up with Ryo at the monorail station just as he was about to hop on the train.

"So you're transferring to another school again?" asked Makoto somewhat disappointed. "Why can't you just stay here?"

"Well... it wasn't exactly my idea," said Ryo sheepishly. "My dad got a work transfer, so it can't be helped."

"Aww man," pouted Usagi. "And we were becoming such good friends too. It's not fair."

"Now, now, Usagi. Like Ryo said, it can't be helped," soother Harusuke. "But still, it's not gonna be the same without you, Ryo. We'll miss you bud.

Ryo smiled. Then he looked at Ami. "Umm... Miss Mizuno..."

Ami smiled. "Ryo, just call me Ami, all right?"

Ryo then blushed as he dug into his chest pocket, taking out the picture of Ami that Usagi gave him.

"Ami... I... wanted to give this back to you," he said as he stepped into the car. "I'm gonna study hard and when I'm able to outscore you on my own, I'll come back for it."

Ami then handed Ryo another photo. It was a picture of her which was a lot less goofy and a lot more photogenic.

"Keep that one," smiled Ami. "I think this one is a better one for you to remember me by."

Ryo smiled widely and nodded. Then just as the doors were about to close, he then suddenly remembered.

"Hold on. Mr. Tsukino. There's something that I've been wanting to tell you before I go," he said.

"What is it?" asked Harusuke. "And please. Call me Harusuke."

Then Ryo spoke low just enough for Harusuke to hear him. "Be careful when you're around those girls excluding your sister," he whispered. "I have a feeling that they'll give you joy and at the same time bring some bad luck."

Harusuke then looked at Ryo curiously. "Wait... what do you mean by that?"

Ryo smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see," he said.

At that moment, the doors then shut and with a blare of the horn, the train was on its way. Ami then ran along the train waving goodbye until she reached the end of the platform.

"Goodbye Ryo," she thought to herself. "Don't get so hung up about grades. Come visit me anytime!"

And she waved until the train was out of sight.


	30. Chapter 29

In the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite had just returned to Queen Beryl after giving her a recent report of what had happened. Needless to say, that Queen Beryl may be keeping her face neutral, but she was very cross and disappointed.

"Of the seven Rainbow Crystals," she said. "Two of them are in the hands of the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask while we only possess one of them. And when it comes to our allies, the Seven Great Monsters, three of them have already been defeated and turned back into humans. Zoisite, I demand to know how you will take responsibility for this situation."

Zoisite quickly bowed apologetically kneeling before her as he held up the Dark Crystal in his hand. "Yes I do, my queen," he said. "Please allow me a little more time is all I ask." The Dark Crystal began to glow in his hand and it shined brightly as it revealed a young woman with long brunette hair in a braid, had blue eyes and wore glasses. "This young lady is our next target," he explained. "And I promise that I will obtain this Rainbow Crystal by whatever means necessary."

"See that you do," said Queen Beryl. "And should you fail, you know what will happen to you, don't you?"

A bead of sweat went down Zoisite's forehead. He certainly knew what Queen Beryl meant. However, he remained strong and understood.

"Yes, my queen," he said as he set off to fulfill his mission.

* * *

It was a beautiful autumn day in Juuban Park. The wind was blowing gently and the many colored leaves were falling to the ground. There were lots of couples there walking around admiring the scenery and also spending time with each other. However, there were two among them in that park sitting all by themselves with their black cat on a bench waiting.

"Yup... it's autumn alright," sighed Usagi. "Seems like there are folks in love everywhere..." She then began thinking about Tuxedo Mask which made her feel depressed a little more. "Oh, Tuxedo Mask, are you my friend or my enemy? Please tell me..."

"Well whatever he is, there's one thing we do know about him," said Luna. "And it's that he's after the Legendary Silver Crystal too, so that means we should consider him an enemy."

"As much as I hate to say it, but I might have to agree with you Luna," said Harusuke. "I mean the guy's saved us time and time again, but he also has one of the Rainbow Crystals, so we might gonna have to see him as an enemy."

"No! I don't want to!" whined Usagi. "Jeez! I don't know the real identity of the guy I'm in love with and then there's all those scary monsters that keep appearing. Usagi looked at Luna and Harusuke accusingly. "They keep popping up all the time! Why does this stuff always happen to us?!"

Harusuke and Luna could only stare blankly at Usagi unable to answer. Just then, Naru came running up to them.

"Sorry we're late, you guys!" she panted.

Usagi immediately brightened. "Naru!" she said. "So what was it you wanted to show us anyway?"

"You're just gonna have to wait and see," said Naru. "But trust me when I say, that you two'll love it. Come on!"

Usagi then immediately grabbed her backpack as she and Naru raced off. But as they took off, the Moon Stick suddenly fell out of Usagi's bag. Harusuke and Luna both let out screams of horror as it was about to drop into the pond. The boy immediately jumped skidding on the ground and managed to catch the Moon Stick before it fell into the water.

"Whew! That was way too close!" said Luna. "Good catch Harusuke!"

"I swear... that girl is too careless!" said Harusuke as he brushed the dirt off his clothes. "She not only forgotten her Moon Stick, but she almost ruined it too! Honestly!" He then gave the Moon Stick to Luna. "You better hold on to this Luna. I don't want Usagi losing this thing."

"OK," sighed Luna. "I swear... that girl..."

"I know," said Harusuke as he ran after Naru and Usagi trying to catch up to them.

* * *

Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke soon came to an art gallery exhibit with all the paintings done by someone named Yumemi Yumeno. There were paintings of beautiful landscapes, creatures and beasts, and even some portraits of people as well. Lots of people had come from all around town, all of which were couples, to admire the paintings. Usagi and Harusuke couldn't help, but be amazed.

"Wow! These paintings are incredible!" admired Harusuke.

"I know, right?!" agreed Naru. "And that's why Yumemi Yumeno's paintings are all the rage right now."

"That explains why it's so packed," said Usagi as she looked around. She then pouted jealously. "But... there's a lot of couples here."

Harusuke then looked around himself. "Yeah. You're right," he said. "I wonder why though?"

Just then, Umino suddenly appeared from behind a painting. "Perhaps, I can provide you with that answer!"

Usagi and Harusuke jumped.

"Umino, could you not do that, please?!" said Harusuke a tad annoyed. "You're gonna have people mistake you for a creeper!"

Umino ignored Harusuke and then explained. "The reason why these paintings are so popular with couples is that her paintings are known as the paintings of love," he said. "They say if you buy one of her paintings, your own wishes of love will be granted."

Usagi's eyes immediately became heart-shaped. "If that's the case, then I'm gonna buy a poster!"

Harusuke raised a brow. "Oh yeah? You and what money?" he spoke snarkily. "And don't say that I'll lend you some because I don't have any money myself. Besides, these paintings are pricey. Even if I had some, there's no way I could afford one."

Usagi groaned in disappointed while Naru and Umino smiled wryly. Then they came to a painting which was a young woman that was beautiful with long flowing golden hair with a pink bow and wore a beautiful white gown with pink ribbons.

"Hey! Check this out," said Naru. "This is one of Yumemi's self-portraits."

"Wow... she sure is beautiful," said Usagi. "She definitely looks like the kind of person who could draw fantasy art like this."

Harusuke squinted. "I don't know..." he said thoughtfully. "It seems a bit too abstract to me."

"Actually, no one really knows what she really looks like," said Umino. "It's always been a mystery because she's never ever shown her face to the public."

"Well then, maybe, in reality, she's super ugly then," said Usagi cheekily.

"No way! Did you really just say that?" giggled Naru. "You're so awful, Usagi!"

Usagi could only laugh.

At that same time, unbeknownst to Usagi and her group, a young woman was sneaking about the art gallery seeming to be looking for something. She was not only the woman that Zoisite targeted as a Rainbow Crystal holder, but she was also the real Yumemi Yumeno. And the reason for her skulking was because she was trying to find inspiration for her next painting. But sadly, she wasn't having much luck.

"It's no good. I can't think of anything," she sighed. "I can't paint without the right inspiration."

As she walked on, she happened to be walking by Usagi and her group. Yumemi stopped and couldn't help, but overhear them.

"There's something else too," said Naru. "I heard that Yumeno hasn't created any new paintings lately."

"Rumor has it that she's in a creative slump and has gone into hiding," said Umino.

"That sucks," said Usagi.

"I know. Poor thing," said Naru.

"Don't worry," said Harusuke. "I'm sure that she'll come up with something soon."

"But... I'm right here..." spoke Yumemi quietly.

Usagi's group continued to look around at the paintings until Usagi suddenly stopped looking a bit surprised as well as amazed.

"What is it, Usagi?" asked Harusuke.

"Look at this painting," spoke Usagi pointing.

The painting showed a couple dancing in the moonlight under a crescent moon. Harusuke saw this painting as well and not only couldn't help feel amazed by its beauty but for some reason felt that he had seen something like this before.

Usagi felt this too. "I don't know why," she said. "But... for some reason, I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"I know. Me too," said Harusuke. "But... where? And why?"

* * *

Outside of the art gallery, Mamoru Chiba was walking by going about his own way. Then he saw the picture that Usagi and Harusuke saw. He immediately stopped and looked at it. Upon gazing at the picture, he suddenly remembered his dreams of the mysterious girl from his dreams that was telling him to find the Silver Crystal.

"This painting..." he said to himself. "It... it reminds me of that dream I always have."

As Mamoru continued to gaze into the picture, the automatic doors opened and Yumemi walked out still searching for someone to be her inspiration. But she was so distracted that she wasn't looking where she was going. Neither was Mamoru. As he pulled back from the painting, he bumped into Yumemi causing her to fall to the ground in surprise knocking her glasses off her face and dropping her sketchbook.

Mamoru immediately bent down to help pick up her things. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "Are you alright miss?"

Yumemi picked up her glasses and placed them back over her eyes. Then she looked at Mamoru. As soon as she saw him, a spark went off in her brain causing her to point at him.

"You're it!" she cried. "It's you!"

Mamoru could only stare blankly at the girl now feeling puzzled about her outburst.

* * *

At the very same time, Usagi's group happened to take notice of Mamoru and Yumemi standing outside.

"Hey, isn't that one of Motoki's friends?" asked Naru.

"Yeah. It's Mamoru," said Harusuke.

As soon as Usagi saw Mamoru, she immediately thought of the worst and was very cross. "That jerk! He's with a girl other than Rei!" she growled. "I'll bet he's cheating on her!"

"Usagi, remember what I told you about jumping to conclusions?" sighed Harusuke.

"Who said anything about jumping to conclusions?" smirked Usagi mischievously. "I was just thinking of having some fun." She then turned to Naru and Umino. "I'm sorry Naru, but you two can go on without me. And Umino, you make sure that you walk Naru home. And be sure to get a poster for me!"

"OK! You can count on me!" said Umino.

"Usagi, wait a minute!" cried Harusuke. "Where are-"

But Usagi was already out the door and heading towards Mamoru and Yumemi.

"I swear! That girl is nothing, but trouble!" complained Harusuke as he raced outside after her.

* * *

Back outside, Yumemi had now taken a hold of a very confused Mamoru by the arm tugging it gently.

"Please, I need your help," begged Yumemi. "You see... I... uh..."

"Help with what?" wondered Mamoru now getting a bit annoyed. "If there's something you want to tell me, then you'd better speak up and tell me."

"Well... you see..." spoke Yumemi now plucking up courage. "I need you to be my model!"

Just then, Usagi came slithering up to them with a teasing grin on her face.

"Oooh. I'm gonna tell Rei," she grinned. "Wait till she finds out about this."

"You've got this all wrong, Usagi!" said Mamoru trying to explain. "This is all a big misunderstanding."

"And just how is that?" asked the blonde raising a brow. "You're the one that's holding hands with another girl! It's so obvious."

Then Harusuke came up. "Usagi, that's enough," he scolded. "And you wonder why Mamoru teases you? Seriously, you always have had a habit of jumping to conclusions in any situation."

Yumemi then looked at Usagi and gasped once again as she grabbed Usagi by her sleeve.

"What luck!" she cried happily. "You're perfect! Now I can start my next painting!" She then bowed politely to the two. "Please say that you'll model for me!"

Usagi and Harusuke's jaws dropped in surprise as did Mamoru.

"What?! You want her/me to model for you?!" the Tsukino siblings cried.

* * *

A little later, Yumemi led Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru to her house that was close by in town. It looked a bit similar to the Tsukino's, but this one had a red roof and had lots of beautiful flowers and even a greenhouse. As they walked in, Usagi couldn't help but be amazed.

"Wow! Look at the pretty flowers!" she gasped with wonder.

Harusuke was impressed too. "Wow... the girl sure is quite the botanist," he said to himself.

Mamoru, however, didn't seem so interested. He just sat on the bench that was in the living room and said nothing.

"Alright then. You make yourselves comfortable and I'll make you some coffee," said Yumemi as she walked into the kitchen.

"Look, I know I let you talk me into coming here," said Mamoru. "But I really can't spend my whole day doing this."

"Oh yeah, whatever," scoffed Usagi. "Like you have better things to do, you loser."

"The slacker doth protest too much," countered Harusuke.

Usagi then saw the paintings behind them. As soon as she saw them and feeling a sense of familiarity. She picked up one and inspected it. "These paintings... they look just like Yumemi Yumeno's art," she said.

Harusuke came and looked at the paintings too. "Now that you mention it, you're right," he said. "They do look like hers. But why would-"

Then the two of them gasped now realizing something as Yumemi jumped making the cups clatter. The two then looked towards Yumemi.

"Um... excuse me miss," said Usagi. "You... wouldn't happen to be Yumemi Yumeno would you?"

There was a long silence. Then Yumemi turned around her face now a bright red as she nodded.

"Yes. I am Yumemi Yumeno," she said shyly. "Yeah... I know. I'm... not what you expected huh?"

"No way!" exclaimed Harusuke. "But... if you're the real deal then... why did you draw that self-portrait of you?"

"It's because people think that someone really beautiful should paint paintings like these," said Yumemi. "That's why I drew them so pretty. But please, keep it a secret, okay?"

"So... no one knows who you really are?" said Usagi. "Not even your own friends? No one at all?"

"I... don't have any friends," said Yumemi with a hint of sadness. "But I don't mind. I'm used to it. Besides, as long as I can keep working on my paintings, that's good enough for me." She soon finished the coffee and brought it to the table. "All right, then. Let's get you two ready." She then placed a pink pillow with white frills beside Mamoru. "Usagi, could you sit here?" she asked.

Usagi's eyes went wide as saucers. "What?! You want me to be in a painting with this jerk?!" she exclaimed.

"You must be so happy," scoffed Mamoru sarcastically as he stood up. "I'm sorry, but I can't be a part of this. Besides, who would want to be a model for a picture in these conditions? I'm out of here."

"Oh, please don't go," begged Yumemi. "I can explain! I have a hard time imagining things without having models to help me. And lately, there hasn't been anyone who matches what I see. I promise that it'll be just for today... Please?"

Harusuke and Usagi were still a bit reluctant, but then Harusuke spoke up.

"Come on you two," he said. "Can't you two get along just this once? I mean, you two haven't done a single thing together besides argue. Yumemi's finally has an idea for a painting to get her out of her creative slump and you two are just gonna walk out because you can't stand each other? Just think of this as an opportunity to get to know each other. And if you still don't like each other, do it for Yumemi."

Usagi and Mamoru looked at each other and sighed.

"Well... when you put it like that, I guess I have no choice then," said Mamoru sitting back down. "I'll do it."

"Me too," said Usagi reluctantly as she sat down next to Mamoru. "Just this once."

Yumemi was thrilled. "Thank you so much!" she said happily. "Now then, let's get started! I get the feeling that this is going to be a masterpiece!" She then turned to Harusuke. "If you'd like Harusuke, you can admire some more of my paintings while you wait."

"It's alright," said Harusuke. "I don't mind. Besides, it's not every day that I get to watch a famous artist at work."

Yumemi then blushed as she began to draw.

As she drew, Usagi couldn't help, but feel worried about this situation.

"Oh man, if Rei saw us like this, she'd kill me!" she thought to herself. Then she happened to steal a glance at Mamoru. Even though the two haven't been on good terms, she couldn't help but admire how good looking he looked. "You know... now that I can get a closer look at Mamoru's face, he does look pretty handsome..." She then shook her head not believing what she just thought. "What the heck am I thinking?! Tuxedo Mask is the one I love! Snap out of it, Usagi!"

She then bopped herself on the head. A little too hard I must say. "Owie! That one hurt..." she squeaked.

Mamoru then looked at Usagi. "What are you doing?" he asked raising a brow.

"Nothing! None of your business!" said Usagi as her cheeks flushed red and puffed up while looking away.

Mamoru stared at Usagi still wondering. Then he began to admire Usagi too. "You know, Usagi may be a meatball head, but... she's actually kinda cute now that I've gotten a closer look at her," he thought. "If only that she would stop being so childish at times and picking fights."

Soon it was getting close to evening and Yumemi was getting close to finishing her drawing. Usagi then got up and came over to inspect Yumemi's work. She was impressed.

"Wow! Is that me?!" she gushed. "That's amazing!"

"Usagi, come on. You have to stay still," said Mamoru. "Then again, I'm only doing this because Yumemi's treated me such good coffee."

Usagi responded by sticking her tongue out, but then Harusuke led her back to the bench with Mamoru. "Come on now, Sis," he said. "As a model, you have to stay still as a statue till Yumemi's done."

"Oh, alright," said Usagi.

Harusuke then came over to inspect Yumemi's drawing too and he was amazed.

"Wow... that really is incredible, Yumemi," he said. "How are you able to draw such wonderful pictures?"

The brunette artist smiled. "It's simple really. Whenever I'm drawing, I make a wish in my heart," she said. "I wish for the happiness for the people who see my artwork to let it make them happy. And for all of them to be able to find their true love."

"Wow... I guess that explains why they're called paintings of love," said Usagi. "You're such kind person, but it's sad that you don't have any friends because of it."

"I know, but it can't be helped," said Yumemi. "My fans believe that Yumemi is supposed to be this incredible beauty. But if everyone found out my secret, then their dreams would be shattered and make them sad.

Mamoru then spoke. "If that's the case," he said. "then I wonder... if you can't make yourself happy, then how can you make others happy?"

This made Yumemi stop and Usagi glare at the boy.

"Hey! That was mean of you to say!" she said indignantly. "You don't have to talk like you're full of yourself!

Then Harusuke spoke. "Now hold on, Usagi," he said. "I think Mamoru's got a good point."

"What do you mean?!" demanded Usagi now getting cross.

"Just let me explain," said Harusuke. "Let me put it in a way that you can understand." He then turned to Yumemi. "What he was trying to say was that you shouldn't be worried about what people think of you based on your looks, Yumemi," he went on. "You should have a little more confidence in being yourself rather than what people imagined you'd be. You're a pretty and talented young woman and you should take pride in that. I'm pretty sure that's what Mamoru was trying to say, but he may have been a bit blunt about it." He then winked at Mamoru. "Right?"

Mamoru blushed a bit and just sipped away at his coffee not saying a word. Usagi then looked at Mamoru and then felt sorry for losing her temper.

"I see..." she said. "Sorry about that, Mamoru."

"It's fine," Mamoru spoke. "As long as you get it."

Then Usagi saw another picture. It was one of a young blonde woman wearing a dress wearing a beautiful gown and a young man with short black hair wearing a dashing tuxedo both of which were holding a star-shaped locket gazing into each other's eyes. She picked it up and showed it to Mamoru.

"Hey Mamoru, check this out," she said. "Don't you think this picture is beautiful?"

Mamoru then gasped upon seeing the picture and shot straight up from the bench looking intently at it.

Usagi was a bit surprised. "Wh-what is it?!" she stammered.

Harusuke then looked at the picture too and his eyes widened a little upon seeing it. He liked how beautiful it looked, but for some reason, he began to feel a feeling of nostalgia and some sadness. "Yumemi, could you explain this picture?" he asked.

"This shows a woman giving her lover a present as a token of her love," explained Yumemi. "It's strange, but whenever I draw this couple, I feel kinda sad for some reason."

"I... feel it too," said Usagi. "For some reason, it makes me feel like its familiar and it makes my heart ache."

"A token of her love..." murmured Mamoru. "I feel like it's something familiar too."

Harusuke continued to stare at the picture feeling his heart aching too. Then a small tear trickled down his cheek. Usagi and Mamoru noticed this.

"Harusuke, you're crying," said Usagi.

"Are you alright?" asked Mamoru.

Harusuke wiped his cheek and looked at the tear in his hand before wiping it off. "Yes, I'm fine," he said. "Just got something in my eye is all."

"What was that all about?" Harusuke thought to himself. "Why did I suddenly start crying over that painting? Was because... I've seen something like that before?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Zoisite was standing on top of a building looking at the town below.

"Yumemi Yumeno," he cackled to himself. "I'll turn you back into a monster very soon and take your Rainbow Crystal."

He could see Yumemi's house in sight and disappeared in a flurry of petals to fulfill his mission.

* * *

Nightfall came and Usagi, Yumemi, and Harusuke were walking back to Tsukino's place.

"Man! That was a lot of fun," said Usagi. "I loved being a model!"

"And your coffee and cookies were delicious too," said Harusuke. "You're not only a talented artist, but you're also a wonderful cook, Yumemi."

"Thank you very much," smiled Yumemi. "I'm sorry that I kept you two out so late. Then again, Usagi would have preferred to have Mamoru walk you two home instead."

Usagi then blushed bright red. "Absolutely not!" she snapped indignantly. "He's the biggest jerk ever!"

"Not from what I've seen today," smirked Harusuke. "You two seemed to got along pretty well if today for those hours."

"You've got the wrong idea!" complained Usagi. "It's a misunderstanding I tell you!"

Yumemi and Harusuke could only chuckle. Just then, they saw two girls admiring one of Yumemi's illustrations on a poster causing Yumemi to instinctively hide behind Usagi and Harusuke.

"Wow, this is one of Yumemi's Yumeno's pieces!" said one girl.

"It's beautiful," said the other. "Anyone who creates art like this must be gorgeous!"

Yumemi's hand clenched around Usagi's and Harusuke's sleeves and the two could see that she was still having her doubts about her looks. Usagi then walked over to the painting, looked back to Yumemi and smiled.

"Don't let it bother you, Yumemi," she said kindly. "Like Harusuke said, you should be yourself. You're kind, able to draw pretty pictures like this and can bake amazing cookies. And if in my book, that makes you a wonderful person."

Harusuke nodded in agreement. "That's right," he said. "And don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Yumemi stared at the Tsukino siblings with amazement by their words. "Usagi... Harusuke..." she murmured.

"Well then, we best get home," said Harusuke. "Come on, Usagi."

"Alright then," said Usagi. "Good night, Yumemi! Nice meeting you!"

And with that, the two then ran off leaving Yumemi by herself. Hearing the words of the Usagi and Harusuke ringing in her head, Yumemi couldn't help but smile feeling much better about things as she set off for home.

* * *

As Usagi and her brother ran home, the twin-tailed blonde couldn't help but feel very pleased with herself.

"Yeah! We gave her some pretty good advice, didn't we Harusuke?" she panted.

"I agree," said Harusuke. "Let's just hope that Yumemi feels better about herself after what we told her."

"Aha! I finally found you two," said a voice.

Usagi and Harusuke stopped and looked up and saw a pair of glowing eyes coming from the bushes. Then from the bushes, the two could see that the eyes belonged to Luna who was carrying the Moon Stick in her mouth.

Luna then threw the Moon Stick making it land at Usagi's feet.

"Ah! My Moon Stick!" said Usagi as she picked it up.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," said Harusuke. "You dropped it a while back in the park, so I had Luna hold onto it for safekeeping."

Luna then landed in front of them and looked crossly at Usagi.

"Listen Usagi, you really should be more careful," she said sternly. "If you don't want it, I can easily find someone else to hold onto it."

"No! I do want it," insisted Usagi. "It's just that I was preoccupied with Tuxedo Mask is all."

"Well it sure looks like you're over that now," said Luna now feeling a bit relived. "I guess that's a good thing. I mean after all, you don't tend to worry about things for too long. Deep down inside, you're just a simple girl."

Usagi now felt insulted. "Oh great! So you think I'm a simple fool then?!" she snapped. "Thanks a bunch, Luna!"

Before anyone can say anything, Usagi then ran off towards the opposite direction.

Luna felt apologetic. "Oh dear. I was only trying to be honest with her," she said. "Was I too honest with her?"

"I'd say you were," said Harusuke. "Oh well. I suppose I'd better go after her and try to calm her down."

He then ran after Usagi hoping that she hadn't gone far. He soon caught up with her just as she was catching her breath.

"Usagi, are you okay?" he asked.

"That stupid, Luna!" Usagi growled angrily. "She just doesn't get it! The reason girls like me worry about things is because we're so complicated!"

"I know," soothed Harusuke. "She was only trying to be nice, but went about it the wrong way. Now, it's getting late. Why don't we-"

Suddenly, Usagi's Moon Stick began to beep with the jewel flashing brightly. At the very same time, there was the sound of breaking glass which could be heard down the road to a certain house they had just come from.

"That sounded like it came from Yumemi's house!" cried Usagi.

"Let's go check it out!" said Harusuke.

The two of them ran towards Yumemi's house as fast as they could. When they got there, they peered through the window to see that Zoisite was standing in the middle of the room pointing the Dark Crystal at her. Yumemi was frightened, but at the same time, she was amazed by Zoisite's looks.

"He's so pretty and yet... he seems so scary," she spoke. "Who are you?!"

"Who I am doesn't matter," spoke Zoisite. "What matters is that you give me the Rainbow Crystal and turn back into a monster, Veena."

He then pointed the Dark Crystal at Yumemi and it glowed releasing a frequency which made Yumemi scream in pain. Then a green crystal came out of her body and into his hand.

Zoisite smirked with triumph. "Good! Now awaken, Veena!"

Then what was once the person known as Yumemi Yumeno was no more. In her place, stood a being with green skin with pink gloves and a dress to match, a pair of white wings, and a tiara with a green gem on her forehead. Usagi and Harusuke were shocked.

"I can't believe it!" cried Usagi. "Yumemi was a monster and a rainbow crystal holder the whole time!"

"Usagi! We have to contact the others!" said Harusuke. "Tell them to get over here as soon as possible!"

"Okay!" said Usagi as she quickly pulled out her communicator. "Everyone! A fourth great monster has appeared!" she spoke urgently. "We need you here right away!"

"Right!" said the three.

Usagi then turned off her communicator and looked at her brother.

"Let's go, Harusuke!" she said.

Harusuke nodded and the Tsukino siblings transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Zoisite and Veena were quickly making their getaway heading away from the house and into a construction site. When they were sure that they were safe, Zoisite cackled feeling very pleased with himself.

"That went very well," he said to himself. "Much easier than I thought it would be."

"Hold it right there, Zoisite!" said a female voice.

"You're not going anywhere!" said a male voice.

Zoisite and Veena looked up and saw Sailor Moon and Solaris standing on the beams above. The two heroes jumped off and then landed before the two villains.

"We won't let you take away Yumemi!" said Sailor Moon. "Trying to destroy her dreams is unforgivable!"

"She's a kind-hearted woman and a talented artist," added Solaris. "Not to mention that she's filled with dreams of hope and love!"

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice, Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice, Solaris!"

"And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Don't you two ever get tired of making that same old speech?" scoffed Zoisite. "I could care less who you two are." He turned to his new soldier. "Veena? Do me a favor and destroy them?"

Veena then spread her wings and plucked a feather from one. She then threw it up in the air and the feather danced around while drawing something just above Sailor Moon and Solaris. That something was a large boulder. The drawing of the boulder suddenly turned into an actual boulder and fell straight towards the two heroes. Luckily the two managed to get out of the way before they were crushed. The feather continued to draw boulders making them come to life as they fell down towards Sailor Moon and Solaris forcing the two to repeatedly dodge.

"That's it, Veena! Keep playing with them!" laughed Zoisite darkly.

"That's it!" growled Solaris. "I'm starting to get peeved!"

He then jumped shooting straight past Veena and heading towards Zoisite raising his leg to kick him. Zoisite gasped in surprised and waved his hand putting up a barrier of petals. Solaris grunted trying to break through, but he couldn't and was forced off landing back on the ground. Sailor Moon meanwhile continued to dodge the rock trying not to get crushed, but then came trouble. In her haste of dodging, she happened to trip on the rocks causing her to fall flat on her face.

"Owie! That hurt!" she complained.

Veena then saw this chance to draw a large rock above Sailor Moon and it fell straight towards her.

"No! Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris.

Then just as Sailor Moon was about to be crushed, someone scooped her up in his arms and carried Sailor Moon out of the way just the rock crashed to the ground with a mighty thud. It was none other than Tuxedo Mask.

"Thank you, Tuxedo Mask!" said Sailor Moon gratefully. "You saved me!"

Zoisite seeing as this was starting to get hairy immediately took off running disappearing into the darkness. Tuxedo Mask saw this.

"Are you retreating already?! Not this time!" he spoke as he immediately chased after him.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Zoisite's mine!" Solaris yelled as he gave chase too.

Sailor Moon also tried to follow, but Veena then barred her way. The Moon heroine then tried to reason with the creature.

"Yumemi! Please get out of the way!" she begged. "Try to remember who you are! A sweet kind and caring person!

But Veena plucked off more feathers from her wings and began to draw in an incredible speed. The drawing sprang to life which became three lines of ropes. Then the rope transformed into three venomous looking snakes which hissed dangerously at Sailor Moon. Then...

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

A fireball came shooting from out of nowhere and burned the snakes to oblivion. Sailor Moon looked behind her and saw Sailor Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter, and Luna who had come in the nick of time.

"You're here!" she gasped. "Thank goodness!"

"You've done well to handle things on your own Sailor Moon," said Luna. "But don't worry. We're here to help!"

Veena went on the attack once more drawing numerous boulders above the other guardians. As they fell, Jupiter and Mars got out of the way just in time, but Mercury bravely stood her ground while dodging as she unleashed her signature attack.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

A thick fog spread throughout the area and Veena was now paralyzed by the cold. Sailor Moon seeing at opening jumped up and headed the direction of the building where Zoisite, Solaris, and Tuxedo Mask went.

"Go easy on her girls!" she called out as she ran off. "She's a monster, but she's a nice person!"

* * *

Zoisite, Tuxedo Mask, and Solaris all stood on the rooftop in a two versus one fight. So far the battle was at an impasse, but Tuxedo Mask and Solaris got the upper hand. Solaris attacked with a flurry of kicks, but then Zoisite dodged. Just when he thought that he was safe, Tuxedo Mask came in and swiped the evil general with his cane. Zoisite barely managed to dodge and landed in a crouch with his back turned.

"Now, hand over the Rainbow Crystal," said Tuxedo Mask. "You don't stand a chance against us."

"And if I was you, I'd do it quickly," said Solaris cracking his knuckles. "Otherwise, you're gonna regret it!"

"Such impudence!" growled Zoisite. "I'll never give up the crystal!"

Then Zoisite then blasted a stream of petals at them, Solaris immediately saw the attack coming and ducked out of the way and gunned straight for him.

"Nice try!" he spoke smirking. "but you completely missed!"

"Did I?" smirked Zoisite as he then made a sharp crystal materialize in his hand and threw it causing Solaris to tilt his head to the side to dodge.

Then he looked back. Behind him, Tuxedo Mask was stuck in a tornado of Zoisite's petals blinding him.

"Tuxedo Mask! Look out!" Solaris cried.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Then a familiar voice rang out as a white disc shot out of the darkness and destroyed the crystal before it hit Tuxedo Mask also dissipating the petal. It was Sailor Moon who had arrived just in time. Solaris was relieved, but he quickly turned back to see that Zoisite has wisely disappeared.

"Dammit," he growled. "He got away!"

Sailor Moon then came running up. "Are you okay, Tuxedo Mask?" she asked.

"I'm fine," replied the masked man. "For it was you who saved me tonight, Sailor Moon."

"I apologize, Tuxedo Mask," said Solaris sadly. "I not only let Zoisite get away, but you almost got hurt due to my carelessness."

"That's alright, Solaris," spoke Tuxedo Mask. "There's no need for you to apologize."

Then as Sailor Moon walked towards Tuxedo Mask, something fell out of her hands and onto the floor with a clang. It was the locket that she had found a couple nights ago back when she found it at the cemetery. The locket then began to play its beautiful music serenading the three with its melody. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask both bent down to pick it up, but then stopped as their hands almost touched.

"I... suppose this locket belongs to you, doesn't it?" asked Sailor Moon tentatively.

Tuxedo Mask stared at Sailor Moon as he remembered the drawing the two lovers that Yumemi drew. "Princess..." he murmured.

Solaris and Sailor Moon were now confused as well as surprised for what the masked man just said.

"Wait... you said princess," said Solaris. "Does this mean that you know who the princess is? We've actually been looking for her for quite some time now. If you know anything about her please tell us."

Tuxedo Mask then picked up the locket and placed it in Sailor Moon's hands. "I don't know where she is," he said. "But since it's both your missions to look for her, I'll leave this your hands."

"Thank you so much," said Sailor Moon smiling. "But there's actually something else too. The Rainbow Crystal you took a while back... may we have that back as well?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," replied Tuxedo Mask. "You see, all the Rainbow Crystals are very important to me and if I see an opening to take one of them even if one happens to be in your possession, then I'll steal it without any hesitation."

"What?!" exclaimed Solaris and Sailor Moon clearly dumbfounded.

"Then does that mean that you're our enemy after all?!" demanded Solaris scowling.

"When it comes to the Rainbow Crystals, maybe so," said Tuxedo Mask. "Until then... Farewell!"

And with a leap and wave of his cape, Tuxedo Mask disappeared into the wind and into the darkness below. Sailor Moon and Solaris watched as he left feeling confused about the man more so than before. Then Sailor Moon gasped.

"Oh no! I completely forgot!" she cried. "Yumemi's still a monster!"

"You're right!" said Solaris. "We have to get back and help the others!"

* * *

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Jupiter unleased a powerful thunderbolt hitting Veena on the wing destroying it. Veena shrieked in pain as she was now vulnerable. She was just about to unleash another attack, when Sailor Moon and Solaris came back on the scene.

"Please stop, Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Moon said. "That's enough attacking!"

"Yeah! I think she's been weakened enough," said Solaris.

"Then use this chance, Sailor Moon!" said Luna.

Sailor Moon then waved her Moon Stick as it once more released a trail of sparkles and dust.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Veeena writhed in agony as she tried to remain herself, but it was too much.

"REFRESH!"

Veena then turned back to Yumemi as she fell to the ground. She felt very confused as to what she was doing and why she was here at a construction site. Then she looked up and saw the five guardians along with Luna standing from above. Then five smiled at her and then jumped up disappearing into the night sky.

* * *

The next day, Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru came to Yumemi's artist gallery per the artist's request. The three soon arrived to see Yumemi busily at work hanging up her newest drawings inside. When they came in, Yumemi was happy to see them.,

"Oh! Hello, you three," she said cheerfully.

"Hey there, Yumemi," greeted back Usagi.

"We came as soon as we got your invite," said Harusuke.

"I'm actually surprised you invited us," said Mamoru. "I thought you didn't want people to see what you looked like.

Yumemi then smiled as she lead them to a painting on a wall. On the floor below it was the picture of the blonde girl that Usagi and Harusuke saw which was supposed to be Yumemi's. Now hanging above it was a picture of Yumemi herself.

"I've decided to stop hiding from everyone," she said. "Thanks to all of you, I've found the courage to be honest about myself and what I look like. So now, I feel good about showing the real me with everyone!"

Usagi was so happy that she couldn't help but give Yumemi a hug. "I'm so glad, Yumemi!"

"And there's something else too," went on Yumemi. "I wanted to show all of you this one too!"

She then showed them a painting that was covered in a canvas. She then took it off revealing the picture that had drawn of Usagi and Mamoru yesteday, only this one was filled with vibrant colors.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" gasped Harusuke with wonder.

"Even I have to agree, it's pretty nice," agreed Mamoru. "Very nice, considering who the model was."

Usagi then pouted sulkily at Mamoru. "Would it kill you say something nice once and a while?"

Mamoru then chuckled. "Sorry Usagi," he said. "I'm just teasing. You really did make a good model. I mean it."

Usagi then blushed. "Th-thank you... I guess..." she stammered bashfully.

Harusuke then grinned. "It looks like you two have gotten a little closer now," he chuckled. "You two didn't even call each other names or anything."

Mamoru and Usagi looked at each other and blushed looking away from each other.

"Get real," they said together. "As if I'd get close to her/him!"

Harusuke could only chuckle as he and Yumemi laughed.


	31. Chapter 30

_Hey there, fellow readers!_

 _For all you Sailor Moon fans, be on the lookout for Sailor Moon Super S Part 2!_

 _Because after that, Sailor Moon Stars will no doubt be dubbed!_

 _Until then, enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

It was raining hard in Juuban. The weather forecast foretold of a ten percent chance of rain, but those low chances of rain didn't seem to be so low as poor Makoto found out as she ran through the pouring rain using her book bag to keep dry.

"Jeez! You can never trust a weather forecast!" she complained. "I certainly wouldn't call this a ten percent chance of rain!"

Makoto continued running through the rain as fast as she could being rather careless of where she was going. Then suddenly she slammed into something hard causing her to fall flat on her bottom and dropping her book bag. Makoto sat there stunned and now wetter than before. She then became very cross.

"Darn it! Why don't you watch where you're going?!" she snapped angrily.

"S-sorry," apologized the person.

"If sorry solved everything, we wouldn't need police!" Makoto growled about to get angrier. But then she looked up and she saw who she bumped into. It was none other than Motoki. "M-Motoki," she murmured. "So it was you."

Motoki then held out his hand of which Mako took and helped her to her feet. As he did, Mako couldn't help but feel her heart fluttering in her chest making her previous anger vanish completely.

"I'm really sorry about that," Motoki apologized again. "I had a lot of things on my mind and I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's... it's okay," said Makoto bashfully. "I... shouldn't have gotten mad. It was an accident."

Motoki then kindly held his umbrella over Mako shielding her in the rain.

"Looks like you didn't bring an umbrella," he said "You're going to get soaking wet in this downpour. Why don't we share mine until the rain lets up?"

"Um... sure."

Makoto's cheeks were now flushed as she felt completely smitten with Motoki causing her to zone out.

"His voice..." she thought dreamily. "Motoki sounds just like my former love. I wish time could stop right now..."

"Mako? Shall we get going now?"

Makoto then snapped out of her love daze coming back to reality.

"Um... yeah! Sure!" she said hurriedly as the two of them started walking through the rain.

The two wandered around not really having a destination to go to. But the two of them didn't mind. They were just enjoying each others company.

"So Mako, I heard that you're quite the fabulous cook," said Motoki. "Is that true?"

"I... guess so," Makoto shyly replied. "But I would go as far as fabulous."

"That's cool," smiled Motoki. "One of these days you'll have to make me something."

"I'd love to!" Makoto said eagerly. "Anytime, anyplace. I can even clean your place, too! I'm really good at housekeeping!"

"That would be a huge help!" said Motoki.

Makoto then dug into her book bag and whipped out a notebook and a pen. "Here you go! Just write your address and phone number and list your favorite foods too!"

Motoki did so and when he was finished, he handed the notebook back to Makoto.

"You know Mako, you sure are an interesting person," said Motoki. "You certainly are different than any other girl I met."

Makoto giggled. "I get that a lot." Then she took a quick read of Motoki's information. "Ah. So your favorite food is Hayashi Rice. Interesting."

At that moment, the two found themselves at Juuban Park as the rain had finally stopped much to Makoto's disappointment.

"Why couldn't have kept raining?" she sadly complained.

But she then quickly hid her disappointment when Motoki gave her a questioning look. Motoki then looked at his watch.

"I'm sorry, Mako, but I have to get going," said Motoki. "I have to drop by at the school for a little while."

"Sure. No problem," sighed Makoto now feeling disappointed again, but she quickly cheered herself up. "But I'm gonna come over to your place this Sunday and make some Hayashi Rice just for you! Buh-bye!"

And with that, Makoto went on her way leaving a slightly surprised Motoki behind. Then he heard a familiar voice.

"Looks like you've made quite the cute new friend."

Motoki looked and there standing before him was a beautiful young woman. She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail, bright blue eyes, and fair skin. She also wore a pair of green pearl earrings, white lab coat with a purple dress with an orange sash underneath, and red pumps. Motoki then blushed. He knew who this girl was. It was none other than his girlfriend, Reika Nishimura.

"R-Reika..."

"Mamoru did say that somebody having a new girlfriend," Reika went on teasingly. "I'm guessing he was talking about you."

"H-hey! Cut me some slack!" complained Motoki. "It's not like that at all!"

Reika then chuckled. "I was just kidding, Motoki."

Motoki then looked at Reika's current attire. "Seeing as how you're dressed, I'm guessing that you're about to cancel our date again. right?"

"I'm so sorry," apologized Reika. "I'm going to working late until the evening."

"That's okay," said Motoki. Then his smile turned serious. "But... more importantly, have you... made your decision yet, Reika?"

Reika paused for a brief moment before shaking her head. "Not yet. I'm still can't make up my mind."

Motoki seemed to be disappointed, but he reassured Reika with a smile. "Take your time," he said kindly. "It is going to affect the rest of your life, so you want to be sure you've made the right decision."

"You're so sweet," Reika said looking downwards. "Thank you..."

At that moment, only a brief moment, a small tear trickled down Reika's cheek. Motoki was surprised as well as worried, but then the two were interrupted by another familiar voice.

"Hey, you two! What's up?"

The voice belonged to Mamoru who came up to them unaware of what was going on.

"Hey there, Mamoru. Didn't see you there," Reika greeted. Then her watch let out a couple beeps causing her to look at her watch. "Oh dear! Look at the time! Gotta run!" she said. She turned to Mamoru. "Hey Mamoru, if you have some free time right now, take my guy out for some coffee, would you?" She then ran off giving Mokoki one last wave. "Bye! I'll call you later!" Then she was gone.

* * *

A little later, Motoki and Mamoru were at the cafe drinking from their cups, but Motoki was now looking very sad. Noticing this, Mamoru decided to talk to him.

"What up, Motoki?" he asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

Motoki took a sip from his cup, then he explained. "It's Reika... She... might be going to study abroad in Africa to pursue her research study."

"But... why Africa?" puzzled Mamoru. "I mean what kind of research would she be doing that would require her to move there?"

Motoki's face suddenly brightened. "Pretty impressive stuff!" he said excitedly. "She's going to be exploring the area where all life on Earth supposedly originated!"

"So... what's gonna happen now?" wondered Mamoru.

Motoki then sighed his previous excitement deflating. "I'm not sure. She can't make up her mind yet," he said.

"I'm not talking about her," said Mamoru raising his voice a little. "I'm talking about you. What do you want?"

"Well... a part of me wants her to stay here with me," said Motoki hesitantly. "But, I don't want to get in the way of her future by being selfish."

Mamoru then sighed. "That's so like you, Motoki..."

Motoki then changed the subject. "Hey. By the way, do you like Hayashi Rice?"

"Um... yeah. Why do you ask?" he wondered a bit put off.

"Because Mako said that she was gonna come over to my place on Sunday and make a whole batch," explained Motoki. "You're welcome to come if you want to."

Mamoru's eyes widened as he stared dumbly at Motoki. "Mako? But... she's Usagi and Harusuke's friend," he said. "And you do realize that Usagi has a thing for you, right?"

"Of course I do," said Motoki brightly. "Aren't the two of them cute?"

Now Mamoru was completely baffled not believing what he was hearing. "Wait... cute? Weren't we talking about Reika a second ago? I got the impression that you were hung up on her."

"Oh come on, Mamoru. I'm not about to hook up with a middle-school girl," said Motoki. "They're cute and all, but I think of Usagi and Mako as little sisters."

Mamoru now had no idea what to say to Motoki. "A... a little sister, huh?"

"Oh man... just how dense can Motoki be?!" he thought to himself. "Oh, brother is he in for a rude awakening!"

* * *

The next day, early next morning, Makoto had just arrived at Motoki's place hoping to help him clean up his room before school started. She walked up to the door and gave it a couple of knocks.

"Who is it?" said Motoki's voice from inside.

Makoto took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Then she smiled as brightly as she could while speaking loud enough for Motoki to hear her.

"It's me, Makoto Kino! Good morning, Motoki!"

"J-just a minute!"

After a few seconds, Motoki opened the door appearing to be a little flustered.

"Oh! Mako! What are you doing here?"

"Stand clear!" said Makoto brightly. "I'm coming in!"

Makoto then flung open the door and before Motoki could stop her, she was already inside.

"Wait, Makoto! I should warn you!" he said. "The place is a mess!"

"Don't worry! Guys don't clean up a lot anyway..."

But then Makoto came to the room and she froze in place. The entire place was a mess. Laundry, trash, and beer bottles lay everywhere. The kitchen was also just as bad with dishes filling the sink and even some trash bags piled up in the corner. She could not believe what she was seeing.

"I guess... in your case... you don't clean up at all," Makoto finished. "This... is pretty bad."

Motoki could only blush bright red. Makoto then shook away her shock and then to Motoki's surprise whipped out a headband and tied it around her head.

"All right! Let's do this!" Makoto said now sounding determined.

Motoki jumped in surprise. "Wait, let's do... what now?"

"What do you think? Cleaning up this mess," said Makoto. "Now, if I don't get this done in thirty minutes before school, I'll be late! So, here I go!"

Makoto then set to work. She organized Motoki's books, washed his dishes, vacuumed the floors, and cleaned his windows. Soon enough, Motoki's apartment was sparkling clean much to Motoki's surprise. He had never seen anyone clean this fast before and had only been about twenty minutes. Then just as Makoto was finishing up, something caught her eye. It was a small picture frame with a photo of Motoki and Reika on it. She then inspected it.

"Who's this girl with you?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, that's Reika," said Motoki.

Makoto took a long look at the photo. Then she started to understand what Reika was to Motoki. "Wait... I'm guessing that she's... not your sister, is she?"

"Nope."

Then Makoto felt her heart leap as she looked at Motoki in shock. "Wait a second! Does that mean... that she's your girlfriend?!"

Motoki blushed and slowly nodded his head. At that moment, Makoto's face went pale with devastation as she felt her heart split in two. Motoki not wanting to say anything more, took the vacuum from Makoto and took over on the cleaning.

* * *

At school, Makoto was still feeling miserable as she sat in the courtyard by a tree. Luna then came up to her along with Usagi and Harusuke.

"Hey there, Makoto. Is something wrong?" asked Luna.

"Yeah. You look a bit sad and that's really not like you at all," commented Harusuke.

"Come on, Makoto. A sad face will give you wrinkles," Usagi said teasingly. "What's the matter? Someone break your heart again?"

Makoto then glared. "You picked the wrong day to mess with me," she said coldly. "Especially since that, you can guess correctly in the first time."

"Whoa... take it easy, Mako," said Harusuke. "There's no need to get angry."

"Yeah, I was just kidding around," whimpered Usagi fearfully. She then smiled. "Besides, there's no need to stress out. Think of me as your personal Cupid. I'm here to fix whatever love problem you have and make it right!"

"Shouldn't you be worrying about your own love issues first?" asked Luna coolly.

This made Usagi glare at the black cat in anger while Harusuke bit back a snigger.

"Anyway, aside from what Usagi and Luna said, maybe we can help you," said Harusuke kindly. "Who was the guy that broke your heart? If you don't mind us asking."

Makoto was silent. Then she said the name of the very person in a bitter-filled tone.

"Motoki."

Usagi then gasped and then let out a scream in shock as tears filled her eyes.

"Usagi! What's the matter with you?!" exclaimed Harusuke.

"Yeah. Do you have to be so shocked?" wondered Makoto.

"Of course I do!" whimpered Usagi her tears grew bigger. "Especially with something this upsetting! Because... because..." Then the floodgates opened and Usagi began to cry. "I'm in love Motoki, too!"

"Seriously?!" gasped Makoto. "You like him too?! But... I thought that you were in love with Tuxedo Mask!"

"She is. But she was also in love with Motoki at the same time," explained Harusuke. "She basically loves them both."

"It's true!" sobbed Usagi. "I can't give up either one! I've fallen in love with them both!"

"Then decide on one!" snapped Makoto irritably.

"Come on you two, knock it off and think about this for a moment," said Luna. "The guy has a right to choose who he loves."

"Yeah. It's not like a one-way street, you know," added Harusuke.

Then an idea flew into Usagi's pigtails.

"I got it! If Mako had her heart broken by Motoki," she said excitedly. "That means Motoki has chosen someone else to be his girlfriend! And that means someone he's chosen must be me!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's someone named Reika," said Makoto.

Usagi immediately deflated her eyes once again filling with tears. "What?! How can that be...?!" she sobbed. "If that's the case... then I can't take it anymore..."

"There, there, Usagi," soothed Harusuke. "Look on the bright side, at least you can focus on one guy rather than two."

"No she doesn't," cut in Mako as she put a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "You shouldn't give up, Usagi. So what if he already has a girlfriend? Even if you think it's useless, you just gotta make that attack! Crying won't get you anywhere either."

Usagi then wiped her tears as she began to glow with confidence.

"You're right, Mako!" she said. "We can't give up yet! We're Pretty Guardians after all! We gotta attack!"

"And if we don't fight, there's no tomorrow!" the two girls said together now completely rejuvenated with confidence.

Harusuke and Luna could only stare at the two and sigh exasperatedly.

"Why do I get the feeling that there's no tomorrow either way?" wondered Luna miserably.

"I don't know," said Harusuke. "Can't they knock off the boy craze for one day?"

* * *

After school, Usagi, Harusuke, Makoto, and Luna were just outside of the Gamer Center where Motoki worked. Usagi and Makoto were planning to confess their feelings to Motoki and were determined to tell him their feelings no matter what.

"Guys. Seriously. Give up already," said Harusuke. "You're just gonna end up hurting yourselves."

But Makoto and Usagi didn't listen.

"Let's do this!" spoke Usagi.

"And whoever wins, no hard feelings," said Makoto.

"Yeah. But first, let's decide the order of who goes first," said Usagi. "How about by order of height?"

"What the heck do you think this is?! Gym class?!" snapped Makoto indignantly.

Just then, Mamoru suddenly appeared out of nowhere just behind them. "Hey! It's Bun-head!" he sneered teasingly. "What brings you here?"

"Something that we don't need you for!" growled Usagi angrily.

"Let me see... Bun-head and a giant together could only mean one thing," Mamoru went on. "You're both were planning to confess your love to Motoki right?"

Usagi and Makoto gulped as Harusuke shook his head sighing. Mamoru was then serious.

"I'm sorry you two, but you both need to forget about him," he said. "I'm saying this for your own good."

"What we're doing here is none of your business!" snapped Usagi.

"Yeah! Get lost, you nasty jerk!" Makoto spoke huffily.

"Seriously. I'm telling you the truth," Mamoru continued. "Motoki told me himself that he sees you two as nothing more, but little sisters, nothing more and nothing less.

"Little sisters...?" Makoto spoke worriedly.

"You're lying!" pouted Usagi.

"No, I'm not. If you think I'm lying, then why don't you ask him yourself, Bun-head?" Mamoru spoke snootily.

This made Harusuke cross. "Now that's enough, Mamoru," he scolded. "You've already made your point, so would it kill you to ease up on the teasing for a bit?"

"I would, but it's the only thing that will get them to learn," said Mamoru. "Besides, it's not like they'll listen to me."

"Why don't you shut up?!" snapped Usagi angrily. "First of all, I don't need you to tell me what to do! Secondly, my name's not Bun-head! It's Usagi Tsukino! How many times do I have to tell you that, you walking fashion disaster!"

She then stomped angrily away into the Game Center to find Motoki. Harusuke then sighed.

"Mamoru, you really need to work on your people skills," he said.

"Sorry. I... kinda developed a habit of calling her Bun-Head," he said. "Besides, it's funny whenever she gets mad." He then turned to Makoto. "By the way, you guys do know Motoki has a girlfriend right?"

"Yeah. Reika, right" replied Makoto. "So what?"

Mamoru was puzzled as he was surprised. He then spoke to Harusuke low enough for him to hear. "I will never understand how middle-school girls think these days," he said.

"You're preaching to the choir on that one," agreed Harusuke.

"But... on the other hand, maybe if Reika decides to study abroad, they might have a chance with Motoki..." Mamoru said.

This made Harusuke and Makoto's eyes widen in shock.

"What did you just say?!" cried Harusuke.

"She's going away to study abroad?!" exclaimed Makoto.

Mamoru then covered his hand over his mouth thinking that he said too much. Then before he had a chance to react, Makoto had grabbed him by the neck squeezing tightly while shaking him causing his face to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"What's going on?! Tell me all the details right now!" demanded Makoto.

"Makoto! Stop that! You're choking him!" shrieked Harusuke with horror.

Makoto then realized what she was doing and immediately let go as Mamoru fell to the ground.

"Oh no... I guess... I overdid it a little," Makoto said sheepishly.

"I'll say you did!" cried Harusuke. "What were you trying to do, kill him?!"

"I... shouldn't... have said anything..." groaned Mamoru as he fell unconscious.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite and Kunzite were by themselves using the Dark Crystal to locate the next Rainbow Crystal. Sure enough, the Dark Crystal revealed an image which turned out to be one of Reika.

"So, the next target is this woman," said Zoisite. "She's a top student at the Azabu Institute of Technology."

"And she's quite the lovely woman," said Kunzite with interest.

Zoisite gasped as she looked at Malachite in disbelief. "How can you be so cruel, Kunzite! How could you suggest that she's more lovely than me?!" he demanded jealously. "Underneath it all, she's just an ugly monster!"

Kunzite shushed Zoisite with his finger. "I'm only kidding," he said. "Don't let envy ruin that pretty face of yours.

Zoisite didn't believe him and turned away in a huff. "Go away!" he snapped bitterly.

Kunzite then made a pink rose appear in his hand and held it before Zoisite's face.

"Come on, Zoisite. Forgive me," begged Kunzite. "This rose can't compare to the beauty I see in you."

Zoisite was surprised and took the rose his jealously immediately vanishing. "Thank you, my dear," he said as he nuzzled his face in Kunzite's chest lovingly. "In return, I'll make sure to bring you the Rainbow Crystal without fail."

And then the two shared a loving kiss as Zoisite set off to retrieve the crystal from Reika.

* * *

Later that night, Makoto was waiting outside the Azabu Institute of Technology waiting for a certain woman to come out from there. She was hoping to convince her to go to Africa so she could have a chance of getting Motoki, but she was having her doubts.

"Oh man... what should I do?" she wondered to herself. "I came here originally to encourage Reika to study abroad, but... what should I say to her now that I'm here?"

Then she overheard a pair of voices talking from just inside the gate.

"Tomorrow, I think that we should try to raise the temperature of the specimen a little more."

"Yes. I agree. I would be interesting."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright then. Night."

Feeling curious, Makoto peered through the gate and she saw Reika coming toward her. As soon as she came out of the gate, Makoto immediately walked up to her.

"Excuse me," she said. "Can we talk?"

"Oh. I know you," said Reika. "You were that girl with Motoki the other day. Sure. Let's talk over by the benches."

The two girls then sat down on a bench under a lamppost.

"Alright then, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Reika.

"Are you planning on going away to study, Reika?" wondered Makoto.

"Oh my. Word travels fast," smiled Reika. "Did Motoki tell you that?"

"Please don't avoid the subject," Makoto said firmly. "Please answer the question."

Reika then looked towards the ground looking distraught and worried. "I don't know," she answered. "I simply can't decide. There's a professor that I'd love to work with and learn from in Africa. But I'm having trouble bringing myself to leave Motoki. But... if he tries to stop me... I..."

Makoto then stood up visibly upset. "Just who the heck do you think you are?!" she snapped. "If you'd give up your dreams all for Motoki, then I don't think that you're being serious about your profession! You need to choose one path! Study abroad or love! You can't have it both ways!"

Reika stared at Makoto in surprise while Makoto clasped her hands over her mouth for what she had just said.

"Oh crap! I only came to convince her to study abroad! Not give her a pep talk!" she thought to herself.

Reika then smiled. "You know what? You're right. I can only follow one path and that's something I have to decide for myself," she said. "Thank you very much! I needed this."

And with that, Reika ran off disappearing into the night leaving a defeated Makoto watching her as she left.

* * *

The very next day, Makoto, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were walking over to Motoki's apartment. Usagi and Makoto were both carrying some groceries because they were going to cook Motoki some Hayashi Rice as Makoto promised. As they walked, Usagi was humming a merry little tune while Makoto just walked along making sure that they were going in the right direction.

"Let's see. Motoki's house should be just on the right," Makoto said to herself.

"Wow, Makoto. You sure know the way pretty well," said Usagi.

"Well, she has told us that she's been there before, so it's only natural that she would know the way," said Harusuke.

"I still can't believe it! I'm finally going to in Motoki's apartment!" Usagi spoke giddily. "How I've dreamed of this moment~ As soon as he sees me in an apron, Motoki's gonna ask me to marry him~"

She then began to imagine herself in a cooking apron with Motoki admiring her in it and proposing to her. She then blushed in a bright shade of pink and began to absently pucker up her lips like she was about to kiss Motoki, but she was really puckering up her lips to Makoto who was a bit weirded out. Harusuke then tapped Usagi by the shoulder.

"Um... Usagi? You might wanna think about opening your eyes," he said. "Unless you want to give your first kiss to Makoto."

Usagi then opened her eyes and she immediately backed away flushing with embarrassment.

"Well... at least we know that's never going to happen when it comes to Motoki proposing," said Luna.

"In any case, I'm gonna get going," said Harusuke. "Usagi, I expect you to behave yourself while you're at Motoki's place. And try to keep the fantasies to a minimum. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know," said Usagi.

And then, Luna and Harusuke left and Usagi and Makoto headed for Motoki's. When they arrived, Motoki greeted them warmly.

"Thanks for dropping by. C'mon in!"

The two then came in and Makoto could only feel a little salty due to remembering the day when she found out about Reika. Usagi, however, was amazed to see how clean his apartment was.

"Wow! It's as tidy as I imagined it would be!" she gushed. "Good looking guys keep their places so neat!"

Makoto immediately gagged remembering how messy Motoki's room was before she cleaned it. Usagi then saw a coffee mug on the table. She picked it up and took a couple of whiffs from it.

"Wow... so this is the scent of a man," she sighed. "The scent of Motoki."

"Usagi, remember why we're here," growled Makoto irritably.

Then Motoki came in. "Usagi..."

The blonde Bun-head immediately blushed thinking that her fantasy has come true. "Wait! I have to prepare myself. I'm not emotionally ready."

Motoki was amazed. "Oh, wow! You're amazing, Usagi!" he said. "You prepare yourself to get in the zone emotionally even for cooking?"

Usagi didn't what to say although she was a bit relieved that Motoki was slightly dense. Then she along with Makoto headed for the kitchen and got ready to cook, aprons on and food out.

"All right. Let's do this!" said Usagi eagerly. "Tell me what I should do Mako!"

"Okay, peel the carrots," said Mako.

Usagi then gulped. "I'm uh... not that good of a peeler."

"Then you can dice up all the onions," suggested Mako.

"I can't! They make my eyes water."

"Then cook up the rice!"

"I don't know how to cook rice!"

Clearly fed up, Makoto smacked Usagi square on the head as she started cooking on her own. "Some co-cook you turned out to be!" she growled. "You're are so hopeless..."

"I'm sorry..." whined Usagi.

Just then, the telephone began to ring. Motoki then answered it.

"Hello?"

"Motoki? It's me."

Motoki's eyes then widened. "Reika?!"

Makoto and Usagi immediately stopped and being the nosy girls they were listened in on Motoki's conversation.

"Listen Motoki. There's something I've been wanting to tell you," Reika said on the phone. "I know it's taken me a while, but I've finally made up my mind. About going to Africa I mean... "

"Please speak up Reika," said Motoki. "I can hardly hear you."

"I've made my decision," said Reika. "I want to you see later tonight."

Motoki paused for a moment before speaking. "Alright then. I'll be there as soon as I can," he said.

He then hung up and Usagi and Makoto rushed back into the kitchen trying to pretend they didn't hear anything.

"Sorry girls, I have to go out for a bit," he said. "Could you watch the place while I'm gone?"

"It's no problem," said Usagi nervously trying to sound normal. "Don't keep her waiting! Hurry back!"

Motoki then gulped. "Wait... you were listening?!"

"Idiot..." sighed Makoto.

* * *

A few hours have passed by and the sun was starting to set. Harusuke and Luna walking towards Motoki's place feeling a bit worried.

"It's been a couple of hours since Usagi and Makoto went to Motoki's," he said. "I hope those two are doing okay. I'm feeling a bit worried."

"I agree," said Luna. "Let's just hope Usagi and Makoto aren't driving him insane."

Just then, they heard the sound of running footsteps catching their attention. Then they saw a familiar face running down the sidewalk as fast as his feet could carry him.

"It's Motoki!" said Harusuke. "Where's he going in such a hurry? And where's Usagi and Makoto?"

"I don't know," said Luna. "But something must be wrong. Probably."

"Luna. You go and check on Usagi and Makoto," said Harusuke. "Meanwhile, I'll go follow Motoki."

Harusuke and Luna then went in opposite directions. Harusuke followed Motoki making sure that he was out of sight. He soon followed Motoki to an abandoned area close by a factory. There standing there all alone was Reika. Motoki immediately went up to her while Harusuke watched on from afar.

"Motoki... you really came," said Reika.

"Of course I did," said Motoki. "Now... you said you made your decision. Please tell me what you decided."

Reika paused gathering up her courage. Then she spoke once more unwavering and sure.

"Before I tell you, I just want to say I thought long and hard about this," she said. "At first, I didn't want to give up on either one, but then... someone told me that I can only choose one path. A path that I believe is what I would want." She paused impressively. "I've decided to study abroad in Africa."

Motoki stared at Reika. Then he smiled.

"I understand," he said. "If that's what you want to do, then I'll support you all the way."

"Really?! You mean it?!" gasped Reika.

"Of course. After all, I don't want to hold you back on your dream," said Motoki. "Sure, you'll be far away and I'll miss you a lot, but if it means that you'll be able to achieve your goal, then I'll be happy too."

Reika eyes filled with tears and she hugged her love and Motoki returned the hug back. Harusuke and Luna who had seen and heard everything couldn't help but smile seeing this touching moment. But sadly, the moment would soon be ruined. At that moment, the sound of evil laughter echoed throughout the area.

"How sweet," said a voice. "A couple reaffirming their love for each other."

"Who's there?!" demanded Motoki.

Then suddenly someone appeared before them that made gasp. There standing before them was Zoisite. From afar, Harusuke gasped.

"It's Zoisite, again!" cried Harusuke. "He must be after a Rainbow Crystal! It's gotta be inside either Reika or Motoki! I gotta warn the girls!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Luna was running as fast as she could to Motoki's apartment. She soon arrived going straight to the balcony window. She then saw Usagi and Makoto inside. Makoto was staring out into space while Usagi was fast asleep.

"Well it's no wonder those two haven't come back yet!" she thought. "They've been in here the whole time!"

Then suddenly, there was a familiar beeping sound coming from Usagi's bag along with a red flashing light. Luna knew what that was.

"It's the Moon Stick!" she cried. "That means there's a Rainbow Crystal close by!"

She then leaped towards the window hoping to warn the girls, but due to not being aware of the window being closed, she smacked right into the glass causing the girls to jump in surprise.

"What?! What's going on?" mumbled Usagi sleepily.

"Both of you need to transform now!" groaned Luna from behind the glass.

Just then, something else began to beep which was coming from Usagi's pocket. It was her communicator. Usagi then pulled out the communicator and pushed the button as Harusuke's face appeared on the screen.

"Girls! We got trouble!" spoke Harusuke urgently. "Zoisite's appeared and he's after another Rainbow Crystal!"

"Well, this is just great!" Makoto spoke crossly. "First Motoki ditches us and now this?! I've had it up to here with all this!"

"Yeah! Who does he think he is, leaving two pretty girls alone to watch his house?!" Usagi growled angrily. "That's no way to treat us, Stupid Motoki!"

"Enough with the Motoki love rectangle!" yelled Harusuke. "Just hurry up, transform, and get here already!"

Makoto and Usagi immediately shut their mouths and then transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
_

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

Back at the abandoned factory site, Zoisite had Motoki and Reika surrounded in a ring of fire trapping them. Motoki bravely stood before the Dark Kingdom general shielding Reika from him.

"Shielding your little lover from harm?" mocked Zoisite. "How very brave of you. But it's a waste of time. Now move aside!"

"Never!" shouted Motoki. as he pounced towards Zoisite with his fist raised.

"What a barbarian," scoffed Zoisite as he unleashed a blast of power from his hand.

The blast sent Motoki flying until he fell to the ground in a heap. Reika rushed to his side to see if he was alright.

"You monster!" she cried as she shot a hateful glare.

"It takes a monster to know a monster," Zoisite countered. "After all, you're one of the Seven Great Monsters!"

"Seven Great Monsters? What are you talking about?!" demanded Reika.

"That's right," smirked Zoisite as he pulled out the Dark Crystal in his hand. "If you don't believe me, then why don't I show you? Look deep into the Dark Crystal and become your true self, Rikoukeidar!"

The Dark Crystal then began to glow emitting its frequency. Reika couldn't help but fall into a trance as she looked at it. Then...

"Reika! Don't look into the Dark Crystal!"

A loud voice was heard as a large fireball shot forth from above. The Dark General immediately jumped dodging the blast just in time as someone now stood between him and Reika, the intruder being Solaris.

"Leave them alone, Zoisite!" growled Solaris. "If you wanna get to them, you gotta go through me first!"

Zoisite clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Solaris, always showing up to ruin my plans," he growled. "Can't you ever give up for one day?!"

"I'll give up when you stop being evil!" Solaris shot back. "Until then, prepare to be scorched!"

Solaris then shot forward and went on the attack punching rapidly. Zoisite parried and blocked the blows and counter-attacked with a kick. Solaris immediately duck and swept Zoisite's leg connecting and knocking him flat on his back.

"Now you're mine!" yelled Solaris as he attempted to attack with a punch.

Zoisite immediately countered by blasting Solaris with a blizzard of flowers. Solaris barely had time to dodge by jumping backward. Zoisite then got back on his feet scowling angrily at Solaris.

"I grow tired of these games!" he hissed. "You've interred with me for the last time!"

He then concentrated his power and then unleashed a powerful blast like he did with Motoki, but with a lot more power. Solaris then clapped his hands together and then created a ball of light in his hand.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

He punched the ball of light unleashing his attack. The Sunshine Meteor collided with Zoisite's beam causing a mighty explosion. However, Zoisite's attack shot right through and blasted Solaris before he had a chance to react. Solaris screamed in pain as he was sent tumbling to the ground.

"How pathetic," cackled Zoisite. "Your puny little meteor didn't stand a chance against my power."

Solaris grunted as he pulled himself up to his feet wiping the dirt from his cheek. Zoisite then smirked sadistically.

"Still able to stand, are you? Then let me give you another taste of my power! This will teach you not to get in my way again!"

Zoisite then unleashed another blast from his hand aiming for Solaris once again. Solaris was about to dodge, but then he took notice of Reika and Motoki who were right behind him.

"No! If I try to dodge, then those guys will get hurt!" he thought. "Which means I have no choice! I gotta try and block the blast! But... my Sunshine Meteor won't be enough to stop it! What'll I do?!"

Solaris wracked his mind trying to figure out what he should do to stop the blast. Then he knew what to do. He closed his eyes and concentrated crossing his arms in his chest.

"I SUMMON FORTH THE POWER OF THE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE!" he said. "LEND ME YOUR POWER!"

His hands began to glow in a white light and just as the blast was about to hit him. His eyes snapped open and a ball of white light formed on his hands.

"STARLIGHT ATTACK!"

He threw out his hands as he unleashed a powerful blast of his own. The two blasts then collided canceling each other out unleashing a powerful shockwave in the area. Smoke billowed everywhere. As the smoke began to clear up, Zoisite's eyes were wide with disbelief not believing what had just happened. Not only because of his attack being canceled out, but also recognizing the move Solaris just used.

"That's impossible!" he murmured. "That attack... it was Nephrite's! But how was he able to use that move?! He's nothing but a mere mortal!"

The smoke was eventually cleared and Solaris was still standing, but now he felt a little tired and weak.

"That attack took more out of me than I thought," he thought. "But at least I was able to block his attack. Now's my chance to get him!"

He he jumped up and dove straight at Zoisite with a kick letting out a yell. Zoisite then snapped out of his daze and then blasted Solaris with a whirlwind of petals. The petals then surrounded Solaris buffeting him and blinding him making him fall to the ground. Zoisite then seized his chance and then activated the Dark Crystal once again. This time there was no one to stop him. All Reika could do was scream in agony as a dark hole opened in her chest revealing a bright blue crystal inside of her. The crystal shot out from Reika's chest and then she transformed into her monster form that was known as Rikoukeidar.

Her once long brown hair was now pink that only went to one side in a shaved mohawk. Her skin was green and her ears became pointed. She also wore a monocle, a black strapless leopard, and knee-high boots. At that moment, Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, and Luna arrived.

"Oh no, we're too late!" cried Sailor Moon. "Reika's been turned into a monster!"

"You'd better be careful you two," warned Luna. "She looks strong."

"You'd better watch out you monster!" growled Sailor Moon. "Because we're not the same as we were before!"

"That's right!" said Sailor Jupiter. "We're being fueled with a power that will help us beat you!"

"And that is ten thousand volts of heartbreak power, looking for a boyfriend!" the two of them said together.

"Oh no... not Mako too..." groaned Luna facepawing herself.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she went on. "And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Rikoukeidar smirked mockingly. "You girls don't have boyfriends? How pathetic," she scoffed.

"Oh yeah?! Well, it's your fault for messing up our chances!" snapped Sailor Moon indignantly.

Rikoukeidar then went on the attack throwing numerous vials at her. Sailor Jupiter immediately pulled Sailor Moon out of the way just the vials hit the ground exploding. Zoisite chuckled with glee as he watched the two girls fight Rikoukeidar and Solaris struggle trying to get free from his trap while holding the blue Rainbow Crystal in his hand.

"The fifth Rainbow Crystal belongs to me!" he smirked. "I'll just leave Rikoukeidar to deal with these foolish guardians while I make my escape."

He was just about to do so, but then something smacked Zoisite's hand causing him to drop the Rainbow Crystal. Zoisite snapped his head behind him and saw what caused that to happen. There standing on the rooftop retracting his cane was Tuxedo Mask.

Zoisite then scowled. "You're forever butting in where you're not wanted!"

Tuxedo Mask then leaped off the building and stood before Zoisite with the Rainbow Crystal between them. "I'm not about to let you have the Rainbow Crystals!"

"It's my guy, Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon squealed with delight.

"Wait a minute, what about your other guy, Motoki?" asked Sailor Jupiter.

"It's a bit complicated, but right now, I'm into Tuxedo Mask!" responded Sailor Moon.

Sailor Jupiter groaned in annoyance. Then Solaris called out from inside Zoisite's trap.

"Girls! I hate to sound rude, but could one of you come help me?! I'm really starting to hate flowers here!"

The two then saw Solaris was in trouble and were about to go try and help him, but Rikoukeidar resumed her attack throwing numerous vials at the two guardians. The two frantically jumped around trying their best not to get hit. Then a particular vial popped near Sailor Moon and some strange creatures began crawling up her leg growing bigger by the second.

"Ew! What are these things?!" cried Sailor Moon in disgust.

"The foundation of all life, including you, originated from these single-cell organisms," said Rikoukeidar.

Sailor Moon could only stare at the monster not understanding a single word she just said.

"She's talking about a "one-celled brain." deadpanned Luna.

Then Jupiter attacked as her lightning rod extended from her tiara and unleashed her signature attack.

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Rikoukeidar the thunder shocked the cells covering Sailor Moon's legs freeing her from danger, but as the thunder shot towards Rikoukeidar, she made a huge flask appear in her hands and the thunder was sucked inside it. Then she took aim and the thunder shot towards the two guardians. Sailor Jupiter then grabbed Sailor Moon and jumped out of the way just as the lightning the ground with a boom.

"That was too close!" panted Sailor Moon.

"She sucked up the lightning from my Supreme Thunder and used it to attack us!" said Sailor Jupiter.

"Then what'll we do?!" cried Sailor Moon. "Do something before she fries us!"

"So you two managed to dodge, eh?" smirked Rikoukeida. "But there's still plenty of lightning left and I'll take pleasure of destroying the two of you!"

But before Rikoukeidar could have a chance...

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

A thick fog spread throughout the area blinding Rikoukeidar. At the very same time...

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Two fireballs shot out, one destroying the flask in Rikoukeidar's hands and the other burning the flower trap Solaris was in setting him free. The Guardians knew who was behind these attacks.

"It's Mercury!" smiled Sailor Moon.

"And Mars too!" said Sailor Jupiter.

"We're lucky to make it here in time," said Sailor Mercury in relief.

"It took forever to find you guys!" complained Sailor Mars.

"In any case, thanks for the saves," said Solaris. "Especially getting me out that trap."

Then when the fog lifted, Rikoukeidar found herself surrounded by the five guardians as well as Luna.

"Show some respect for your lab equipment!" scolded Sailor Mercury.

"And stop wasting resources!" added Sailor Jupiter.

"Alright, that's enough talking," said Sailor Mars in an aloof tone. She turned to Sailor Moon. "As for you, hurry up and take her out already."

"Don't boss me around!" growled Sailor Moon hotly.

"It's your fault so spaced out and boy crazy," Sailor Mars said snootily.

"What'd you say?!" snapped Sailor Moon crossly.

"Would you just do it already?!" snapped Luna.

Sailor Moon then summoned her Moon Stick and gave it a wave unleashed the healing dust on Rikoukeidar.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Rikoukeidar struggled trying to stay a monster, but it was no use as she reverted back to Reika who fell to the ground unconscious. Solaris then looked back towards Tuxedo Mask and Zoisite who were locked in a battle over the Rainbow Crystal. Not wanting the Dark General to get away with it despite him being a little weak, he immediately charged at the two. Zoisite soon found himself trapped between Solaris and Tuxedo Mask seeming unable to escape.

"Give up, Zoisite!" said Tuxedo Mask. "Your monster's been defeated!"

"And you're clearly outnumbered," added Solaris. "Surrender now and give up on the Rainbow Crystal!"

"Well... it seems that I have lost," conceded Zoisite. "You may take the Rainbow Crystal."

Tuxedo Mask was surprised, but he wouldn't give up a chance to take the Rainbow Crystal. He was just bending down to pick it up when Solaris shouted.

"No! Tuxedo Mask! It's a trick!"

But it was too late, Zoisite once again released a blizzard of petals blinding Solaris and Tuxedo Mask as he took the Rainbow Crystal.

"You're so naive, Tuxedo Mask," cackled Zoisite as he floated upward with the crystal in his hand. "Did you honestly think that I would give up the Rainbow Crystal?" He then turned to Solaris his victorious smirk now a frowning glare. "As for you, Solaris, I have no idea how you were able to use Nephrite's power, but I will find out."

He then disappeared retreating to the Dark Kingdom.

"One of these days, I'll get you for this, Zoisite!" growled Tuxedo Mask.

"That's ditto for me!" agreed Solaris.

* * *

The very next day, Motoki, Usagi, Harusuke, and Makoto were all at the airport to see Reika off.

"Reika... I really don't want to say goodbye to you," said Motoki. "But... I'm happy that you're going to get to do this."

"I know," said Reika. "But don't worry. I'll promise to write to you."

"And I'll be waiting for you as long as it takes," said Motoki.

The two then shared a tender hug one last time. Then the two separated and Reika walked away disappearing from sight on the escalator.

Harusuke, Usagi, and Makoto watched as Reika left, Usagi sobbing quietly.

"It's so sad," she wept. "Maybe we should forget about Motoki. They seem so happy together."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," said Harusuke. "But... you shouldn't feel too sad for them, Usagi. At least they'll keep in touch even though they'll be far apart from each other."

"Whatever! I'm hoping that Reika will meet someone special in Africa and never come back!" said Makoto.

The Tsukino siblings looked at Makoto in surprise.

"You don't mean that!" pouted Usagi.

"Of course I do," grinned Makoto cheekily. "And now that you've dropped out, Usagi, Motoki's all mine!"

"I didn't say that! That's just wishful thinking!"

"Wishful thinking is thinking you can cook!"

As Makoto and Usagi squabbled, Harusuke and Motoki could only sigh while shaking their heads wondering if the madness between those two will ever end.


	32. Chapter 31

_Here is the next chapter!_

 _I'm sorry that I haven't uploaded in a while!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite was speaking to Kunzite about the events that transpired the other day. Most especially what Solaris did.

"So you're telling me that Solaris used one of Nephrite's techniques during battle?" he asked.

"Yes. I saw it with my very own two eyes," said Zoisite. "I still can't believe it. A mere mortal like him having the power of one the Four Kings of Heaven. What should we do Zoisite?"

Kunzite hummed in thought putting a finger to his chin. "Well... there's nothing we can do about it for now," he said. "Besides, Nephrite was a traitor and should never be mentioned. Especially around Queen Beryl."

"But why? If this becomes a problem, Queen Beryl might not be happy about this," said Zoisite worriedly"

"Don't worry. If this becomes a threat, we'll deal with it when the time comes, my love," said Kunzite. "For now, focus on getting the Rainbow Crystals while I do a little digging."

And with that, Kunzite left. Zoisite then took out the Dark Crystal and activated its powers to reveal the next carrier. The crystal glowed and then revealed a projection of a little old man who was bald, short and had long bushy gray eyebrows. This person was Rei's Grandfather.

"So this old man has a Rainbow Crystal, eh?" smirked Zoisite. "That crystal will soon be mine before he knows it and I'll make sure that no one stands in my way. Not even Solaris and his stolen techniques!"

* * *

It was nightfall at the Hikawa Shrine. The moon was high in the sky and all was peaceful. Rei's Grandfather was sitting on top of the roof of the shrine enjoying the beautiful sight of the night.

"What a beautiful night," he mused to himself. "It would be even better if I had some dumplings and a cup of sake. Ooh, I'll bet it would taste great!"

Then came trouble. Up from above under the night of the moon in a flurry of petals appeared Zoisite. Rei's Grandfather immediately was on guard.

"I sense evil!" he spoke. "Who are you?!"

Zoisite smirked and took out the Dark Crystal activating its function. Rei's Grandfather was bathed in its light as he felt pain throughout his body screaming in agony. A spacial hole then opened up in the middle of his chest and Zoisite could see an indigo-colored crystal inside it.

"Just as I suspected," he cackled with triumph. "This old man is one of the Seven Great Monsters!" He then hovered a bit closer to him. "Now Old Man, allow me to remove the Rainbow Crystal from your body as you are reborn as your monstrous self, Jiji!"

Rei's Grandfather screamed even more as he felt his reason slipping more and more. However, being the priest that he was, he was not going down without a fight. He resisted the pain and using his spiritual powers canceled out the power of the Dark Crystal. Zoisite was buffeted back as he felt the blast of power but he quickly recollected himself. The void that was in the center of the old man's chest also closed up hiding the Rainbow Crystal from view.

"Impossible! You were able to resist the Dark Crystal?!" he growled crossly and with surprise. "I thought that you were nothing more but a senile old man... but it would seem that I was mistaken!"

Zoisite then counterattacked with a force of energy on his own sending Rei's Grandfather right off the roof and onto the ground with a thud. Zoisite then once again prepared to use the Dark Crystal, but then two crows shot out from inside the shrine gunning straight for him. The squawked and cawed as they used their sharp beaks to peck at the Dark General protecting the old man from harm.

"Get away from me, you foul crows!" shrieked Zoisite as he tried to fend them off. "I'm not garbage you know!"

But the crows didn't listen and continued attacking him. Then Rei came out of the shrine and saw that her grandpa was in trouble.

"Grandpa!"

She immediately rushed to his aide checking him to see if he was alright. Not wanting to be seen and having enough of being pecked by crows, Zoisite immediately disappeared retreated back to the Dark Kingdom. Seeing that intruder was gone, the two crows then flew back to Rei was still looking over her grandpa. He was taking deep breaths while clutching his chest still in pain from almost having his crystal taken out.

"Are you alright, grandpa?" asked Rei worriedly. "Please, tell me what happened."

Then Rei heard a noise. The sound of someone yawning which was coming from outside of the gates where the stairs were. Then a young man sat rub rubbing his eyes sleepily. He had shoulder length brown hair which was a bit unkempt, had blue eyes, had a stubble on his chin, and wore a light blue denim jacket with an openly white short sleeved button shirt with a black short-sleeved turtleneck shirt, matching pale blue denim pants and black shoes.

"Hey, what's all the racket about?" he mumbled sleepily as he turned around. "Can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep?"

Rei was a bit startled to see the young man. "Who are you?!" she demanded. "And what are you doing here?"

The young man looked at Rei. As soon as he saw her, his eyes went wide with surprise as they turned into hearts and his cheeks flushed bright red. He immediately ran up to Rei and her grandpa bowed low to the ground in respect.

"Hi! My name is Yuichiro Kumada!" the young man said. "And I beg of you of one request! Please make me your apprentice!"

Rei and her grandpa could only stare at the young man in surprise both feeling very confused.

* * *

The next day, Rei met up with her friends and then explained what had happened the other night as they walked to the shrine.

"So your grandfather was attacked the other night?" spoke Ami worriedly. "Is he OK?"

"He seems to be fine," said Rei. "But... I can't help but feel a little worried."

"Why do you say that?" wondered Makoto. "You said he was fine."

"Yeah, but... for some reason he's been acting strange," said Rei.

"Strange how?" asked Harusuke. "He didn't suffer from a brain injury did he?"

"If he did, then you should take him to the hospital," suggested Usagi.

"Believe me, I've tried," sighed Rei. "But being the stubborn old man that he is, Grandpa refuses too. Which why I wanted all of you to come with me so we could check up on him."

* * *

Back at the shrine, Rei's Grandpa was swinging about on the treetops yelling like he was Tarzan while wearing a strange green cape. He expertly swang from rope to while doing flips without messing up. He then swang on one more rope launching himself into the air. He rolled into a ball performing numerous flips and landed on the ground safely laughing with pride.

"OK, Yuichiro! Your turn!" he called out.

Yuichiro who was high above the treetops now wearing a hakama like the old man and a blue cape looked down to the ground trembling with fright.

"But... why do I have to do these things?!" he cried fearfully.

"It's training stuff!" snapped the old man. "Now jump!"

Yuichiro was still feeling frightened, but he wasn't about to disobey the old man's orders now. He took a deep breath as he gulped. Then he took a leap of faith as he jumped off the branch of the tree as he let out a poor attempt of a Tarzan yell. Then there was trouble. The rope Yuichiro was swinging on couldn't hold his weight. It suddenly snapped. Yuichiro plummeted down from above until he slammed into the ground with a sickening thud knocking him unconscious.

Seeing Yuichrio in this state Rei's Grandpa then took a bucket and threw its contents which was cold water all over Yuichiro.

"Come on now! This isn't nap time!" he barked. "Wake up!"

At that moment, Rei and her friends arrived and saw what was happening and they rushed on over.

"Grandpa?! What is going on here?!" demanded Rei.

"And... what's the green cape?" wondered Harusuke. "It... kinda looks weird."

"I think it looks pretty cute on him!" giggled Usagi.

Rei's Grandpa didn't answer Rei nor did he acknowledge the others. He simply picked up another bucket and splashed Yuichiro once again in an attempt to wake him up.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!" barked Rei crossly. "And stop doing that to the poor guy!"

"Shut up! It's not like I have a choice!" Rei's Grandpa barked back. "How else am I supposed to get him to wake up?!"

"Speaking of, who is that guy, Rei?" asked Ami.

"He's Yuichiro Kumada. Some random guy that was in front of our shrine last night," explained Rei. "I'm sure where he came from, but as soon we saw him, he asked to be Grandpa's apprentice for reason."

Rei's Grandpa then gave one more splash of water from a third bucket making water go all over him. This time, he regained consciousness as he dizzily sat up.

"Yuichiro, are you OK?" asked Rei worriedly. "You must have hit your head hard if you ended up unconscious like that."

Yuichiro looked at Rei and just like the other night, he blushed bright red upon seeing her.

"Wow Rei, you look good your school uniform," he gushed giddily.

"You out of shape, wimp!" yelled Rei's Grandpa crossly. "You're an embarrassment to your master and this shrine!"

Rei was now cross. "Hold on just a minute, Grandpa," she said. "Don't you think you're being a bit cruel?! Not to mention his training is too brutal!"

"Silence! Don't question my methods!" Rei's Grandpa yelled. "Training's always strenuous and has to be tough! Going soft on him is not going to cut it! How else can he prove that he's got real guts?!"

Then suddenly, he burst into tears sobbing loudly making everyone jump in surprise. Then before he had a chance to react, the old man dashed straight to Rei and buried his face in her chest sobbing into it.

"What am I going to do?!" he cried. "You, my granddaughter, are the only one who can take over this shrine! I'm all alone!"

Rei sighed and she pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Has he always been like this?" wondered Harusuke. "I mean I know that he's a bit... kooky, but still..."

"No. Not like this," said Rei. "In fact, he's been emotionally unstable lately. He's practically a wreck like this."

Yuichiro then stood up. "No, he's not! He's only crying because he needs my help!" he said brimming with confidence. "So even though the training's hard, I will step up! Just you watch!" He then immediately went over to the shrine and vigorously shook the rope to ring the bell as he clapped his hands together in a prayer.

"Please give me more strength!" he said. "I'm committed to endure and do whatever training and challenge that comes my way!"

Then as Yuichiro shook the rope one more time, a strange ball popped open just above him and water gushed out drenching him all over from head to toe. Rei's Grandpa now no longer crying was now roaring with laughter.

"Gotcha! You fell for my crying act, hook, line, and sinker!" he cackled.

He wasn't the only one who was laughing. Usagi began to laugh too.

"Usagi, stop it!" said Ami disapprovingly.

"Yeah. It's not that funny," said Harusuke sternly.

But Usagi didn't care. She continued to laugh. "Man Gramps, you really nailed him!" she giggled.

"I know right? Isn't this a hoot, Usagi?!" laughed the old man. "You're the only one who gets my jokes!"

Now Rei was very cross. "This has gone on long enough, Grandpa!" she snapped. "You and your tomfoolery are going to wreck the people's faith and reputation this shrine has built to the community!"

"Um... excuse me," cut in Yuichiro spoke timidly. "If it's me you're worried about-"

"You need to keep quiet, mister!" barked Rei.

"But I-"

"I said quiet!"

Yuichiro then kept quiet not wanting to make Rei anymore cross.

"Now, now. Don't be such a stick in the mud, Rei," soothed Usagi. "I mean we all have to have fun a little sometimes, right?"

Rei then glared dangerously at Usagi not standing for any nonsense. "Usagi, this is our shrine's problem, not yours," she spoke coldly. "So stay out of our business!"

Then while she was leaning in close to Usagi, Rei gave Usagi a tiny push of her finger causing the blonde to lose her balance and fall flat on her back. Usagi then burst into tears sobbing loudly.

"Oh no! Usagi!"

Harusuke went over to check his sister to make sure that she wasn't harmed.

Makoto then sighed. "Come on, Usagi. You don't have to cry over every little thing that happens, you know."

"And Rei, you really didn't have to shove her to make a point," scolded Ami.

"Technically, she just made Usagi lose her balance," pointed out Harusuke. "So I wouldn't exactly call that a shove."

Ami then glared. "Harusuke, you're not helping!"

Harusuke then gulped and looked away not wanting to upset Ami any further. Rei, however, turned away with a huff not wanting to apologize. Now Ami was cross with Rei.

"Fine! If you're going to act like this, I'm better off going to cram school to study," she said angrily. "Goodbye!"

""And I'm gonna go to kung fu, practice," said Makoto.

And the two of them left.

"Oh, that's great!" Rei snapped. "I've got a problem and you two just up and leave?! Fine! Suit yourselves!"

Now it was Harusuke's turn to be a little cross. "You need to calm down, Rei," he said sternly. "You're becoming so angry that your temper is pushing your friends away. How are we supposed to help you with your problem if you're going to let your temper blind you like this?"

Rei looked at Harusuke and then turned away in a huff. Harusuke then stood up helping Usagi to her feet.

"Until you calm that temper of yours, I think it'd be best for you take some time by yourself to take a breather," he went on. "I suggest you use that time."

And with that, Harusuke and Usagi left leaving Rei and Yuichiro by themselves.

* * *

After a while, Rei calmed down and was a lot less angry. Yuichiro wanted to talk.

"Um... Rei? May I... say something?"

Rei then smiled kindly at Yuichirou. "What is it Yuichiro?"

Yuichiro was a bit shy considering that he had just witnessed Rei's temper firsthand, but he plucked up courage.

"It's... about my master... You know, your grandfather."

Rei then looked at Yuichiro smiling kindly. "Come on, it's not like my grandpa's really your master or anything," she said. "Anyway, what about him?"

Yuichiro paused. Then he spoke in a quiet yet somewhat wise tone. "In Autumn also known as Fall, a person's feelings can change very quickly. It's a season when the biorhythms of the mind and body can become easily disturbed."

Rei felt puzzled. "What is it that you're trying to say?" she asked.

"Well... I believe that when the sunnier days of spring return, I think that's when Master will calm down and become more rational." went on Yuichiro. "But for now, I think that we should keep a close eye on him to see how he's coming along."

Rei stared at Yuichiro in surprise. Then she let out a small giggle as she sat down on the bench. Now it was Yuichiru's turn to be puzzled.

"What's so funny?"

"You're so sweet is all," said Rei. "You're actually a lot smarter and dependable than you look, Yuichiro. It makes me feel kinda bad."

The young man then blushed with embarrassment. "Wh-what makes you say that?"

"Well... you see we girls can be confusing and hopeless," explained Rei. "We call us and the people we like and love our friends, but when things get tough, we end up being cold and merciless."

Not too far away, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were watching from behind a tree watching the two. Usagi was grinning and glee.

"Lookie over there!" she giggled. "It seems that Rei's enjoying Yuichiru's company! She likes him!"

"Good grief Usagi," sighed Harusuke. "Why must you assume love over everything else? Maybe Rei's just chatting with Yuirhiru as a friend? Ever think of that?"

"Come on, Harusuke! She obviously likes him!" insisted Usagi. "In fact, I have an idea! I, Usagi Tsukino, will act their cupid!"

"Now hold on, Usagi," said Luna. "Do you honestly think that Rei would want you butting into her business?"

"Yeah. Especially since she made it clear for you butt out of that said business?" added Harusuke. "Not to mention that every time you cook up one of your love schemes, it always ends up in disaster."

"Come on you two. You both don't know what you're talking about," giggled Usagi. "Besides, me doing this is my one chance to make up with Rei!"

She then giggled mischievously while Luna and Harusuke sighed.

"There she goes again," said Luna. "Overreacting as usual."

"Yup. I can see where this is going," said Harusuke. "That is why I'm getting going while the gettings good."

He then came out from behind the tree and started walk away.

"Hey! Harusuke! Wait!" Usagi called whispering. "Don't go!"

But it was no use. Harusuke was already gone. However, Usagi refused to be discouraged.

"Oh well. Guess I'll have to handle this without him," she said. "And I know just the way to do it!"

She then dug into her pocket and pulled out an all too familiar item much to Luna's horror. The Disguise Pen.

"No Usagi!" she shrieked whispering. "You can't be using the Disguise Pen for something like this!"

Usagi wasn't listening as she held up the Disguise Pen and activated its powers.

"MOON POWER! Transform me into a fortune-teller of love!"

Usagi was now wearing a brown hakama with a pink underneath it, sandals on her feet and was carrying a wooden platform strung around her neck with a cup carrying fortune-telling sticks. Her hair was now short and she also wore glasses and had a matching colored hat.

"All right! This should do it!" she grinned brightly as she merrily skipped over to Rei and Yuichiro. "Hello there!" she said in a disguised voice as she began mixing the sticks in her hands. "I am a wandering fortune-teller of love! Prepare yourselves as I predict your future and your fortune!"

Rei was skeptical. Yuichiro was a bit surprised yet interested. Then Usagi threw the sticks into the air and caught two of them in each of her hands making an x with them while the others landed back in her cup.

"The sticks have spoken!" she said dramatically. "If you two kiss right here and now, your love will come true!"

Yuichiro face flushed red and Rei nearly fell over in surprise. "That is completely stupid!" she said indignantly. "Yuichriu, we're leaving!"

And with that with Rei pushing Yuichiro, the two walked off leaving Usagi disappointed, but that didn't last long. Right then, Rei stopped and she walked back towards Usagi glaring in anger at her.

"What was that about, Usagi?!" she snapped. "What on earth were you thinking?!"

"I... take it... you knew that it was me," said Usagi sheepishly.

But Rei was now even angrier than before. "You do realize that I already have Mamoru as my guy, so what were you trying to pull?!"

Usagi gulped now trembling with fear from Rei's overwhelming fury. Then Rei said something showed that she was clearly fed up.

"Stop interring in my life! You're not my friend anymore!"

Usagi's immediately froze as her innocent heart snapped in two and Rei stomped away leaving her by herself. After a few seconds passed and once more, Usagi burst into tears. Luna who had seen everything that had happened couldn't help but pinch her nose.

"Can't say I didn't try to warn her," she sighed.

* * *

Usagi was still feeling miserable when she came home. She sadly walked back up to her room and plopped down on the bed face down and sniffling. Then there was a knock on the door and Harusuke came in. He then entered the room carrying a bowl full of Daifuku rice cakes setting them on her table.

"Hey there Sis," he said. "How did your little love plan work out?"

"Horrible," sobbed Usagi. "Just horrible!"

Harusuke could see that his sister was more upset than before and felt a little worried. He then looked at Luna wanting to know what had happened.

"Long story short, Usagi disguised herself, but Rei figured it out and she said doesn't want to be friends with her anymore," she said.

Harusuke's eyes widened a little in surprise. "She said that? Seriously?"

Luna nodded and Harusuke looked back at his sister who was still lying face down on her bed miserable. Then he sat on the bed beside her gently placing a hand on her head stroking it.

"It's OK. Usagi. There's no need to cry," he said gently. "Even though... it was kinda your fault."

"But I can't help it," wailed Usagi sadly. "I just wanted to apologize to Rei for making her angry! But I ended up making her madder than before."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," soothed Luna. "Re may get angry quickly, but she also forgets quickly too."

"Yeah. In fact, when tomorrow comes, she'll probably forget all about why she was mad and you'll be friends again," added Harusuke.

"But she said she doesn't wanna be friends anymore!" cried Usagi. "For all I know, she'll probably be mad at me for the rest of my life!"

"That was only because of your weird behavior," insisted Harusuke. "Not to mention that you were trying to set her up with another guy even though she's dating Mamoru. She could have blurted what she said without thinking."

Usagi could only continue to cry as Harusuke continued to comfort Usagi by petting her head. Then after a few seconds, he got up and headed out of the room.

"Harusuke, where are you going?" asked Luna.

"Where do you think?" replied Harusuke. "To the Hikawa shrine. You stay here with Usagi and have some of those cakes I brought in."

And he left shutting the door behind him quietly. Luna could only sigh as she took a bite out of a cake. When the taste entered her mouth, her eyes sparkled in delight.

"Wow! These Daifuku Rice Cakes are good!" she said.

Usagi could only glare at only with depressed eyes. "How could you eat daifuku at a time like this?" she groaned.

"Because they're really delicious!" mumbled Luna as she stuffed another cake into her mouth. "Go on Usagi, try one! It'll make you feel better!"

Usagi at first simply lied there, but being the glutton that she was, she couldn't resist when it came to sweets. She sadly got up from her bed, took a cake, and bit into it. As soon as she felt the taste on her tongue, Usagi's face immediately brightened up.

"Hey! You're right! This daifuku is delicious!" she grinned. "Very tasty!"

"See? I told you so!" said Luna smiling.

Then, an idea shot through Usagi's mind. "I got it!" she cried happily. "I'll take these daifuku cakes over to Rei! I can use these as a peace offering to make up with her!"

Luna nearly choked on her cake in surprise. "Now hold on, Usagi," she said. "I don't know if that's a good idea. Seeing her now might just make her mad again."

"It'll be fine, Luna. Really!" grinned Usagi excitedly. "Besides, she loves food as much as I do!"

"No! Don't! You're making a big mistake!" cried Luna.

But it was no use. Usagi had picked up the cakes and darted out of the room faster than Luna could react.

"Oh brother," she groaned. "Once that girl gets an idea, you can never change her mind."

* * *

Back at the Hikawa Shrine, Yuichiro was still going under the crazy training Rei's Grandpa put him under. He made some significant improvements since then, but he was feeling a bit tired.

"Train! Train! Train!" he yelled as he swung from tree to tree. "I can do this! It's all for you, Rei! For you, I'll do my best!"

At the very mention of her name, Yuichiro began remembering back to when she called him sweet. This made him blush giddily as he continued to swing in the trees. Not too far away, sitting on the porch with her twin crows gazing at the moon.

"So Phobos, Daimos, what do you think?" Rei asked her faithful friends. "Do you think Grandpa's odd behavior could be caused just by the change of season?"

The two crows could only squawk in response and Yuichiro continued to train by swinging from tree to tree while daydreaming about Rei. But due to his daydreaming, he wasn't watching where he was going nor was he aware of what was going on. The rope that was holding him had once again snapped and Yuichiro was plummeting to the ground. The boy then noticed he was falling and began to flail while screaming. Then came more trouble. As he fell, Yuichiro could that he was falling right at someone coming up towards the shrine.

"Hey! Look out!" he yelled. "I can't stop!"

The person looked up, but he was too late. Yuichiro crashed right into him making them both fall to the ground with a crash. Rei hearing the noise quickly rushed on over to see what was going on. She was a bit surprised to see that a dazed Yuichiro was lying right on top of the person who was stunned and bruised.

"Oh no! Not again!" she sighed. "Yuichiro, you gotta be more careful! You fell right on top of-"

Then she saw who Yuichiro was lying on. The person turned out to be Harusuke.

"Oh no! Harusuke!" cried Rei. "Are you OK?!"

"Did anyone get the species of that monkey?" Harusuke spoke dizzily.

* * *

A few moments later, Harusuke was inside the house with Rei holding an ice pack to his head.

"Ow... that really smarts," he complained.

"I'm so sorry about that," apologized Rei. "Yuichiro's still going under that training my grandpa put it him up with, no matter how much I try to tell him to stop."

"So it would appear," groaned Harusuke. "But... you gotta give it to him though, he's got persistence."

"I suppose that's what you would call it," said Rei. "So what brings you here at this time of the night? Let me guess; does it have anything to do with Usagi?"

Harusuke then placed his icepack on the floor and looked at Rei with a serious expression. "Yes. It is," he said quietly.

"Oh. I see," said Rei.

The two of them then sat there quietly not saying another word for a quite a pause. Then Harusuke resumed talking.

"Listen, Rei, I know that you're probably mad at Usagi right now, but... she was really hurt when you said that you wouldn't be her friend anymore," he said. "I know that she cries a lot, but she was really brokenhearted this time."

Rei clenched her hands and saying nothing. Harusuke then looked up towards the sky, the stars shining brightly.

"I understand that Usagi has done some things... over the top and somewhat idiotic that got you upset, but she's a good kid at heart," went on Harusuke. "I know that you have your own issues like worrying about your grandpa right now and I won't ask or force you to apologize, but I was hoping... maybe you would consider making up with her? Or at least tell me why you got so angry?"

There was another pause. Then Rei looked back at Harusuke her eyes now somber and sad.

"Is... is she really upset?" she asked tentatively.

Harusuke answered a nod. Rei then looked towards the floor appearing to be sorry for herself.

"I know what I said was wrong..." she said. "And I remember what you told me about my temper, but... she just made me so mad. Especially when she laughed at Yuichiro when my grandpa pulled that prank on him. Not to mention that she tried to get me with him even though I have Mamoru. I just... I just..."

Harusuke then gently place a hand on Rei's shoulder. "I know. But you gotta understand Rei," he said. "Usagi's... well... Usagi. She doesn't understand things like when to laugh or not to laugh or when to butt in or not to butt in, but she's the Usagi that cares about her friends. Especially the ones that she holds dear to her heart. Which is probably why she did what she did when she tried to set you and Yuichiro together. She was only trying to make up with you, but... she went about it the wrong way."

Rei bit her lip and seemed ready to cry, but she kept her tears inside.

"Do you... do you think that... I should apologize to her?" she asked.

"As I said, I'm not here to force you to do that," said Harusuke. "But I would appreciate it if you did. After all, I hate to see such a good friendship be destroyed over something like this."

Rei was silent once again for a few seconds then she got up and started walking down the hall. "I'm gonna go take a bath," she said. "But... I will consider it."

Harusuke then smiled. "That's all I wanted to hear," he said.

And with that, Rei left hoping to have a good soak in the bath to clear her head.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rei's Grandpa was sitting in front of the sacred immersed in deep meditation while waving about his gohei. Then he stopped. He was sensing danger. An evil presence that he recognized immediately forcing him to whip his head around behind him.

"So! You're back again, you evil spirit!" he growled.

Sure enough, in a flurry of petals, Zoisite appeared cackling evilly.

"You may have gotten away from me before," he smirked. "But tonight, I will be taking that Rainbow Crystal from you."

Not wanting to let Zoisite get the upper hand, the old man using his powers as a priest, blasted Zoisite with kinetic power while the latter countered with a blast of his own. The force of their collisions made the entire temple shake. However, Zoisite proved to the be the stronger man as Rei's Grandpa was sent flying out of the house. As he was about to hit the ground, the old man did a flip and managed to land on the ground safely, but Zoisite seeing this opening used his powers to the create a tornado of petals surrounding and paralyzing him. He then immediately whipped out the Dark Crystal using its powers once again.

"Give it up, old man!" Zoisite sneered with triumph. "Your Rainbow Crystal is as good as mine!"

Rei's Grandpa screamed in pain as his chest was once again opened by a spacial void revealing the indigo Rainbow Crystal once again. The crystal came out of his chest and shot straight towards Zoisite, but suddenly something shot out from the darkness intercepting the crystal and it knocking it to the ground. Zoisite clicked his tongue in annoyance and saw the object that stopped the crystal from coming to him. It was a single red rose which could only mean one thing. Zoisite looked up and sure enough, there standing on top of the shrine's gates was Tuxedo Mask.

"You again!" hissed Zoisite. "Tuxedo Mask!"

"Sorry Zoisite, but I'll be taking that Rainbow Crystal," the masked man said as he leaped off the gate gunning straight for the crystal.

However, just as he was about to get it, Rei's Grandpa was enveloped by a swirl of black energy as he began to transform. When the black energy dissipated, there stood the true form of Rei's Grandpa, the monster known as Jiji. He had the appearance of something like a primate, had black skin, gold hoops around his wrists and ankles, had white sharp claws on his hands, wore a red scarf around his neck, and had a face which resembled a demon with horns with weird googly yellow eyes and white hair resembling a mane.

Zoisite then saw his chance. "Jiji! Get rid of Tuxedo Mask!" he ordered. "And make sure that he doesn't get that crystal!"

Jiji obeyed by jumping in front of Tuxedo Mask cutting off his path towards the Rainbow Crystal growling menacingly. Seeing his chance, Zoisite then touched down and picked up the crystal.

"Too bad for you, Tuxedo Mask," he sneered. "Jiji's sure to make short work of you."

"You coward!" yelled Tuxedo Mask. "Why don't you fight like a man and face me?!"

Zoisite responded with a mocking giggle. "Sorry Tuxedo Mask, but I'm taking this Rainbow Crystal. Good night now."

He then took a great leap disappearing into the trees. Jiji went on the attack again as he unleashed a powerful blast of energy from his mouth. Luckily, the attack missed as Tuxedo Mask followed Zoisite in hot pursuit. Jiji growled in fury letting his prey get away. Then Harusuke and Yuichiro showed up wondering what all of the noise was about.

"What's going on here?" called Harusuke.

Then he and Yuichiro saw Jiji.

"I-I-It's a monster!" screamed Yuichiro fearfully.

Jiji then let out a growl as it glared straight at the two boys with his claws extended. Harusuke now had a bit of a dilemma on his hands.

"What do I do?!" he thought. "I can't leave Yuchiro himself not to mention that I can't transform in front of him! I have to find a way to transform or contact the others before-"

Then there was trouble. Yuichiro let out a frightened scream as he took off running. "It's a monster! I've got to warn Rei!"

"Yuichiro, wait!" yelled Harusuke. "Don't make any sudden-"

Then Jiji let out a roar and gunned straight for Harusuke swiping at him with its claws. The boy managed to duck just in the nick of time and he took off running after Yuichiro. The boys ran as fast as they could Jiji following close behind them.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind," thought Harusuke. "But Yuichiro has the right idea. First, we should make sure that Rei's safe. Then when the opening arrives, I separate and transform."

The two boys ran and ran until they came to a room which appeared to be Rei's. Yuichiro immediately opened the door.

"Rei! You gotta get out here now!" yelled Yuichiro.

"Yeah! It's headed this way and-" Harusuke began to say but then he stopped.

Rei was indeed in there, but she was standing before them in the buff with only her hair covering her up. The two boys immediately blushed in a bright shade of red as Rei turned around and let out a scream of embarrassment.

"Don't look, you idiots!" she shrieked.

"s-sorry, Rei!" apologized Harusuke.

"Wow. I saw..." Yuichiro grinned giddily. "I saw Rei..."

Harusuke then glared. "Yuichiro! This isn't the time for this!" he snapped.

"Oh yeah! You're right!" Yuchiro said regaining his composure. "Rei! You gotta get out of here right now! There's a..."

Then the two boys heard the sound of growling as well as footsteps. The two boys snapped their heads towards the hall and they saw Jiji prowling towards them. Rei seizing this chance quickly got dressed while the two were distracted. When she was finished, she came out of her room into the hall with them. Then she saw Jiji.

"It's a monster!" she cried. "What it doing here?!"

"We don't know," said Harusuke. "But we better get going while we can."

Jiji then roared as it pounced straight at them. The three then took off running trying to get away, but Jiji like a lion with a gazelle was right on top of them. They ran down the hall and turned around the corner and came into the sacred fire room. At that moment, Jiji fired a blast of energy from his mouth blasting the three into the other side of the room. Rei and Harusuke landed on the floor, but Yuichiro slammed directly into the wall and fell onto the floor in a heap. Jiji seeing his prey cornered, closed in his yellow eyes glinting with victory. Harusuke then got up and stood in front of Rei to protect her, but then Yuichiro stepped in front the two of them.

"Go on, you two! Get out of here!" he yelled bravely.

"But what about you, Yuichiro?!" gasped Rei.

"There's no way you could take on that monster by yourself!" said Harusuke.

"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" insisted Yuichiro. "I would die for you, Rei! And kid, I don't know who you are, but any friend of Rei's is a friend of mine! Now both of you, go!"

Rei and Harusuke stared at Yuichiro for his bravery. Then Jiji pounced extending his claws. But rather than running, Yuichiro charged bravely at the monster colliding it head-on with a tackle. However, this proved to be fruitless as Jiji's overwhelming strength sent Yuichiro flying into a wall again. This time, Yuichiro stayed down as he fell unconscious.

"Yuichiro!" cried Rei.

"It's no good! He's out cold!" said Harusuke. "I'll give him points for bravery for though."

Rei then ran straight towards the sacred flame and began making hand signs.

"Rei, what are you doing?" wondered Harusuke.

"Finding out who's behind this monster!" replied Rei as she continued to make her hand signs. "Rin, Pyō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

The sacred flame roared and flared blinding Jiji as Rei used her powers. In the flames, an image of Jiji was shown, then the image changed as an image of Rei's Grandpa was shown. Harusuke and Rei eyes widened with shock as they then understood.

"It's my grandpa! Somehow he's been turned into a monster!" gasped Rei. "How did this happen to him?!"

"I can only think of one way," said Harusuke. "Your grandpa's a Rainbow Crystal carrier and one of the Seven Great Monsters! Zoisite must have taken it from under our noses and forced him into this state!"

Then Harusuke held up his hand about to transform, but then Rei stopped him.

"No! Stop! Don't hurt him!" she begged.

Jiji than pounced once again gunning straight for them, but then Rei tackled Harusuke through a door leading outside granting them their escape with Jiji hot on their heels. The two then took off running as fast as they could.

"Rei?! Why did you stop me?" panted Harusuke. "We need to transform!"

"I know! But he's still my grandpa even though he's a monster!" said Rei pleadingly. "And I don't want him to get hurt!"

Jiji then caught up to them leaping high into the air and landing in front of them. Then the beast shot towards them his claws extended. Then before Rei could react, Harusuke pushed Rei out of the way as Jiji clasped his hand around his neck pinning him against the statue. Harusuke let out a gurgling gasp as Jiji squeezed his neck choking the life out of him.

"No! Harusuke!" cried Rei.

Harusuke clawed at Jiji's hand trying to make him let out, but Jiji continued to squeeze his neck. Harusuke then looked at Rei.

"Rei... run... get out of here," he croaked helplessly. "Contact... Usagi... she's... the only one... who..."

Jiji growled menacingly as he squeezed harder making Harusuke croak. But Rei didn't run. She had to save Harusuke and stop her grandpa.

"Please grandpa! You've got to snap out of it!" she begged. "It's me, your granddaughter, Rei! I know that you're possessed, but if you're still in there, you wouldn't be so evil and keep attacking my friend like you are now! Please! Let him go!"

Jiji then stopped and looked curiously at Rei. Thinking that he was responding to her, Rei grew a little closer.

"Can you hear me?" she asked tentatively. "Grandpa?"

Sadly Rei's good intentions were for naught, for Jiji extend his claws and gave a powerful swipe at her. Luckily Rei ducked just in the time, but the force of Jiji's swipe was so strong, that the force destroyed the statue behind her.

"Well that didn't work!" she squeaked fearfully.

Jiji then turned back towards Harusuke who was now growing pale in the face and prepared to finish him, but then a rock bonked him right on the head.

"You stop right there!" said a familiar voice. "Leave my friend and brother alone! If you think I'm gonna let you pick on my dear friend Rei, and my brother, you've got another thing coming!"

Everyone looked up and there a few feet away while holding her basket of daifuku cakes was Usagi along with Luna beside her. Jiji growled in anger as his yellow eyes gleamed with hate also letting go of Harusuke.

"Usagi!" cried Rei joyfully.

Usagi then held up her hand and sprang into action.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice!" she proclaimed as she and Luna stood in front of Harusuke and Rei. "I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Thanks a lot, Sailor Moon," said Rei. "You really saved us."

"Yeah," coughed Harusuke. "As usual, you have excellent timing."

"My pleasure," smiled Sailor Moon. Then she whipped out the bowl of daifuku cakes. "By the way, have you tried one of these? They're really delicious!"

"Have you completely lost it?!" snapped Luna indignantly. "This isn't the time to be eating daifuku!"

"Oh, you're right," said Sailor Moon sheepishly.

Then she took hold of her tiara about to use her Moon Tiara Action, but then Rei and Harusuke stopped her.

"Wait, Sailor Moon! Don't hurt him!" said Rei. "That monster is my grandpa!"

Sailor Moon gawked at Rei in shock then she looked at Jiji.

"No way! That monster's your grandpa?! Seriously?!"

"Yeah. Long story short, Zoisite got here before we did and took the crystal from him making him into Jiji," explained Harusuke.

"That would explain his recent behavior," said Luna. "The changes in his behavior were symptoms of what he was about to become!"

"Then what'll we do?!" cried Sailor Moon. "If Rei's Grandpa is the monster then we have a problem!"

Jiji then let out a roar as it went on the attack again. The four of them then took off running as Jiji nipped at their heels.

Then Luna had an idea. "Rei! Use one of your talismans to immobilize him!"

Rei then stopped running and took out an ofuda from her hakama and jumped into the air above Jiji. Then when she saw an opening, she slapped it right onto Jiji's forehead.

"Now, evil spirit, be exorcized!"

Jiji stopped and he roared in agony as he was now immobile.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" yelled Harusuke. "Return Rei's Grandpa to normal!"

Sailor Moon summoned forth her Moon Stick and performed her Moon Healing Escalation. Jiji writhed in agony as he felt the full power of it. Then in a bright flash of light Jiji was no more and Rei's Grandpa was back to normal. Rei immediately rushed to his side as he fell to the ground unconscious. Her eyes were flowing with tears of relief as she hugged her grandpa.

* * *

A little while later, after everything had calmed down, everyone was enjoying the daifuku that Usagi brought.

"Wow! you weren't kidding, Usagi!" Rei spoke as she munched. "These are really good!"

"See? I told you," smiled Usagi.

"These are really good," agreed Yuichiro. "But I'm still wondering about something."

"What's that?" wondered Harusuke.

"What happened to that monster end up going anyway?"

"What strange monster?" wondered Rei's Grandpa. "Did something happen?"

"Don't you remember?" said Usagi. "You don't remember what you did to-"

Then Rei and Harusuke both covered Usagi's mouth with each of their hands.

"Monster? What strange monster? There are no monsters here, right Harusuke?" spoke Rei.

"Nope! No monsters here! In fact, I don't know what a monster is!" said Harusuke nervously. "Right, Usagi?"

Usagi then nodded in agreement not wanting to say anything more.

"Yuichiro must have been asleep to be thinking about monsters," went on Rei. "It had to have been a dream or something."

"But... it felt so real," insisted Yuichiro. "It didn't feel like a dream to me." Then he smiled. "Oh well. Guess it's nothing to worry about."

Rei looked up at him and remembered how Yuichiro protected her. Then she blushed as she tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.

"Um... Yuichiro," she spoke. "You might seem to be a dense blockhead, but... you're a really kind and brave guy."

And she kissed Yuichiro on the cheek causing Usagi, Harusuke, Rei's Grandpa, and even Luna to gawk at her with shock. Yuichiro, however, was completely elated with joy.

"Now I feel alive with youth and its wonder!" he gushed.

"Rei, you sly little minx!" smirked Usagi slyly. "You're in love with Yuichiro!"

"Don't be silly! I'm not in love with him!" insisted Rei her cheeks redder than ever. "I just felt sorry for him because Grandpa's always been telling him off is all! You've got it all wrong!"

"Suuure, I do," Usagi teased.

"Now see here, Rei!" Rei's Grandpa spoke crossly. "I'm not going to let you marry Yuichiro! You have to tell him no!"

Now Rei was even more embarrassed. "Now wait just a minute! When on earth did I say I was going to marry him?!" she demanded.

"Marry him, Rei! Marry him!" Usagi gushed giddily.

"Me? Marry Rei?" gushed Yuichiro now even redder. "Me and Rei are getting married?!"

"Don't even think about it!" Rei and her grandfather snapped.

Before Harusuke knew what was happening, a four-way chase was being ensued with Usagi in front giggling madly, Rei in second ready to tear Usagi a new one, Yuichiro third trying to get away from Rei's grandfather who was last smacking Yuichiro on the head with a broom.

"How the heck did it come to this?" he thought shaking his head. But then smiled. "At least one thing's for sure, things are back to normal between Usagi and Rei."

But then, as Harusuke watched the hilarious chase continue, a somewhat of a bad feeling crept into his chest. Something that made him remember back to when his friends were possessed by the enemy and one girl, in particular, kissed him on the cheek.

"Wait... what was that just now?" he thought. "Why did I remember that all of a sudden?"

He then shook that feeling out of his mind thinking that it was nothing as he continued to watch the four as he munched on a daifuku.

* * *

 _Another chapter is done!_

 _If you liked what you read, feel free to PM or Review!_

 _As for the rest of the story, I'm planning on making things a bit interesting by adding a couple of elements from another version of a certain series._

 _Until then, Dragoman out!_


	33. Chapter 32

In Juuban, somewhere in the middle of town, a piercing cry of terror was heard. That cry came from Luna who was running as fast her little paws could carry her. The reason being was due to a large stampede of angry cats relentlessly chasing behind her. Luna had no why they were chasing her, but one thing was for sure; it wasn't because they were trying to be friendly. Luna kept running and running and the cats kept on chasing after her.

Then came trouble. In her haste to get away from her chasers, Luna didn't notice until too late that she had run into a parking lot leading to a dead end. She was now trapped. Luna nervously looked behind her and saw that all the cats standing behind her their eyes gleaming and their teeth gleaming in their victorious smiles. A brown cat then walked forward appearing to be the leader of the group. He was just about to give the order to finish Luna off, but then suddenly something shot from above piercing the ground in front of the brown cat stopping him, similar with what Tuxedo Mask did when he entered.

Upon expecting the projectile, Luna, the brown cat, and his army were surprised to see that the object was a fish bone. They then looked up and saw who where it had come from. Sitting from above was another cat. Unlike the others, the animal was large, fat, and a strange turquoise color with yellow eyes.

At first, Luna was a bit disgusted upon seeing the cat, but then she noticed something. The brown cat and his army were looking up at the fat turquoise cat with fright, their eyes wide in terror. It was obvious that they knew who the feline was. The turquoise fat cat looked at them and his eyes widened as he gave them a menacing glare. Then the brown cat and his army slowly backed away from Luna and left the area until they were out of sight.

Luna watched as they all left not believing what she was seeing. Then she felt a shot of pain which was coming from her tail. She looked at it and saw that a small pink cat was chewing on the end of her tail. Luna looked at the pink cat and the pink cat looked back at her. Then the pink cat spat out Luna's tail and then went on its way. Luna felt annoyed and wanted nothing more than to claw the little creature's eyes out, but then felt someone licking her tail which caused her to look and she was surprised to see that it was the turquoise fat cat who was licking her. Luna now felt more disturbed by her savior and was just about to reap the cat a new one then they both heard a voice.

"Rhett Butler!"

The turquoise fat cat immediately scampered away disappearing from behind a car. Feeling a bit curious, Luna peered from behind the corner to see where her savior was going. She then saw the cat in the arms of a little girl who was no more than about Shingo's age, had light pale skin, long brown hair with small green bows on the sides of her head, and wore a beautiful pink dress with white ruffles around her neck and on the ends of her sleeves trimmed green, and a large blue bow in the center of her chest.

"Oh, Rhett Butler! I've been looking everywhere for you," the girl said with relief. "You need to stop making me worry so much."

"He's not much of a Rhett Butler to me," muttered Luna as she went on her way still feeling a bit disturbed.

* * *

At the very same time in the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite had just activated the Dark Crystal which was now showing him the next target. It was the little girl who was Rhett Bulter's owner.

"Well now, that's who the last target is," mused Zoisite as he played with the bangs of his hair. "I never would have imagined that it would be such a cute little girl." Then he smiled evilly. "This will make things a whole lot easier for me as I get the last Rainbow Crystal."

* * *

Luna had eventually made her way to the park where she had arranged a meeting with the Guardians. When she arrived, she saw that Ami was waiting for her. Ami noticed wound Luna suffered on the tip of her tail and was wondering what had happened. Luna then explained everything as she dipped her tail into the water at the fountain hoping its cold temperature would ease the pain.

"Sounds like you had a hectic morning," said Ami.

"You're telling me," sighed Luna. "I don't want anything more to do with turf wars between stray cats."

Just then, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna came running up to them.

"Hey, guys! We're here!" called Usagi.

"Sorry we're a little late," said Makoto. "Didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"Not at all," said Ami. "We just showed up a few minutes ago."

Harusuke then looked around and noticed that a certain guardian wasn't accounted for other than himself and the others.

"Hey, Where's Rei?" he asked. "I don't see her anywhere."

Ami then blushed awkwardly. "She... mentioned something about going on a date because it's Sunday."

Usagi immediately became cross. "She's on a date?!" she growled. "Why is she going on a date at an important time like this?! Doesn't she know that we have Guardian business to do?!"

"You're the last person who should be saying that, Usagi," countered Luna. "You of all people would probably be doing the exact same thing."

"Now, now. Let's stay focused at the task at hand," soothed Harusuke. "In case you've forgotten, the reason we're all here is to find the Rainbow Crystals. As it stands right now, six of the Rainbow Crystals have been found. So far, Zoisite, as well as the Dark Kingdom has four, Tuxedo Mask as one, and we also have one which means that there's only one Rainbow Crystal left."

"Yeah. That means we have to find that last crystal before Zoisite does," said Makoto.

"But how are we gonna find it?" asked Usagi. "It's not like we a crystal detector or something."

Then Ami then took out her mini computer and started typing on its keyboard in a flawless and swift speed. Everyone else curiously went over to her to see what she was up to.

"What are you doing, Ami?" asked Makoto.

"I'm trying to locate the seventh Rainbow Crystal," spoke Ami. "My computer should be able to track it down."

Usagi then looked at her Moon Stick which was sticking out of her backpack. "That's strange. My Moon Stick isn't reacting at all," she said.

"That's because the Moon Stick can only work when we're close to it," deadpanned Luna. "So, we're using Ami's computer to calculate its data."

"Wait... if it could do that, then couldn't you have used that function before to locate the other Rainbow Crystals before then?" wondered Harusuke. "It certainly would have saved a lot of trouble for us."

"Believe me, I'm well aware this should have come up sooner," said Luna. "But we had to gather data first, not to mention it takes a long time to put in because there's so much."

Then Ami's computer let out a beep as Ami finished inputting the data. The computer was now showing a map representing Juuban with a flashing yellow dot on a certain location.

"According to this, the seven Rainbow Crystal is at this location," said Luna.

"Then let's go get that crystal," said Harusuke.

* * *

A little later, they arrived at the location which turned out to be a fancy house. It was about two two-stories tall and it was colored green and white. The lawns were a lush green and it also had some plants growing here and there.

"Wow. Pretty nice looking place," said Harusuke. "Then again our house is pretty much the same style."

"So you think that the Rainbow Crystal is somewhere around that house?" asked Usagi.

"If the data's right, it should be," replied Ami.

As they looked towards the house, Luna happened to look at a window and she saw something that made her eyes wide with horror. There sitting there on the window sill was none other than Rhett Butler which could only mean one thing.

"Oh no!" Luna groaned internally. "That cat lives here?! Just my luck!"

"Alright then. Let's go inside," said Makoto.

"Actually... you guys go on ahead," said Luna. "I'll just hang back out here."

"But why?" wondered Ami.

"I've got stuff to do," said Luna abruptly.

Usagi then stretched her eyes as she did an impression of Luna. "But Luna, your stuff can wait. This is a very important mission. Try to remember what your duties are."

"Stop being so rude," growled Luna. "I've never looked that ugly in my life."

"It's alright," soothed Ami. "I guess there are times where even Luna doesn't want to go on missions."

"I guess I'll have to accept that," grumped Usagi. "Even if she's being mean."

"Alright then," said Harusuke. "We'll be right back Luna. Wait right here for us so we can find you if there's trouble."

"And don't move either," said Usagi.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," said Luna. "I won't move an inch."

The four teens then walked towards the house leaving Luna by herself.

"Honestly, I wish that Usagi was always this motivated," Luna said to herself. "But on the bright side, at least I have some time to myself and I don't have to worry about her crying."

But Luna was wrong. For right then, she sensed that she wasn't alone. She then looked up and what she saw made her eyes grow wide with horror. To her right on top of the wall was a legion of cats. They all looked down at her glaring daggers with their eyes and meowing aggressively. Feeling frightened, Luna slowly walked to her left hoping to make a break for it, but then on the other wall to her left was another legion of cats who glared and meowed at her aggressively. The black cat now found herself completely surrounded with no means of escape.

"Oh no! Not again!" she cried to herself as she braced herself for a repeat of what she went through this morning.

* * *

Usagi and the gang were now at the front door of the house. Ami then reached for the doorbell and pressed it ringing it. After a brief pause, the door opened and the same little girl that Luna saw before appeared in the doorway with Rhett Butler in her arms.

"Hello there," Ami spoke kindly. "Sorry to bother you little one, but is your mother or father home?"

The little girl looked down shyly. "No. They won't be home until tonight."

Just then, the Moon Stick suddenly began to emit a beeping sound and its crystal flashed brightly.

"Check it out. The Moon Stick's reacting," murmured Usagi.

"Then... could that little girl be monster?" wondered Makoto.

"It would certainly seem like it," said Harusuke. "Looks like Ami's computer was right on the dot."

Then suddenly Rhett Butler sensed something. Something that no ordinary cat would be unable to sense. A certain cat was in danger once again and he knew exactly who and where she was. He then thrashed about trying to get out of the little girl's arms. She tried to firm a hold on him, but Rhett Butler managed to break free and took off running. The girl quickly ran after him.

"Rhett Butler! Come back!" cried the little girl. "Come back here!"

But the cat didn't listen. He dashed away running at an incredible speed desperate to save his love. The girl ran as fast as she trying to catch up disappearing from sight.

"I wonder what that was about?" wondered Makoto.

"Who knows?" said Harusuke. "One thing's for sure, that was definitely a strange cat."

"You guys, you think that maybe we should help her?" asked Usagi. "I mean that is her cat."

"I say we should," said Ami. "After all, she is a Rainbow Crystal carrier and we should keep an eye on her."

Then suddenly the four teens heard a scream. A scream filled with terror that made all of them jump. They immediately broke into a run knowing that the little girl was in danger.

* * *

Back with Luna, she was still in heaps of trouble as the brown cat and his army made their return. The leader smirked along with his minions eager to finish what they started. The brown jumped up and extended his claws wanting to make Luna pay for invading its territory for the last time. Not knowing how to defend herself and not sure what to do, Luna shut her eyes and waited for the pain to come.

But then suddenly, something whisked Luna away out of harm making the brown cat crash into the ground burying itself deeply in it. The cats were surprised wondering what had just happened. They then looked up in time to see Rhett Butler who managed to save Luna just in the nick of time land on the wall from above holding the black cat by the neck using his mouth. The cats were amazed and were in shock.

However, due to the awkward position Rhett Butler was in and Luna's weight, he couldn't hold the two of them up anymore. The two then fell down right on top of a trash can which launched them high into the air and soaring past the army of cats until the landed on the cover of an open manhole which led to the sewers. The cats then looked back in time to see the manhole shift and Luna and Rhett Butler disappearing into the manhole cover inadvertently closing the cover behind them. The cats stared at the closed manhole in utter disbelief all believing that those two were either very lucky or unlucky.

* * *

The little girl was now lying on the ground unconscious from the shock as Zoisite stood above her with his Dark Crystal in hand.

"Now then, it's time for me to take the Rainbow Crystal," he said to himself.

He then activated the Dark Crystal's function making it release its frequency and shine its light on the little girl searching for the Rainbow Crystal in her body. Zoisite waited and he waited as eagerly waited for the final crystal to appear in the girl's body, but to his surprise, nothing happened. The girl not only remained unconscious but there wasn't a Rainbow Crystal to be seen.

"What's going on here?!" he demanded. "Why isn't the Rainbow Crystal appearing?! Could I have gotten the wrong target?!"

Then Zoisite realized. He was indeed correct about the Dark Crystal showing the target, but the Rainbow Crystal wasn't inside of the girl at all. It was inside of someone else entirely. Someone that he had completely overlooked until now.

"Now I understand! The crystal was right in front of my eyes the entire time!" he gasped as he stopped the Dark Crystal's functions. "I've been careless! The final great monster was reborn as an animal, not human! That fat ugly cat has the Rainbow Crystal!"

"Stop right there!"

Zoisite immediately snapped his head towards the voice and in front of the alley was Sailors Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury and Solaris. However, the four heroes were in quite the precarious position. The reason being due to their haste to stop Zoisite and the fact that the alley was very skinny, the four found them stuck in the alley in a tangled mess. But they didn't let that stop them.

"Now that we're here, you won't be getting your way, Zoisite!" said Sailor Mercury.

"We won't let you turn that child into a monster!" said Sailor Jupiter.

"And we also won't let you take the Rainbow Crystal either!" said Solaris.

"In the name of the Moon, we'll punish you!" finished Sailor Moon.

Zoisite prepared himself to attack upon seeing the guardians, thinking that he was in for a fight but he would soon be wrong. Sailor Mercury attempted to use her Bubble Spray but due to the cramped space of the alley, she ended up losing her balance. She ended up shoving her foot in Sailor Moon's face, flashing her bottom right in Sailor Jupiter's face causing the girl to blush bright pink, and plomping her chest right on Solaris' head.

"Sailor Moon! You're in my way!" complained Sailor Mercury.

"I... can't... help it!" grunted Sailor Moon as Mercury's foot dug deep into her face.

"Hey! Mercury! Watch it!" Solaris cried as he blushed beet red. "You're getting in my way too!"

"S-Solaris! Don't move!" squeaked Sailor Mercury blushing. "Your head is hitting me!"

Zoisite seeing this awkward position the guardians were in couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them and somewhat annoyed. He then jumped back making sure he was a safe distance away from them.

"I'm done with this..." he sighed. "I don't have time to be playing these games."

Sailor Jupiter then extended her antenna as she prepared to use her Supreme Thunder attack. "You're not getting away!" she cried. "SUPREME..."

"Hey! Wait a minute, Jupiter!" Sailor Moon squeaked in horror.

"Don't use your Supreme Thunder! Not in right now!" cried Solaris.

"If you use your attack now, we'll be electrocuted!" cried Sailor Mercury.

But there was no need for Zoisite had disappeared leaving a flurry of petals in his wake. The guardians stared at where Zoisite once stood now feeling very sheepish. But then Solaris pulled himself out of the tangle and managed to get himself free. He then broke into a run heading down the alley.

"No! I'm not letting him get away!" he growled. "Get back here, Zoisite!"

"Solaris! Wait! Come back!" called Sailor Moon.

"I'll be fine!" Solaris called back. "You guys take care of the girl while I go after Zoisite!"

And with that, Solarisdisapppeared into the darkness.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zoisite had fled into the sewers below. Upon teleporting there, Zoisite immediately felt the foul smell of the sewers enter his nostrils forcing him to pinch his nose in disgust.

"It smells really rotten down here!" he groaned. "Why does that fat ugly cat have to be in a stinky place like this?! This is exactly why I hate non-human monsters!"

As he took a step forward, he inadvertently slipped and ended up stepping into the sewer water. Zoisite groaned and felt even more disgusted, but he put on a brave face as he knew that he had to tough it out.

"This might be my greatest challenge yet!" he said to himself as he resumed his search for Rhett Butler.

* * *

Solaris continued to run as fast as he could trying to figure out where Zoisite went. But Zoisite was nowhere to be seen.

"Darn it! Where did he go?!" he said to himself. "He couldn't have gone very far!"

Then he saw a manhole cover which led directly to the sewers. He immediately went over to the cover and opened it.

"He could have gone down in the sewers. It would be a good place to hide," he said to himself. "But... I'm not exactly thrilled to go down there..." But he quickly shook his head slapped his cheeks. "No! I have to get down there. I have to make sure Zoisite is stopped before he has a chance to get to the girl."

He then jumped down into the manhole and landed on the floor of the sewers. It was very dark and quiet and if it wasn't for his mouth guard, Solaris would be smelling the stink and fumes of them. As he looked around he saw nothing but darkness making it somewhat difficult to see. But he pressed onward. After a few minutes of walking, he had just turned around the corner when he saw something in the darkness. At first,

he couldn't quite make out what it was but as got closer, he quickly realized what it was. It was Luna and Rhett Butler, both of which were lying on the ground unconscious. Solaris quickly rushed over to them.

"Luna! Hey, Luna! Come on! Wake up!" he spoke.

Luna then slowly opened her eyes as she started to wake up. Rhett Butler also began regaining conscious as well.

"What...? Solaris? What happened?" Luna groaned. "Where are we?"

"We're in the sewers," said Solaris. "How did you get down here?"

Luna suddenly remembered. "We somehow ended up down here because I ran to some cats that I ran into this morning," she explained. "One minute, I thought I was going to be mauled, the next minute I found myself down here with... him."

Luna then gave a backward glance toward Rhett Butler who just stared blankly at her.

"In any case, I'm just glad that you're OK," said Solaris. "However, we have a problem. Zoisite showed up again."

"Zoisite?!"

"Yes. It seems that the target's a little girl who's also this cat's owner. I actually came down here in the sewers to see if I could find Zoisite before he got to the girl."

Luna then frowned. "But is she OK? And where are the other guardians?"

"They're at the girl's house standing guarding her," he said. "She's safe at least for the moment. But we have to find a way out of here, not to mention find Zoisite and put him down."

"Then I say let's get moving," said Luna. "The sooner we get out of here the better."

Solaris then looked at Rhett Butler who was looking at the two curiously.

"So... how do you know this cat anyway?" wondered Solaris. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Luna's face then flushed bright red. "Absolutely not!" she snapped. "Besides, this isn't the time to be asking such nonsense. Now come on!"

Luna then marched on ahead leaving Solaris and Rhett Butler behind. The two then looked at each giving a confused shrug and the followed after her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rei was walking around in the shopping district in the area feeling a bit glum. The reason being was that she had been trying to call Mamoru, so she could go out on a date with him to a fancy restaurant she found. Sadly, Mamoru didn't answer and so Rei had decided to wander around idly trying to find something to do.

"I wonder where Mamoru went?" she sighed. "I was sure that we were getting together today. This isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my Sunday afternoon."

"Hey! Rei!"

A familiar voice called out to Rei causing her to stop and look behind her. She was surprised to see a familiar boy with scraggly brown hair standing in front of her.

"Y-Yuichiro!"

Then Rei had an idea. Since she was all by herself and Yuichiro was here, she decided to go out with him instead. She just needed to flash her feminine charms to get him to go out with her.

"How's it going you?" she smiled. "Looks like you have the day off too, am I right?"

"Yeah. I'm just sort of... hanging out," Yuichiro spoke shyly. "Say... I was wondering, would you like to have a cup of tea with me?"

Rei then looked away shyly but really she was going for the hard to get strategy.

"Well... I don't know," she said. "I may have other plans."

Rei originally was planning to give Yuichiro an answer after teasing him, but Yuichiro answered her first.

"Oh yeah... Sorry about that," he apologized. "What was I thinking springing this on you last minute. A beautiful girl like you is probably all booked up."

"Huh?! Well... Yeah... I guess..."

"Oh. Oh well then. Have a nice day then! I'll see you back at the temple tomorrow!"

Before Rei could stop him, Yuichirou had already walked away leaving Rei baffled and somewhat defeated.

"Oh wow... he sure took off in a big hurry," she muttered miserably. "Just gone with the wind... I guess..."

* * *

Back in the sewers, Zoisite was still searching for Rhett Butler. He was now looking through a narrow tunnel using the Dark Crystal as a light and a detector. As he ventured deeper and deeper into the tunnel, the crystal began to glow brighter.

"Yes. It's so close," he chuckled. "That ugly cat is close by now."

Then as he felt the wall, Zoisite noticed something odd. Instead of having a hard concrete surface, the wall had a different texture entirely.

"It... feels warm," Zoisite thought to himself. "And it's soft and squishy too. What kind of wall is this?"

Zoisite then shone the crystal where his hand was and his face immediately paled with horror. For what he was feeling wasn't the wall at all. It was a wall of mice! And there wasn't just a couple either. The entire tunnel that he was searching was made of hundreds of mice! Zoisite let out a shriek of terror as he scrambled out of the tunnel and broke into a frenzied run as the wave of mice swarmed after him.

"It's a moving massive parade or rats!"

* * *

Not too far away, Solaris, Luna, and Rhett Butler were still wandering around trying to find a way out. After about several minutes of walking, they decided to take a break and rest for a bit.

"This sucks," complained Luna. "I don't see an exit anywhere."

"Me either, but we have to keep looking, Luna," said Solaris. "We're bound to find an exit eventually if we keep walking."

"But how long will that take?" groaned Luna as she leaned against the wall. "That'll get us nowhere." She then looked at Rhett Butler accusingly. "If you had just stayed away..."

Luna was just about to start blaming Rhett Butler when she noticed something. On Rhett Butler's right front leg, there was a big gash on it fresh blood oozing out of it a little. Solaris noticed the wound too.

"Oh no. That's quite a wound he's got there," he said as he lifted him up. "I wonder how you got that wound?"

"I think I might now..." said Luna. She then spoke with Rhett Butler. "You... injured your leg when you saved me before didn't you?"

Rhett Butler responded with a meow. Luna then gulped as she started to understand something.

"Wait a second... you saved my life about two times today. Do you... have a crush on me or something?" she asked tentatively.

Rhett Butler then blushed his cheeks flushing bright pink and Luna couldn't help but feel all the more disturbed her suspicions now confirmed. Solaris, however, was smirking from behind his mask.

"Well, well, Luna. Looks like you got yourself a boyfriend after all," he chuckled. "Usagi's sure is gonna have a field day with this."

Luna glared at Solaris not finding the situation funny at all. Then the three of them heard a sound coming towards them. The sound of running footsteps which was coming deeper in the tunnel behind them. Soon enough, they saw a certain Dark General coming towards them running as fast he could.

"It's Zoisite!" cried Luna.

"So you've finally shown yourself!" Solaris spoke cracking his knuckles. "Perfect! Now it's time for round two!"

Then suddenly the ground began to tremble beneath their feet slightly. Then as Zoisite grew closer to them, Luna and Solaris saw something that made their eyes grow wide. A tidal wave of mice was swarming just behind him threatening to swallow him up along with everything else that was in the sewer.

"Holy Mother of all things Ursa!" cried Solaris.

As Zoisite grew closer, he could see Solaris and the others in sight.

"Yes! I found him!" he cried. "The Seventh Great Monster!"

Solaris and Luna did a double take and looked at Rhett Butler in butler.

"You're kidding me!" cried Luna. "You're the last Rainbow Crystal carrier that we've been looking for?!"

Solaris then snapped out of his shock and picked up Rhett Butler. "Never mind that! We need to make like a tree and get the heck out of here!"

And Solaris took off running while carrying Rhett Butler with Luna following as Zoisite and the wave of mice continued to pursue them.

* * *

At the little girl's house, Ami, Usagi, and Makoto saw to it that the child was resting peacefully in her bed.

"Geez. I wonder where Luna went," spoke Makoto. "It's been a while since we saw her."

"Not to mention that Harusuke still hasn't come back yet," said Ami.

"I told her not to move, but did she listen to me?!" grumped Usagi. "How unreliable can you get? Abandoning us in the middle of an important mission!"

"Calm down, Usagi," spoke Ami calmly. "Luna would never do something like that. I just hope that nothing's happened to her."

"I'm sure she's fine," said Makoto. "Don't forget, Harusuke's still out there looking for Zoisite, so maybe he'll find Luna along the way."

Then Usagi saw something that caught her attention. Closeby at the girl's desk, she saw a game cartridge with a picture of Sailor V on it.

"No way!" she cried with astonishment. "This girl's got the Sailor V video game!"

Makoto and Ami could only look at Usagi with exasperation as she immediately put the game in the console and started playing it.

"In any case, we should be on guard in case Zoisite comes back," said Ami. "I just can't believe that this little girl has a Rainbow Crystal inside of her."

"Yeah. Which is why we can't let her turn into a monster," said Makoto. "I just hope Harusuke finds Zoisite soon."

Just then, there was a beeping noise coming from Ami's pocket. Ami then dug into her pocket and pulled out the source of the noise which was her communicator. She pressed a button and Solaris' face appeared on the screen.

"Ami! Please tell me that's you!" panted Solaris.

"Solaris, thank goodness," said Ami. "You had us worried about you."

"Where are you?" asked Makoto. "And why do you sound like you just ran a mile?"

"Because I am running a mile!" cried Solaris. "I'm being chased by Zoisite and an army of mice!"

"An army of mice?" Ami and Makoto spoke together.

"And that's not the only part! I also found out where the Rainbow Crystal is!" Solaris went on. "And the little girl you're guarding doesn't have it!"

Ami and Makoto were surprised.

"What do you mean?!" demanded Makoto. "If the little girl doesn't have the crystal then who does?!"

Solaris was about to say who, but then Luna shrieked out.

"Solaris! Look out!"

Then Solaris' face was cut off from the screen.

"Solaris! Solaris!" cried Ami. "Do you read me?!"

But it was no use. Now Ami and Makoto were worried.

"So this girl isn't the last Rainbow Crystal carrier?" spoke Makoto. "Then who is?"

Ami then hummed deep in thought, then her eyes fell on the Moon Stick and she gasped as she went over to pick it up.

"Oh no! I should have noticed this sooner!" she cried. "The Moon Stick isn't reacting!

"So the little girl has nothing to do with the Rainbow Crystal after all," gasped Makoto. "But then... why did the Moon Stick react when we arrived here earlier?"

There was a brief silence until both Ami and Makoto gasped in realization.

"Wait... you don't think..." began Makoto.

"That's gotta be it!" said Ami. "The Moon Stick was reacting to the cat!"

* * *

Back in the sewers, Solaris while carrying Rhett Butler and Luna were still running as fast as they could with Zoisite and the wave of mice on their heels.

"Man! This sucks! I dropped my communicator when we made that turn!" Solaris cried.

"Never mind that! Just keep running while looking for an exit!" yelled Luna.

They ran and they ran, but at the rate they were going, Zoisite and the wave of mice would catch up and then there would be no hope left for them. Then just up ahead of them, Luna saw a tunnel to their right. It was a bit small, but it would be just enough for the three of them to crawl into.

"Solaris! Up ahead! That small tunnel to the right! He won't be able to get inside there!"

Solaris and Luna then skidded to a stop just in front of the tunnel and Luna immediately went into the tunnel first. Rhett Butler then went into the tunnel next, but then came trouble. Due to his fat size, Rhett Butler got stuck in the opening of the tunnel. Solaris' face then paled.

"Oh come on! You gotta be kidding me!" he cried.

He frantically pushed against Rhett Butler's bottom trying to get unstuck. He could hear Zoisite and the mice grow closer and closer. Solaris then gave one mighty push and managed to shove Rhett Butler into the tunnel along going inside it himself. Zoisite seeing the tunnel as well plunged right into it with the mice surging right behind him. Solaris, Luna, and Rhett Butler frantically crawled in the tunnel as fast as they could. But Zoisite wasn't too far away from them as he crawled close behind. He now had a look in a mix of insanity and determination.

"I'm going to get that Rainbow Crystal!" he panted crazily. "And nothing will stop me!"

But then the mice had caught up to him and Zoisite found himself being enveloped in the wave of mice. Zoisite tried to get away as he tried to crawl faster, but it was too late. He was soon devoured by the torrent of mice. Solaris couldn't help but let out a scream of fear and terror.

"Hurry up, you two! I don't wanna end up as mice food today!"

Luna then saw a light which was coming at the end of the tunnel. "Just a little more! We're almost there!" she yelled.

* * *

At the very same time, Rei who was still feeling lonely and glum stood on the bridge gazing at the town with its evening glow.

"I should have said yes to Yuichiro," she said. "Then at least I could say that I had a date."

Then her eyes fell on something. She could see two certain cats running as they headed upwards in the canal.

"Is that Luna down there?" wondered Rei. "I didn't know she had a boyfriend. That sly cat..."

Then she took notice of someone else running behind them trying his best to keep up. A certain comrade of hers to be exact.

"Wait a second... that's Solaris!" she gasped. "I wonder why he's there."

Then suddenly in the opening behind them, the army of mice gushed out like water and a faucet as they pursued the three.

Rei gawked in surprise and shock. "What the heck?! What's going on here?!"

* * *

Solaris, Luna, and Rhett Butler managed to make it out of the sewers, but they were far from out of danger yet. The wave of mice still pursued them and they soon overtook them knocking them all flat on their backs stunned. They then looked up to see that the mice slowly forming a large pillar. Then they heard a voice coming from inside of the pillar.

"It seems that my disaster has turned into my good fortune. And in the end, everything has worked into my advantage."

Part of the mice moved out of the way to reveal a pair of familiar green eyes. It was no doubt Zoisite who had somehow managed to gain control of the mice. Solaris stood bravely in front of Luna and Rhett Bulter determined to protect them.

"That's a neat trick, Zoisite," he said. "I'm actually a bit surprised that a pretty boy like you would learn such a strange skill."

"Yes. It is a bit strange isn't it?" mused Zoisite. "But sadly to say Solaris, I didn't come here to be complimented. Get out of my way and surrender the cat or suffer my wrath."

"Heh. You're still going on about the evil monologue?" countered Solaris. "You should know the answer to that by now!"

He then took a stance and jumped into the air clenching his fist. However, Zoisite raised an arm and a stream of rats shot out and nailed Solaris right in the gut. Solaris felt the blow like he was punched in the gut as he was knocked to the ground flat on his back.

"No! Solaris!" cried Luna.

But then Zoisite closed in on Luna and Rhett Butler. But then...

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

A familiar fireball came blasting from seemingly nowhere cutting off Zoisite. Luna was so surprised that she jumped a few feet into the air and right off the edge of the claw forcing her to frantically fail in the air until she managed to catch herself on the edge. The mice who were also frightened by the fire immediately ran away revealing Zoisite underneath them. Zoisite looked up and saw where the blast had come from. Standing on top of the canal was none other than Sailor Mars.

"Thank goodness!" grunted Solaris as he sat up. "It's about time you got here, Mars!"

"Sailor Mars, the Pretty Guardian who fight for love and justice... has arrived!" the fire sailor proclaimed. "And I won't let you get in the way of their beautiful cat love!"

Zoisite raised a brow and Solaris stared dumbly at Sailor Mars like she said something completely confusing.

"You've got it all wrong!" wailed Luna was she clawed her way up the edge.

"The flames of love are burning!" went on Sailor Mars. "The flames of justice are burning as well! And I can't forgive those who get in the way of love between people and all living creatures! So in the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"

"Wow... Sailor Mars is pretty pumped today," Solaris said to himself. "I wonder if it's because of that date..."

Zoisite smirked not backing down. "You little fool. You won't stop me from getting the Rainbow Crystal!"

He then whipped out the Dark Crystal activating its function bathing Rhett Butler in its light. Sailor Mars then gulped not expecting this turn of events.

"You should learn to read the situation before you go showing off!" she snapped as she pulled herself up.

"Well on the plus side, at least she's not talking about love anymore," sighed Solaris.

Then Rhett Butler began yowling in agony as he began to submit to the Dark Crystal's power. He tried to resist, but it was no use. A black hole appeared in his chest and inside the hole was the final Rainbow Crystal which glowed bright violet. The violet then flew out of his chest and right into Zoisite's hand.

"No! Rhett Butler!" cried Luna.

"Don't let him transform!" yelled Solaris as he shot to his feet.

Sailor Mars also slid down into the canal hoping to stop Rhett Butler from changing too, but it was too late. Rhett Butler disappeared into a tornado of energy as he began to transform. Then the tornado dissipated revealing Rhett Butler's true form. He was now a giant beast of a feral cat that stood on his hind legs, had a gold necklace, bracelets on his wrists and ankles, and brown necklace with five prisms. He also retained his color of fur which was turquoise, but he was much more muscular and skinny with purple fur covering the top of his face, shoulders, back with a long tail.

"Now, Great Monster, Bakene! I order you to get rid of those guardians!" commanded Zoisite. "They don't have any back-up so this should be easy for you!"

Bakene looked at our heroes his eyes flashing a bright yellow, but then suddenly, a rose shot out hitting Zoisite by the hand making him drop the Rainbow Crystal. Then before Zoisite had a chance to react, someone swooped down and grabbed the Rainbow Crystal from him. It was Tuxedo Mask.

"Sorry Zoisite, but this Rainbow Crystal is mine!" he said victoriously. "Consider this payback. Farewell!"

Tuxedo Mask then took off jumping high into the air and out of sight. It didn't take long for Zoisite to realize what had just happened.

"Curse you, Tuxedo Mask!" he shrieked with fury as he raced after him. "Come back here! Come back I say!"

He was raced off after him leaving Bakene, Sailor Mars, Solaris, and Luna by themselves a little surprised from this turn of events. Bakene then started lumbering away climbing up the canal.

"Oh no! He's headed into town!" cried Sailor Mars.

"He might try to attack the people if we don't stop him!" cried Solaris.

Then Luna shot forward climbing up the canal after Bakene.

"Luna! Come back!" Sailor Mars and Solaris yelled.

But the black cat didn't listen. She knew that she was the only one who could stop Bakene from rampaging. There was a possibility that she could get attacked, but she had to take the risk. She didn't stop until she stood right in front of Bakene causing the beast to stop immediately.

"Please, stop! Please don't move!" she begged. "I can help you! I have friends that can help you return to normal! Just please stay still until they get here, please!"

Bakene stared at Luna questionably as it growled quietly. Feeling a bit nervous, Luna took a step back nervously thinking that Bakene wasn't going to listen to her. But then she felt her paw slip making her lose her balance. Luna yowled fearfully as she felt herself tumble down the canal.

"Luna!" Solaris and Sailor Mars yelled.

The two were about to try and save her before she hit the ground, but then the unthinkable happened. Bakene reached out his large paw and managed to catch Luna just in time. Everyone was amazed. Somehow, someway, Bakene had retained its sense of reason back when it was Rhett Butler.

"You... you saved me again," Luna murmured.

Bakene purred affectionately as it walked down from the canal while carrying Luna to safety.

"I knew it!" gushed Sailor Mars feeling touched by this scene. "Those two are madly in love!"

"I'm... pretty sure that's not what this is, Sailor Mars," sighed Solaris.

Bakene then placed Luna gently down on the ground and sat down in front of her looking down at her with his yellow eyes.

"Don't worry. It'll be OK," soothed Luna. "Usagi will be here soon and to turn you back to normal."

Just then, a familiar voice was heard.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

A thick blanket of fog spread throughout the area blinding everyone. At the same time, Sailor Jupiter swooped in and snatched Luna away from Bakene's hand. The fog then cleared and Sailor Mercury and Moon now stood behind Bakene ready to fight him.

"Sorry we're a little late!" said Sailor Moon.

"I'll say you were!" snapped Sailor Mars. "What took you so long to get here?!"

"Sorry, but I got a little video game noise," said Sailor Mercury.

"Me too! And it wasn't because Usagi was playing video games or anything!" added Sailor Jupiter. "She was just having fun!"

Sailor Moon then blushed a bright shade of red in shame. "Um... guys? You're not really helping me here..."

Solaris sighed as he pinched his nose. "Come on you guys... If you're cover for Usagi, you're gonna need to brush up on your excuse skills a bit."

Bakene then growled angry that Luna was taken away from him. He extended his claws as he prepared to attack. Sailor Moon and the others prepared themselves to attack, but Luna stopped them.

"No! Don't!" she cried. "It's OK! Rhett Butler's still in there!" She then went over to Bakene and spoke in a calm and soothing voice. "It's OK. I'm fine. Just calm down."

Bakene did calm down and nuzzled his muzzled against her purring. Sailor Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury were surprised.

"Um... Solaris? Mind explaining what's going on?" wondered Sailor Moon.

"It's a long story," said Solaris. "But the important thing is that this monster's OK. He won't hurt us as long as Luna's safe."

Luna then turned to Sailor Moon. "Alright Sailor Moon, please return him to normal before he turns on us."

Sailor Moon nodded as she took out her Moon Stick and waved it making it release its dust and sparkles.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Bakene growled in agony as he was enveloped in the healing properties of the Moon HealingEscaltion. Then in a flash of light, Bakene was no more and Rhett Butler was back to his old self again.

* * *

The Guardians along with Luna then returned Rhett Butler to his home where the little girl was waiting for him. She happily gave her dear pet a big hug as Usagi and the others watched from afar.

"She looks so happy," sighed Usagi.

"Hey Luna, are you sure that you don't wanna say goodbye to your boyfriend?" asked Rei.

"Get out, Luna! I had no idea you and that cat were lovers!" gasped Makoto.

Luna immediately blushed. "What?! How'd you come up with that idea?!" she cried.

"Well now~ Luna's hot and love is bitten!" Usagi teased. "How scandalous."

"It's not true!" denied Luna. "It's definitely not true! Harusuke, help me out here!"

"I don't know Luna," smirked Harusuke. "You seemed to be getting pretty chummy with Rhett Butler to me. Then again, he did save your life three times in a row."

Luna went redder than ever and pouted. "No fair. Even Harusuke and Usagi are making fun of me. I don't appreciate being the victim of idle gossip."

But truth be told, Luna couldn't help but imagine herself and Rhett Butler being lovers. Sadly, it only made her feel a bit disturbed.

"Oh, give me a break..." she groaned.


	34. Chapter 33

In the middle of the night at the arcade, Luna was there speaking to the mysterious soundwave once again.

"This is Luna. Codename Zero-Zero-Nine-One. Passphrase: The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes."

"The Moon's rice cakes are sticky," the soundwave replied.

"And they puff up when you toast them as well," finished Luna.

"So Luna, how are things going with the Guardians?" asked the soundwave. "Well, I hope?"

"Well, one of them still has issues responsibility, but others are doing very well," said Luna.

"That's good because I have news for you," the soundwave said. "The day when all six of the guardians come together is drawing near."

Luna gasped with surprised. "Are you sure?! I mean do you really mean that?!"

"Indeed," the soundwave said. "Which is why I think that this is the right time to tell them the truth."

"And... you're sure about that?" Luna asked tentatively.

"Yes. The Dark Kingdom is growing more and more restless," the soundwave spoke. "In order to prepare the guardians for battle, they need to know what they're fighting for, so make sure you tell them."

"I understand," Luna acknowledged.

Then the screen went black as it turned off.

"So the time has finally come to tell them," she thought as she left the arcade.

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi and the other guardians had all gathered at the front waiting for Luna to arrive after she had called them to meet her there.

Usagi let out a small yawn as she along with the others waited. "I wonder why Luna would meet with us so late at night?"

"Who knows," said Harusuke. "But I'm sure Luna will tell us the reason when she gets here."

Then Luna arrived. "I'm glad that you're all here," she said.

"So what's up, Luna?" asked Usagi. "Has another monster appeared?"

Luna looked up at Usagi and stared at her for about a few seconds or so. Then she spoke once more.

"Listen very carefully for what I'm about to tell you," said Luna. "It's really important that you all pay attention."

The teens seeing how serious Luna was didn't say a word and waited to listen for what Luna had to say.

"You see... what I wanted to tell you is... that I'm not just an ordinary cat," Luna spoke. "I'm... what you might call an alien originally from the Moon sent here to guide you all."

Everyone stared at Luna deeply shocked. Granted this was somewhat expected considering that Luna was a talking cat, but they never expected something like this.

"So... why did you come to Earth if you were an alien?" asked Rei.

"Yeah. And how do we know if what you're saying isn't true?" asked Makoto. "I mean it sounds hard to believe if you ask me."

"I doubt Luna would lie to us," said Harusuke. "I mean she's been telling the truth so far, so why would she lie now?"

"Yeah. I agree," said Ami. "If Luna says that she's from the Moon, then I believe her."

"Thank you, Ami. Thank you, Harusuke," smiled Luna. "And there's more. The princess that you're searching for carries the royal bloodline of where I'm from. The Moon Kingdom."

"So... there's a kingdom somewhere on the Moon?" wondered Makoto as she looked up at the Moon in the sky. "It sounds like a fairytale..."

"You four girls are destined to meet that princess," went on Luna. "And very soon, you'll take on the important duty of protecting her."

"Wait... what about me, Luna?" asked Harusuke. "I mean I'm a guardian too. Aren't I destined to protect the princess too?"

"Yes, It is, Harusuke," said Luna. "But you also have a second duty. A duty that was given to you by the Queen of the Royal Family herself. However... I don't know what that duty is to be honest."

There was a long silence as everyone tried to comprehend what Luna just said. At last, Usagi spoke breaking the silence.

"Hey Luna, I just have one question," she said. "Is there really a rabbit on the Moon that pounds rice cakes?"

Everyone stared at Usagi and then sighed.

"Leave it to Usagi to break the tension with a weird question," said Harusuke. "Then again, that's my sister for you."

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite and Kunzite were alone in their castle observing their collection of the four Rainbow Crystals Zoisite obtained.

"Look at them my love," said Zoisite sweetly. "Aren't they beautiful?

"Yes. Truly lovely," agreed Kunzite. "But their beauty will never be revealed unless all seven are here. Don't you agree?"

"I'll get those last three crystals," Zoisite spoke lovingly. "Then we'll see their true beauty shine. Won't we, Kunzite?"

"We certainly will," said Kunzite. "And once we collect all seven of them, the Legendary Silver Crystal will be in our grasp. Queen Beryl will surely be pleased. I can almost imagine how happy she'll be."

Zoisite couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "What about me?!" he thought angrily. "I'm far better than her!"

Just then, Queen Beryl's voice could be heard.

"Zoisite. Kunzite. Come to the throne room immediately."

The two then immediately teleported themselves to the throne room where Queen Beryl stood before her staff scowling.

"You summoned us, Queen Beryl?" the two spoke bowing politely.

"Yes. As you're all well aware, the seven Rainbow Crystals have all revealed themselves," said Queen Beryl. "So far, we are in possession of four of them, however, Tuxedo Mask has two and Sailor Moon and her band of friends have one. This does not please me. I want the other crystals, so I can obtain the Legendary Silver Crystal. I trust that you two have a plan to retrieve them?"

"Actually, I have one, my Queen," spoke Zoisite. "However, I wish to show you something first."

Zoisite then held up the Dark Crystal making it float into the air. It shined as it showed a projection. Unlike before, it was now showing past battles between certain monsters that were killed at the hands of the Guardians. Every single time, Sailor Moon or any other guardian would find themselves in trouble, one person would show up at the last minute to save them. Tuxedo Mask. And then after that, Sailor Moon and the guardians would manage to save the day by destroying the monster.

"Enough!"

Queen Beryl having enough, immediately flared her magic power destroying the projection the Dark Crystal was producing making Zoisite and even Kunzite a bit unnerved. The Dark Queen then glared at Zoisite.

"What's the meaning of this, Zoisite?" she demanded. "I do not wish to see such images!"

Zoisite then calmly explained. "Well my queen, in the scenes that I just showed you, every time that we have Sailor Moon within our grasp, a certain someone comes to her rescue and it's always the same person."

"You mean Tuxedo Mask," Queen Beryl. "Just who is that man anyway? Have you found out his true identity?"

"Unfortunately I do not know just yet," went on Zoisite. "However, one thing is certain, he always appears whenever any of the guardians are in danger. Most especially, Sailor Moon. So why don't we use this to our advantage and use that to lure out Tuxedo Mask? All we need to do place Sailor Moon in peril and he'll come straight to us."

Queen Beryl's eyes narrowed in curiosity yet showing interest. "It's a good plan, but if he does appear, are you sure that you can retrieve the Rainbow Crystals he has stolen alone? And what about the one that Sailor Moon and the guardians have in their possession? You do realize that this might be the last chance you'll have to succeed?"

"Yes my queen," said Zoisite. "I am prepared and I promise I will not fail you."

Then Kunzite stepped forth. "Hold on a minute, Zoisite. If your plan is to lure Tuxedo out in the open to deal with him and take the crystal from him as well as the one the Guardians have, then you first need a plan to separate him from the guardians." He then looked at Queen Beryl. "With your permission, Queen Beryl, I'd be happy to take on that part of the plan."

Queen Beryl agreed. "Very well, then. Bring me all seven of the Rainbow Crystals and do not fail me."

"Yes, my queen," said the two generals as they bowed before her.

Zoisite then glanced sideways towards Kunzite. "My dear Kunzite..." he thought. "Though I mayhaveswornalligance to Queen Beryl, I am doing this for no one but you. I would give my life for you and I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."

* * *

Later that morning, Harusuke was eating breakfast while Luna was sleeping on the couch in the living room. As he ate breakfast, Harusuke was lost in his own thought about the current situation when it came to the Rainbow Crystals. He also had the yellow Rainbow Crystal in his hand as he looked at it.

"As things stand right now, all seven of the Rainbow Crystals have been found," he thought. "The Dark Kingdom has four, Tuxedo Mask as two, and we have one. Now it's just a matter of time before someone gathers all seven of them to get the Legendary Silver Cyrtsal."

As he finished his breakfast he then sat down on the couch where Luna was lounging on. As soon as he saw her, he remembered what she had told him the other night.

"Luna sure dropped a bomb on us the other night," he thought. "Even though it was kinda expected to me. But... there's something that confuses me. If what Luna said was true about us guardians protecting the Royal Bloodlineµ, then what is my other duty?"

Harusuke then remembered the visions that he had back when Ami, Rei, and Makoto were awakened as guardians. The visions with the white castle, the shadow bowing before a woman, and the shadow leaping into battle. This gave him an idea.

"Wait... could my visions have something to do with what Luna was telling me?" he thought. "Maybe... those visions were trying to tell me something about my second duty."

He then looked at Luna who was sleeping peacefully. He reached out to her about to wake up to ask some questions, when suddenly the sound of music from the TV show was heard causing Harusuke to jump and look. On the TV, a news broadcast was going on and a news reporter appeared on the screen.

"This just in, another arrest was made by the mysterious hero who calls herself the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon."

The news showed a video clip of the bank somewhere in town and coming out of the bank was a scruffy-looking man who was handcuffed and restrained by the police and just behind them was a certain familiar guardian. Harusuke's eyes widened.

"No way! It can't be!" he cried.

Luna opened a sleepy eye. "Harusuke, keep it down. I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled.

"Luna! Wake up! You have to see this!" Harusuke spoke as he absently tapped Luna to wake her up.

Luna was now awake as she looked at the TV. As soon as she saw what was being broadcast, she wasn't sleepy anymore.

"According to witnesses, a man armed with a rifle entered the Tozai Bank's Juban branch around two p.m," went on the reporter. "The suspect fired several rounds demanding money, but Sailor Moon soon arrived and apprehended the suspect turning him over to the police."

Luna jaw dropped in disbelief. "No way! Usagi did that?! It couldn't be her!"

"It's definitely not her!" Harusuke spoke indignantly. "My sister may be a superhero, but even I believe she's not that brave to do something like that!"

Luna then looked at Harusuke a bit surprised. "Wow, Harusuke. Didn't think you'd think that high of your sister."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the city, the very girl in question was out and about with Makoto eating crepes. She ate one crepe after another savoring the taste delightedly.

"Now this is how a schoolgirl should spend her day off!" Usagi said. "Eating every dessert she wants!"

"Yeah, well, you're gonna need a bigger school uniform if you keep that up," chuckled Makoto.

"But I wanna try them all!" spoke Usagi as she bit into her crepe. "I can't help myself!"

As they walked around some more, high above them on a department store building, was a pair of window washers on top of a platform. They busily went about their work cleaning the many windows on the building making sure they were sparkling. Then suddenly unknown to anyone, two arrow-like crystals shot from out of nowhere piercing the rope. As quickly as they came, they disappeared and the ropes holding the platform on one side suddenly snapped. Before the workers had a chance to react, the platform suddenly lean to the side. The workers managed to hang on to the ropes that snapped, but they were all in grave danger. Usagi and Makoto saw what was going on and were horrified.

"Someone help!" cried a worker. "I can't hold on much longer!"

The rope that was holding up one of the workers couldn't hold the worker much longer. It suddenly snapped and the worker plummeted to towards the ground. Then suddenly from out of nowhere, someone while swinging on a rope swooped down and caught the worker by the hand rode the rope until they both landed safely on a store's canopy. That, someone, was Sailor Moon. The crowd of people that saw everything cheered as Sailor Moon then jumped and disappeared from sight. Usagi was now upset. So much so that she started to cry.

"Why?! Why in the world does she have to dress up as Sailor Moon?!" she sobbed. "Now everyone thinks she's huge hero and I'm not even getting the credit for it!"

"Usagi, calm down! Right now, we have to tell Luna and the others about this," said Makoto. "We gotta find this Sailor Moon wannabe and catch her!"

Usagi could only nod miserably in agreement.

* * *

Unknown to them, another girl was watching the three with a white cat next to her. She was about Usagi's age and even had matching blond hair, but unlike Usagi, her hair was kept undone and went as far as her legs with a big red bow on top of it. She looked at the white cat and the white cat nodded. Then they both disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the docks high above on top of a crane in the industrial area, Kunzite was watching from afar as he gazed at the town below.

"The only ones who are capable of catching the fake Sailor Moon are the guardians and Tuxedo Mask," he said to himself. "And once he shows up, that will be that. The end of Tuxedo Mask!"

* * *

Usagi and the others soon met up and arrived in the industrial area carefully making their way around the area towards the docks.

"I can't believe that there's a Sailor Moon imposter," spoke Ami.

"Yeah, I saw her on the news when she caught that bank robber," said Rei. "That's when I knew it couldn't have been the real Usagi."

"You got that right," smirked Makoto. "If the real Sailor Moon worked that hard, there'd be no work left for us to do around here."

Usagi scowled crossly. "Very funny."

"But what I wanna know is, what this imposter wants," said Ami. "Is she friend or enemy?"

"That's a pretty good question, Ami," said Rei thoughtfully. She turned to Luna. "Hey Luna, do you think that she could be the fifth guardian?"

Luna gulped as scratched her head awkwardly. "Well... um... let me think about this for a second..." she spoke.

"She's definitely not the fifth guardian," said Harusuke immediately. "That much is certain."

"How do you know that, Harusuke?" wondered Makoto. "You seem so certain."

"Let's just say my gut's telling me that this Sailor Moon wannabe is a fake and is most definitely not one of us," said Harusuke grimly. "I just know. That's all."

"Personally, I don't care who this wannabe is," grumped Usagi. "How dare she use my name without permission! I'm about to call a lawyer and sue her for stealing my act!"

"Get it together, Usagi!" Makoto snapped. "You're missing the point here!"

Suddenly, there was a loud terrified scream that made everyone jump. Everyone immediately took off running heading straight to the source of the sound. When they arrived, they saw a worrying sight. There hanging by a rope from a crane her hands tied as she hung was the Sailor Moon doppelganger and not too far away standing on a building was Kunzite.

"It's her!" gasped Makoto. "And that guy up there with her. Is he from the Dark Kingdom?!"

"Come on guys! We have to help her!" cried Sailor Moon.

She was just about to take off running when Harusuke stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Wait a minute, Usagi!" he said. "It's way too risky! For all, we know this could all be a trap!"

"He's right!" said Luna. "You can't just go rushing in without knowing what's going on!"

"I don't care!" Usagi cried stubbornly. "Trap or not, I can't ignore someone who's in danger, even if she is my imposter!"

Everyone stared at Usagi. Then they smiled in understanding also nodding in agreement.

"You're right," spoke Rei. "I say we go and rescue her."

Harusuke then sighed. "Oh brother. It seems that Usagi's stubbornness has rubbed off on us," he said. But he smiled too. "Alright then. Let's save her. But... on the off chance that this is a trap, I'm gonna hang back just to be safe. You never know when it comes to the Dark Kingdom."

Usagi then smiled with determination. "Alright, everyone! Let's transform!"

Then the teens transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi  
_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
__

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

As Kunzite continued to watch over the Sailor Moon doppelganger, he couldn't help but look towards the town whose many colored lights were shining brightly.

"This world is filled with too much light," he thought. "How pointless. True beauty is the glow of darkness and the shadow of the Dark Kingdom will soon cover this world."

"You up there! Let my imposter go!"

Kunzite then looked down and there stood Sailor Moon along with Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter.

"You're one sick puppy to tie up and hang a girl with a crane like that!" the Moon guardian glared crossly pointing. "I am Pretty Guardian who fights love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm Sailor Mercury!" the blue sailor proclaimed.

"And don't forget Sailor Mars!" the fiery red sailor said.

"And, lastly, I'm Sailor Jupiter!" the tall green sailor spoke.

"And in the name of the Moon, we'll all punish you!" they all finished together.

"I've been expecting you, Sailor Guardians," Kunzite smirked. "I am Kunzite, one of the Four Kings of Heaven. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, but... now it's time to meet your end!"

He waved his hands holding them out in front of him and before the Sailors knew what was happening, they were immediately surrounded by a black dome made of Kunzite's power. Not too far away, Solaris was hiding behind the corner of a building and saw what had happened along with Luna.

"Oh no! It was a trap!" gasped Luna.

"Now what do we do?" Solaris wondered worriedly. "I've got to try and help them!"

"No, Solaris. Wait," said Luna. "As much as I hate to say it, you need to stay focused. You need to go rescue that doppelganger."

"But what about the girls?!" demanded Solaris. "They need help!"

"They can handle themselves," said Luna. "Besides, you'll end up getting caught too if you help them. Just go. I'll watch them!"

Solaris was still worried, but he knew Luna was right and so he ran off being as stealthy as he could to save the Sailor Moon faker.

"How do you like the beauty of darkness?" he cackled triumphantly. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is pretty impressive," spoke Sailor Mars as she put her hands together with her fingers pointing. "MARS FIRE SOUL!"

A powerful fireball blasted forth from her fingers and hit the barrier, but the fireball was immediately sucked by the barrier rendering it ineffective.

"What was that, Mars?!" cried Sailor Moon. "That attack was totally lame!"

Sailor Mars was too stunned to respond. Then a mirage of Kunzite appeared in the dome and blasted the sailors with several energy balls. The Sailors dodged them one after another avoiding them as best they could with the limited space. Then Kunzite disappeared and reappeared in front of Sailor Jupiter.

"What's wrong? Is that all you got?" mocked Kunzite.

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Sailor Jupiter immediately fired her signature attack at the projection, but like before with Mars' Fire Soul, Jupiter's attack was sucked in by the barrier doing nothing at all.

"This is useless!" cried Sailor Mercury. "The darkness is just absorbing our attacks!"

Kunzite then jumped from the building landing on the ground smirking with triumph.

"If that's all the power you Guardians have, then I guess it's time to end this charade," he spoke.

He then held out his hands once again as they sparked with power. Then to the guardian's worry, the dome of darkness began to shrink growing smaller and smaller.

"What'll we do now?! We're trapped in here!" wailed Sailor Moon.

Sailor Jupiter then fired another Supreme Thunder attack, but once again the attack was absorbed into the barrier.

"It's no use!" she spoke clenching her fists. "That thing keeps absorbing our attacks!"

The barrier was now so small that the roof was only a few inches away from Makoto's head.

"Give it up," Kunzite smirked. "My barrier cannot be broken so easily!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Solaris was carefully making his way to where the doppelganger Sailor Moon was until he could finally see her in sight. All he had to do was climb up towards the crane to get her down. He was just about to do so when suddenly he saw someone jump up and cut the ropes that bound Sailor Moon and carried her to safety. That, someone, was Tuxedo Mask.

"No! That fool!" he thought. "Doesn't he know that the real Sailor Moon is trapped?!"

He then took off running hoping to get to Tuxedo Mask before it was too late. He soon reached the crane and then heard a loud cry of pain which came from a room not too far away. Solaris then ran into the room and saw a terrible sight. Tuxedo Mask was holding his shoulder in pain as fresh blood oozed from it while the Sailor Moon doppelganger cackled in evil delight.

"Tuxedo Mask!" he cried as he immediately rushed over to him. Then he glared at the faker. "You're not the real, Sailor Moon! Who are you?!"

The faker then jumped up taking off her disguise in the process revealing her true face. There stood a familiar enemy who was laughing with glee.

"Zoisite!" growled Tuxedo Mask wincing in agony.

"Oh, you poor thing. That really must have hurt," he mocked. "But don't worry, in just a few a minutes, you won't feel anything."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" roared Solaris as he leaped at him unleashing his signature attack. "SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Zoisite seeing the blast coming leaped out of the way just as the blast destroyed the crates behind him. Zoisite then unleashed a blast of petals. Solaris was at first planning to dodge, but then he remembered Tuxedo Mask.

"No way! Not this time!" he thought.

He immediately grabbed Tuxedo Mask by wrapping his arm around his shoulders and jumped out of the way dodging the blast. Then he dashed away taking Tuxedo Mask with him disappearing into the cargo.

Zoisite smirked his eyes gleaming like a predator as he conjured up a sword made of crystal. "Run if you want, neither one of you is getting away with those Rainbow Crystals, Tuxedo Mask! Solaris!"

Solaris carried Tuxedo running as fast as he could until they managed to find a safe spot to hide behind a load of flour.

"We should be safe here for the time being," said Solaris.

Tuxedo Mask's only reply was a grunt of pain. Solaris could see the blood on his glove as he tried to apply pressure.

"That looks pretty bad," spoke Solaris worriedly. "We need to take care of that wound right away."

He reached out to help Tuxedo Mask, but then Tuxedo Mask knocked his hands away.

"No. You need to leave me and get out of here, Solaris," the masked man spoke. "Go before Zoisite catches up!"

"And what about you?!" demanded Solaris. "You're hurt! And I can't just leave you behind!"

"It doesn't matter," Tuxedo Mask insisted. "You must go! If Zoisite gets his hands on both of us, he'll take the Rainbow Crystal's we have and the Dark Kingdom wins. But if one of us gets away, then we'll at least buy some time. I appreciate your concern, but please go! I'll be fine!"

Solaris stared at Tuxedo Mask. Then suddenly there was a loud crashing noise and a swiping of a sword. Then the stacks of flour that were hiding them began to topple. Solaris immediately picked up Tuxedo Mask and started running again. But then Zoisite pounced from the darkness and went on the attack swiping his crystal sword. Solaris pushed Tuxedo Mask out of the way and dodged but while he was in the air, Zoisite blasted with his signature flower petal blast again sending Solaris flying into some cargo with a crash. Zoisite then glanced at Tuxedo Mask lying on the ground and gunned straight for him.

"DIE!"

He swung his sword going for the kill, but at the last second using his left arm took out his cane and stopped the sword before it killed him. The two struggled as they tried to overpower each other. Then Zoisite blasted Tuxedo Mask in the face using his flower petals. Tuxedo Mask wasn't hurt, but then force knocked away his glasses in the process revealing his face.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl was watching the entire fight between the three using the orb on her staff. So far, she had seen everything up to when Tuxedo Mask's mask was knocked off by Zoisite. The moment she saw who Tuxedo Mask really was, her eyes widened in utter disbelief and shock.

"It can't be!" she gasped. "I know that face! That man is..."

* * *

"My, my. What a handsome face you've been hiding," mused Zoisite venomously as he pushed his sword. "But it still won't save your life! Prepare to die!"

Then suddenly...

"CRESENT BEAM!"

A beam of light shot out from above and his Zoisite square on his arm forcing him to back away while holding his hand in pain. Zoisite yelped as he held his hand in agony as he looked up from above wondering where the attack came from. From above, the shadow of a Sailor Guardian could be seen standing on a window.

"Who's there!?" he demanded. "Who are you?!"

Then suddenly he heard a scream which came in front of him. He turned in time to see a powerful fist connect him square in the face sending him flying into some cargo with a crash. That punch came from Solaris who took advantage of Zoisite being distracted. He then picked up Tuxedo Mask and then ran away making their escape.

Zoisite pulled himself out of the rubble and held his cheek in agony which was red and swollen. He also was bleeding a little due to the mysterious Sailor guardian shooting at it and some from his mouth thanks to Solaris' punch. Seeing that he was now all by himself, Zoisite grew absolutely livid.

"Damn it! I don't know who you are, but you'll pay for making a fool of me!" he yelled. "I'll tear you into pieces, you hear me?! And that goes for you too, Solaris! You especially will pay for scarring my precious face, you bastard!"

* * *

Solaris ran as fast as he could making sure that they were as far away from Zoisite as possible. It was now nightfall, the moon basking the area with its glow. Soon enough, Solaris stopped to rest setting down Tuxedo Mask.

"You OK?" he asked. "Sorry for pushing you around like that-"

Then he saw Tuxedo Mask's face and his eyes widened in shock. For he knew who Tuxedo Mask really was. It was none other, than Mamoru Chiba. Tuxedo Mask then gasped and kept his head down making sure that his face wasn't seen as he put his mask back on.

"You saw it didn't you?" he spoke quietly. "My true identity."

"M-Mamoru?" murmured Solaris. "It... it can't be... You're Tuxedo Mask?!"

"Keep it down!" shushed Tuxedo Mask. "Someone else could hear you."

"But... how long... when... why..." Solaris stammered now feeling very confused.

Tuxedo Mask quickly interrupted. "Listen, Solaris. Pull yourself together!" he said. "If you're going to act this way, you should have left me. I would have handled Zoisite myself."

"Yeah right," scoffed Solaris. "If I didn't knock that jerk out, we never would have gotten away and you'd be dead. So the least you could do is say thank you."

Tuxedo Mask then sighed. "You're right. I apologize," he said. "I am grateful that you saved me. I just feel like such a fool for falling for such a foolish trap and for letting him see my true identity." He then looked at Solaris pleadingly. "And please... keep my identity a secret. I don't want anyone else finding out about it."

Solaris was still feeling confused, but he agreed.

"Don't worry about it. Your identity is safe with me," said Solaris. "Besides, it happens to all of us. But... who was that anyway? That one person who knocked Zoisite's sword away? A Guardian perhaps?"

"I don't know," said Tuxedo Mask. "I thought that she was someone you knew."

"She's news to me," replied Solaris.

Then he peeked around the corner and gasped. Wanting to know what was going on, Tuxedo Mask peered too and was equally as shocked. There stood Kunzite who was still holding up the dome around the Sailors. At this point, the Sailors were growing weak due to lack of oxygen and were on the brink of suffocating.

"We're... running out of air..." gasped Sailor Mars.

"Can't... breathe..." choked Sailor Mercury.

"How do you like the taste of my darkness?" purred Kunzite. "Does it feel pleasing?"

Then Zoisite appeared still holding his bludgeoned cheek. "Kunzite, we may have a problem!" he spoke.

Kunzite glanced at Zoisite as he then explained.

"You see... I had Tuxedo Mask, but then Solaris interfered and helped him get away," explained Zoisite. "And there's also another enemy as well."

Kunzite eyes narrowed. "You had one job and you let them both get away?" he growled.

"I'm sorry, Kunzite," Zoisite whimpered. "But don't worry! I'm not finished yet!" Then he yelled out loud enough for Tuxedo Mask and Solaris to hear them. "Tuxedo Mask! Solaris! I know that you two are out there, somewhere! Come on out! I know that you two care about your precious comrades. the Sailor Guardians! If you want to save them, give yourselves up and hand over the Rainbow Crystals!"

"No... don't come out you two!" gasped Sailor Moon. "You both have to stay away! Don't give up the crystals!"

"Sailor Moon!" cried Luna who was watching helplessly.

The Sailor Guardians were now on the brink of collapsing. If something wasn't done and soon, they would all die. Solaris growled as he looked at Tuxedo Mask. There was no way that he could fight in this condition. Which meant that it was up to him to save them. Solaris then looked at Tuxedo Mask.

"Tuxedo Mask, listen to me," he said. "I need you to stay here out of the way."

"What are you planning to do?" asked Tuxedo Mask.

Solaris then dug into his armor and then pulled out the yellow Rainbow Crystal. Tuxedo Mask then gasped.

"No, Solaris! You wouldn't!"

"I have no choice," Solaris spoke. "You're injured and my friends are in danger. I could take them on by myself, but there's no guarantee that the guardians would last much longer. I have to do this, otherwise, they could die."

Tuxedo Mask stared at Solaris. Then after a few seconds, he stood up.

"Then I'm coming with you," he said.

"But what about your injury?" asked Solaris. "Plus you'd be putting the Rainbow Crystals you own at risk too."

"It doesn't matter," said Tuxedo Mask. "I may want the Rainbow Crystals, but not if it meant letting innocent people die."

Solaris now stared at Tuxedo Mask. Then they heard Zoisite call out.

"Come on, you two! Your Guardian friends don't have much time left! Or do you both not care and want them to die?"

The two boys looked at each other and gave each other a nod. Then the two of them stepped out into the open.

"Wait, Zoisite!" cried Tuxedo Mask.

"We're the ones you want," Solaris cried.

Kunzite and Zoisite immediately saw them and were pleased.

"Well, well, well. Look who's decided to join us," Zoisite smirked smugly. "You see, Kunzite? I knew we would defeat these losers in the end."

"So they're Solaris and Tuxedo Mask," Kunzite spoke looking at the man up and down. "I was wondering when you two would pop up."

"We came as you said Zoisite," Solaris growled. "Now let the girls go!"

"First, give up the Rainbow Crystals you two have," said Zoisite.

Solaris then stepped forward and then held out the Rainbow Crystal he had. Zoisite eagerly took the crystal from him and cackled in triumph as the guardians whimpered and groaned in agony as the barrier that held them prisoner shrunk more.

"Struggle all you want, but it'll only make the pain worse," laughed Kunzite. "You should just give up now!"

"Don't listen to him!" shouted a voice. "No matter how hopeless things may seem, you must never give up!"

Everyone looked around in surprise.

"That voice again!" growled Zoisite. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

"Wait! I know that voice!" gasped Luna. "Could it be...?!"

Then suddenly from above, the same beam of light shot forth and hit right on top of Kunzite's hand forcing him to hold his hand in pain and at the same time breaking the barrier that surrounded the other guardians. Zoisite quickly rushed over worried about his comrade. Then they along with everyone else in the area looked up and saw where the blast had come from. There stood a young girl who had long blonde hair with a red bow on top and also wore the exact same outfit the Sailor Guardians, only the colors of her outfit were orange and the bow in the center was blue with a yellow gem. Not only that, but she also had a yellow crescent moon mark in the center of her forehead and sported red glasses. Everyone immediately knew what this girl was.

"No way! A fifth sailor guardian?!" exclaimed Kunzite.

At that moment, Solaris once again felt another sharp pain going through his mind making him yell in pain as he held his head in agony as he saw the vision once again. Like before, he saw the castle under the stars, but now he could see it more clearly. He also saw the young man kneeling before a woman, but now he could see the woman's hair color with was silver and just like Usagi's. He also saw the young man letting out a cry of battle as he charged toward the same evil-looking woman wielding a staff. The one had some changes as well. The sinister woman's face was in full view. She had long red hair, a black tiara on her forehead, and gleaming red eyes. The young warrior also had tears trickling down his face as he swung his blade in anger. The vision then stopped.

Solaris breathed in deeply trying to calm himself. "Not again..." he panted. "That same vision..."

The unknown Sailor then leaped down and stood before them.

"I am the fifth and final, Pretty Guardian who fights for justice," she said as she took off her red glasses. "I am Sailor Venus!"

Sailor Moon and the other guardians continued to stare at her not believing what they were seeing or hearing. Sailor Moon stared intently at Venus believing that she was someone she knew. Then she realized.

"Hold on... you're... you're Sailor V, aren't you?!" she asked.

Then a white cat appeared next to Sailor Venus having a crescent moon mark just like her and Luna.

"That's right," the white cat spoke. "She is known as Sailor V, the guardian of justice! But her true identity is known by two names! One is the Pretty Guardian, Sailor Venus! And the other is the princess of the Moon Kingdom, the royal successor of the Imperium Silver Cyrstal, Princess Serenity!"

Everyone eyes widened in shock as they stared at Sailor Venu

Luna gasped upon seeing the white cat knowing who it was."Artemis! Is that you?"

The white cat smiled. "Long time, no see, Luna! Sorry, we're late!"

Zoisite and Kunzite slowly began backing away now that there were six guardians to deal with. Kunzite was still reeling in pain, so Zoisite stood in front of him acting as his shield.

"Stay back, you pests!" he hissed. "I'll make you all of you all pay for hurting Kunzite!"

The guardians glared at the two Kings of Heaven not wanting to back down. Zoisite prepared himself for a fight, but then, Queen Beryl's voice echoed in their minds.

 _"Zoisite! Kunzite! Cease all operations and retreat! There's been a change of plans!"_

Kunzite and Zoisite were surprised.

"But why my queen?!" demanded Zoisite. "We were-"

 _"Silence! You will do as you are told!"_ Queen Beryl boomed.

Zoisite and Kunzite were still reluctant, but they had no other choice but to obey. They then turned to the guardians.

"So, it seems like you win this battle, for now, guardians," growled Kunzite. "But we shall return!"

"And make no mistake, you will all pay for what you did!" Zoisite spoke coldly. "Especially you, Sailor Venus and Solaris!"

Then the two of vanished retreating into the Dark Kingdom. At the same time, unknown to anyone, Tuxedo Mask slipped away into the night not wanting to be seen.

* * *

A few minutes afterward, the guardians, as well as the two cats, all regrouped close by the lighthouse with Sailor Venus and Artemis being their newest additions.

"The team is now complete," Artemis spoke proudly. "The six guardians and the both of the cats are finally back together!"

"Yeah. And we welcome you to the team, Sailor Venus," said Sailor Jupiter.

Sailor Venus smiled. "Looking forward to working with you guys," she said. "I'm happy to be here."

The guardians were very happy that Sailor Venus was now a part of their team. But Solaris, however, remained silent. He was still feeling a bit overwhelmed due to the vision that he had, but he felt very confused. Not because of what Sailor V said about being a sailor guardian, but what she said afterward.

"Um... excuse me, Sailor Venus," he spoke. "Pardon for being so forward and everything, but... is it true? Are you really the Moon Princess?"

Sailor Venus looked at Solaris and smiled.


	35. Chapter 34

In the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite and Kunzite made it back to the throne room where Queen Beryl was waiting for them on her throne. Needless to say, the two still were confused.

"Queen Beryl, why did order us to retreat from the battle?" asked Kunzite.

"We were so close to getting all the Rainbow Crystals and finishing off Tuxedo Mask," added Zoisite.

"I apologize if it seems a big shock, but it was not my intention to retreat," said Queen Beryl. "It was an order from our Great Ruler."

"The Great Ruler?" puzzled Kunzite. "What orders were those?"

"You are not to kill Tuxedo Mask," said Queen Beryl. "Instead, you are to bring him to me alive."

"But why do that?!" demanded Zoisite incredulously. "It's absolutely preposterous!"

Queen Beryl's eyes flashed red. "I don't have to explain myself to you!" she snapped. "Bring Tuxedo Mask alive. Is that understood?"

There was a long silence. Then Kunzite respectfully bowed.

"As you wish, my queen," he said.

Zoisite was still shocked by the order, but he had no choice but to comply as he too bowed.

* * *

Back with the Guardians, Solaris and the others were still awaiting Minako's answer to Harusuke's question. Sailor Venus took a few seconds then she finally responded.

"Yes. I know it may seem hard to believe, but I'm the Moon Princess," she said.

Sailor Moon then blushed with excitement. "I can't believe it! Sailor V, my hero is not only the princess, but she's also standing right here in front of me! This is unbelievable!"

"Geez. Curb your enthusiasm, Sailor Moon," said Sailor Mars. "You're acting like a child."

"In any case, it's very nice to meet all of you," said Sailor Venus as she extended her hand. "Now that we finally met, I'm looking forward to working with you all."

Sailor Moon then took Sailor Venus' hand, shaking it eagerly and then Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter all placed their hands on top of theirs. The only one who didn't join in on the greeting was Solaris. He just stood there staring at Venus puzzling and puzzling.

Then Artemis spoke up. "Listen up, Guardians. While it is nice that all of you have finally met, but we're in the middle of an investigation here. We'll share the details tomorrow evening when we meet at the Hikawa Shrine. Until then, we'd best be going."

"Bye, everyone. See you, later!" said Sailor Venus.

She then took a giant leap shooting off of the ground and disappearing in the rooftops with Artemis following close behind.

"And there she goes..." said Sailor Mercury.

"She certainly doesn't waste any time, doesn't she?" said Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon could only gush with glee. "Yeah... but she's so cool!"

Sailor Jupiter then saw Harusuke who was still staring up where Sailor Venus disappeared.

"Hey, Solaris. Is everything OK?" she asked. "You look worried."

Solaris then shook his head snapping out of his daze. "It's nothing. I'm fine," he said. Then he looked at the Guardians looking very ashamed. "Look, I'm sorry, girls. I... I let Zoisite get away with the Rainbow Crystal. Please forgive me."

"It's OK, Solaris," soothed Luna. "You were just trying to help the Guardians."

"Yeah. No need to beat yourself up about it," said Sailor Moon.

"I know... but still..." said Solaris.

Solaris was still feeling sorry and angry at himself for letting Zoisite get the better of him. Then he suddenly remembered.

"Oh wait... Girls... listen. There's something that I need to take care of real quick," he said. "You guys go on ahead without me."

"But Solaris... where are you going?" asked Sailor Moon.

"Let's just say... there's something I need to check before I do anything else," said Solaris.

Before anyone could ask anything more, Solaris took a giant leap and disappeared into the rooftops above. The Sailor Guardians, as well as Luna, were puzzled.

"I wonder what that was all about?" wondered Sailor Mercury. "Solaris was acting a bit strange."

"Who knows," said Sailor Mars. "But I suppose we should leave him be for now. Hopefully, nothing's wrong."

Sailor Moon could look up at the rooftops with worry. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Sailor Venus and Artemis were leaping about on the rooftops heading for home. But then they heard a voice coming from behind them.

"Sailor Venus! Artemis! Wait up!"

The two then stopped and then someone landed on the rooftop just in front of them. They knew immediately who it was.

"Solaris? What are you doing here?" asked Sailor Venus.

"I need to talk to you," said the Sun Warrior. "It's... about what you said about being the princess."

"What about it?" asked Artemis.

Solaris took a deep breath as his eyes gazed at the two now looking serious.

"Look. I know this may sound rude and I know this isn't right because we just met but... I don't believe you're the Moon Princess."

Sailor Venus eye instinctively twitched. Artemis, however, was surprised and somewhat cross.

"What? Hold on a minute, Solaris. Are you doubting Sailor Venus?" he demanded.

"Don't get me wrong, she is a Guardian. The genuine article," said Solaris. "But... when it comes to being the princess... I just have a feeling that it's not her."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" asked Sailor Venus her eyes now narrowing in a scowl.

Solaris paused clenching his fists as he looked at the ground. Then he looked back up.

"First of all, no princess in their right mind would reveal their true identity out of the blue like that unless they want to be followed by the enemy," said Solaris. "Secondly it's because... I think I've seen the real princess in my visions."

Sailor Venus and Artemis looked at each other a bit surprised.

"What kind of visions?" asked Artemis. "Please explain."

"You see... they've been showing up every single time a Sailor Guardian has awakened," explained Solaris. "First it happened with Ami, then Rei, after that Makoto, and now you. They all were mostly the same thing. A silver castle under the stars, a woman with long hair in a white gown standing on the balcony having a similar hairstyle like Usagi except it was white, a young knight kneeling before the same queen or princess, and finally... the knight leaping into battle attacking an evil looking woman holding a staff."

Sailor Venus eyes widened a little. "What did this woman look like?" she asked.

"I don't remember much, but if I recall correctly, she had red eyes that seemed to glow with long red hair to match," said Solaris. "And she was wearing a black tiara in the middle of her forehead."

Now both Artemis and Sailor Venus were deeply shocked.

"Artemis. Do you think..." Sailor Venus began.

The white cat then nodded. "No doubt. It's gotta be," he said. He then turned to Solaris. "Have you told the other Guardians about this?"

Solaris shook his head.

"Good. Now, listen very closely, Solaris," he continued. "First of all, I want you to keep quiet about what you told us just now. Luna and the others can't know about this either at least not yet."

"But... why? Do you know anything about my visions?" asked Solaris.

"You could say that we do, but we can't quite tell you anything just yet," said Artemis. "And I know that you're in doubt, but we want you to trust us."

Now Solaris was feeling a bit cross. "But why not? I wanna know what's going on here! If you two know something, then I have a right to know!"

"Please, Solaris," begged Sailor Venus. "I promise you that we'll tell you everything when we have a chance. But for now, please trust us and keep this a secret."

Solaris stared at Sailor Venus now feeling less trusting of the girl than before. Then he sighed.

"Alright then. I guess I don't have a choice," he said. "But remember this, if I find out that you're not a guardian and you're really an enemy, you can bet that I'll come for you and stop you."

And Solaris then leaped off the disappearing into the rooftops below. Sailor Venus and Artemis were now by themselves.

"Artemis... what he just said about his visions," murmured Sailor Venus. "What do you think they meant?"

"I'm not sure," said Artemis. "But Solaris is starting to get suspicious of us. It's only a matter of time until he finds out. No matter what happens, we can't let him find out our mission, at least not yet."

"Don't worry. He said that he'll trust us, so it's fine," smiled Sailor Venus. "No need to worry. Now let's get home. I may be a superheroine, but even we heroines need their beauty sleep."

And so, the two of them set off for home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mamoru was in his apartment holding his shoulder while wincing in pain. It was a miracle that he was able to get there without passing out from the pain. He tried to take deep breaths to ease the pain as he leaned against the door, but it didn't help. But there was an even deeper pain going through Mamoru at this moment. It was the pain of guilt. Guilt for letting his guard down, guilt for letting his true identity be seen, and most of all guilt for not being able to protect Sailor Moon.

"Damn it!" he cursed as banged his fist on the door. "I couldn't protect her... I failed her... I'm sorry... Sailor Moon..."

He then walked over to his couch leaving a bloody stain on his door due to his wound and sat down trying to relax. Then suddenly, he heard a light knock on his screen door. Mamoru jumped and snapped his head towards the door to find that he had an unexpected visitor standing there.

"S-Solaris?!" he gasped.

Solaris then opened the screen door and walked in. "I figured I'd find you here," he said quietly.

"How... how did you find me?" winced Mamoru.

"Let's just say that I have my sources," said Solaris. "But never mind about me. I'm more concerned about you. Why haven't you checked into a hospital yet for that wound?"

Mamoru looked away. "Because... the last thing I want is to get other people involved," he said. "Especially now that Zoisite's seen me."

Solaris then walked out of the living room and disappeared for a couple of minutes. He returned shortly carrying a first aid box.

"Thank goodness you have one of these here," he said as he went back to Mamoru. "Now then... I'm gonna take off your shirt."

Mamoru was surprised. "Wh-what?! But why?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna treat your wound," said Solaris. "You obviously can't go walking around dripping blood everywhere. So I'm gonna treat your wound before it gets any worse. Don't worry, I know first aid."

Mamoru was still baffled but he didn't say anything more. Solaris then took off his shirts leaving Mamoru bare-chested. He then took a cloth and began applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Mamoru grunted in pain doing his best not to yell out. Solaris then spoke up trying to help take his mind off it

"So... mind if I ask you a couple of questions?" he asked.

"Sure. I guess," grunted Mamoru. "What do you want to know?"

"Well first things first; How long have you been Tuxedo Mask?" asked Solaris. "When did this whole thing start?"

Mamoru took a few seconds to think. Then he began his story.

"It started way back. Back when I was a little kid," he said. "In those days, I had a loving Mom and Dad. They loved me and I loved them. We would do everything together having picnics, shopping, you name it. As long as we were together, everything was fine. But... those happy days wouldn't last forever. It the day of my sixth birthday. Me and my parents were going to go to the park. That was when it happened. Our car veered out of control and went offroad and crashed claiming both my parents live. Miraculously, I managed to survive the crash, however... I would lose something else that was important. My memories. I couldn't remember who my parents were... and I couldn't even remember my own name when someone called me. I kept asking myself: Was I really Mamoru Chiba? Or was I someone else entirely? Then... that's when the dreams started to happen. I had the same dream happen over and over again. A dream of a white castle and a single girl standing on the balcony telling me these words: "Find the Legendary Silver Crystal and all will become clear." Those were the words that sparked something in me and before I knew it, I was roaming the streets at night as Tuxedo Mask. A masked man on a mission to find the Legendary Silver Crystal to regain my lost memories."

Solaris stared at Mamoru's back as he continued to apply pressure while hearing the story. "So that's the reason why you're looking for the Silver Crystal? To help you remember who you are?"

Mamoru nodded in response. Then Solaris took a cup of water mixed it with a tablespoon of salt.

"Just to warn you, this is gonna hurt," he warned. "So brace yourself."

Mamoru nodded in response and then Solaris poured the water on the wound after taking off the cloth. Mamoru groaned in agony and pain but he didn't move. Solaris carefully cleaned the wound making sure that there was no dirt or anything foreign on it. Then he got a large roll of gauze and a large cotton pad. He gently placed it on the wound and the began wrapping it up with the gauze. Soon the wound was bandaged up and clipped into place.

"OK. That should take care of it for now," said Solaris. "But I would get that checked out by a doctor just to be safe. And be sure not to move around so much. I may have stopped the bleeding but it may open up again if you try to fight with it."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," said Mamoru. "Thank you, Solaris."

"It's no problem. That's what friends are for," he said.

He then walked toward the screen door about to take his leave, when he stopped and looked back at Mamoru.

"Say Mamoru, if you want the Legendary Silver Crystal so badly, then why don't you team up with me and Guardians?" he asked. "With us working together, we can-"

"I'm sorry but I can't," interrupted Mamoru. "Especially with what happened. I've already put you all in grave danger. It's my problem to deal with."

"I understand that, but in your current state, you don't stand a chance against Kunzite or Zoisite," said Solaris. "And there's no doubt that The Dark Kingdom knows who you are already. They could come for you and the two Rainbow Crystals that you have in your possession."

"As I said... it's my problem," insisted Mamoru. "I'm sorry, Solaris. I understand that you want to help, but I can't afford to get you dragged into another trap. Not again. Besides... Zoisite hasn't found me yet. I'll just have to keep under the radar, that's all."

Solaris stared at Mamoru and Mamoru stared at him back. Then the Guardian of the Sun then sighed.

"Such stubbornness. I don't know where you get it," he said. "You're starting to remind me of Sailor Moon." Then he turned around. "Very well then. I'll take my leave. But... if you do get into trouble again or want some help after all... send me a signal or something. Until then... be careful."

Solaris then exited the room and jumped off the ledge into the city below.

Mamoru was now left alone. As he sat there on the couch, he touched his bandaged shoulder smiling to himself feeling a bit touched.

"Never expected to have that happen," he thought. "It was kind of unexpected, but... thank you Solaris. It doesn't even hurt as much now."

Then Mamoru was rudely interrupted.

"My, my. This is quite the lovely place you got here," said a voice.

Mamoru then jumped as his TV suddenly turned on by itself. On the TV, Zoisite appeared on the screen.

"How did you find me?!" he demanded.

"It was quite an easy task once I found out your true identity, Tuxedo Mask," Zoisite spoke while playing his hair. "Or should I call you Mamoru Chiba?"

Mamoru then grinned putting on a brave face. "So what do you want from me? Surely, you wouldn't go through all this trouble just to say hello."

"Well, since we now know each other, I think the time is right for us to finally settle things once and for all," said Zoisite. "Here's the deal, we both are in possession of the Rainbow Crystals. You have two and I have five. Naturally one of us needs to have all seven to get the Legendary Silver Crystal, so I propose a winner take all fight. Whoever wins gets the Rainbow Crystals. How's that sound?"

"Sounds about fair," said Mamoru. "I accept your challenge."

Zoisite then grinned maliciously. "Now, that's a good boy. As for the location, Me and Kunzite have taken the initiative by creating our own structure in the middle of the bay. We call it Starlight Tower. How's about we meet there for our duel?"

"Sounds good to me," replied Mamoru.

"Very well then. I'll meet you there at five p.m. later this evening. Until then, good night, Mamoru."

Zoisite's face then disappeared from the TV as it turned off. Mamoru then got up and took a look outside the door. In the distance, there was Starlight Tower. It was a large and tall building that towered over the others. His eyes then narrowed.

"Sorry Solaris," he thought. "Guess I won't be taking it easy after all."

* * *

That afternoon after school, Harusuke was waiting for Usagi outside of the gates. Usagi had gotten herself into trouble again and was currently sitting in detention. As he waited, he let out a big yawn.

"Man... I'm so tired..." he complained. "That's what I get for staying up all night."

He then recalled what had happened the other night.

"It was good of me to help Mamoru with his wound and all, but... I still can't believe that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask," he thought. "If Usagi ever found out about it, she would definitely freak. Not only that... but Mamoru has been having visions like I was. Only his were a little different. But... I wonder... what could our visions mean? Who is that woman and... why do I have the sneaking suspicion that I know who she is... but I just can't remember."

Then he remembered Sailor Venus and Artemis.

"I don't know who those two think they are, but one thing's for sure," he thought as he squeezed his arms. "Sailor Venus not only isn't the princess, but she and that furball Artemis are hiding something. And I'm gonna find out what that something is."

Then he heard the sound of running footsteps and a familiar voice.

"Alright, Ms, Haruna! Bye for now!"

Harusuke looked inside and he saw Usagi just coming out of the school building.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Usagi panted.

"It's alright," said Harusuke. "Although, I would have preferred if you hadn't gotten detention in the first place. Especially since we're all supposed to meet up at the Hikawa Shrine."

Usagi then gulped. "Oh man. You're right. I can only imagine what Rei's gonna say to me. We better get going!"

The Tsukino siblings then started to run heading towards the Hikawa shrine. They hadn't gone very far when Harusuke noticed someone walking ahead of them. It was none other than Mamoru.

"What's he doing here?!" Harusuke thought. "He's supposed to be resting!"

"Wait a sec... I know those pants..." Usagi murmured.

She then smirked mischievously as she tip-toed towards Mamoru until she was right behind him.

"Usagi, what are you doing?" wondered Harusuke.

He found that out soon enough. Usagi saw this as an opportunity to surprise and taunt Mamoru. She brought her hand back and before Harusuke could react, she gave Mamoru a hard slap right where he was stabbed.

"Hey, there! How ya doing?!" she yelled.

Mamoru grunted in surprise and in pain as he staggered a little.

"Hey! Usagi! What the heck do you think you're doing?!" he scolded crossly. "Don't just go up to someone and slap him from behind like that!"

Usagi was surprised. "Whoa. What's with you, Harusuke? I was just messing with him."

"It doesn't matter!" snapped Harusuke. Then he turned to Mamoru. "I'm so sorry, Mamoru. Sometimes, I don't know what my sister is thinking sometimes."

But Mamoru smiled. "It's alright. No need to be concerned." Then he turned to Usagi. "You're awfully cheerful today, Bun-head."

Usagi felt insulted thinking that Mamoru was his usually teasing self. "Well, excuse me! It just so happens that I'm a cheerful person all the time!" she snapped as she made an akanbe face at him.

Usually, Mamoru would go on teasing her, but not today. Instead, Mamoru just smiled.

"That's good. I hope you'll always be that way," he said kindly. "You and your brother take of each other, OK?"

And he walked away. Usagi was surprised. Harusuke was concerned.

"What the heck's the matter with him?" she wondered. "He's not acting like his usual self."

"Search me," said Harusuke pretending not to notice.

"That moron," he thought to himself. "I told him to get that wound checked out by a doctor. But wouldn't listen. Then again... he could be on his way to a doctor right now..."

Then Usagi felt something on her hand. Something warm and wet. She looked at it and gasped. "H-Harusuke!"

Harusuke looked at her sister and saw her hand too. It was only a little bit, but on Usagi's hand was blood.

"Oh no! Could Mamoru's wound be bleeding through the gauze and onto his clothes?" he thought. "Either that or he must have had blood on his shirt. "

Now Usagi was worried. "Wait a minute... Could he be... hurt in some way?" she wondered.

"He must be. If he is... we'd better make sure that he's OK," Harusuke spoke pretending to be clueless.

* * *

Mamoru kept on walking making sure that he wasn't being followed. All he had to do was walk a few more feet and he would soon be there. He then felt his shoulder making sure that the bandages were holding. It was a bit damp but not too much to worry about. Then he felt something touch his shoulder. Thinking that it was an enemy, Mamoru immediately and quickly turned around behind him using his hand to strike, but then he stopped for the Tsukino siblings were now standing behind him.

"What the-! Bun-head?! Harusuke?!" he gasped as he relaxed.

"Hey, what was that about!" demanded Usagi. "You could have hurt us, you know!"

"Well, you startled me!" said Mamoru. "What are you two even doing here?!"

"Well... we got worried about you and decided to follow you," said Usagi.

"Worried about me?" Mamoru murmured in surprise. "But why?"

"Come on. It's obvious! You're injured!" Usagi said pointing to his right shoulder. "You need to go see a doctor before it gets any worse!"

"She's right," said Harusuke. "The last thing you want is to be moving around like that."

Mamoru then scowled. "Look, it's none of your business! So just bug off will you?!"

And he walked away. Usagi was now cross.

"What's his problem?!" she grumped. "He didn't have to be all rude!"

"He's trying to put on a brave face," Harusuke said. "That and he didn't want us following him for some reason."

The two siblings then resumed their pursuit of Mamoru making sure that he didn't notice them.

Soon enough, Mamoru was getting close to the bay and could see the Starlight Tower in sight. Then suddenly, the red around him began to glow in bright red color surrounding him and the Tsukino siblings.

"What the-! What's happening?!" cried Usagi. "Everything is all red!"

Mamoru then saw the siblings. "You idiots! Why did you two follow me?!" he yelled.

Then before the three of them could react, they were whisked away in the form of a huge red energy ball shooting straight towards the Starlight Tower.

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Luna were all waiting for Usagi and Harusuke to show up along with Sailor Venus and Artemis. So far none of them were anywhere to be seen which made them worried.

"What's going on here?" wondered Rei. "Usagi may be late, but it's not like her to be this late. Harusuke either."

"I tried calling them, but they didn't answer," said Ami.

"And they weren't at the school either," said Makoto.

"I even tried calling them on their communicators, but nothing," added Luna. "I fear something may have happened."

"Yeah... I agree," said Rei. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Then why don't we split up and find them?" suggested Ami.

"But where should we look?" wondered Makoto. "We have absolutely no idea where to start."

Then they heard a voice. "I think I might know. They're at the Starlight Tower."

The four looked towards the entrance where the voice came from and there stood a young girl. She was young about their age and wore a school uniform that was like the others, but her skirt was blue and the upper part was white with blue trims with a red scarf. She also a familiar hairstyle which was long blonde hair with a red bow on top.

"Who are you?" asked Rei.

Then a certain white cat appeared next to the girl. "What kind of question is that? Did you forget us already?" he asked.

"Wait... that's Artemis!" gasped Ami. "Then...this girl must be... Sailor Venus."

"That's right. My real name is Minako Aino," the girl said. "I'm a second-year middle school student just like you guys."

"According to our investigation, the enemy is involved in some activity in a structure they created called the Starlight Tower," explained Artemis.

"And the fact that we can't reach Usagi and Harusuke proves it," said Minako grimly. "They must have figured out the enemy's plan and gone after them all by themselves."

The other girls could only stay silent. Rei could only shake her head, Makoto stared at Minako like she was speaking French, and Ami could only scratch her cheek and sigh.

"Well... it would make sense if it was Harusuke," said Luna. "But if Usagi were that kind of girl, my job certainly would be a whole lot easier."

Minako took no notice as she began walking down the steps. "Come on! Let's hurry! We've gotta get to the Starlight Tower and help them!"

"Right!"

And the girls and Luna then followed.

* * *

Inside of the tower, Zoisite was waiting patiently for a certain guest to arrive. At that moment, a red sphere of energy appeared and from it emerged Mamoru, Harusuke, and Usagi. Harusuke and Usagi were unconscious but luckily Mamoru wasn't.

Zoisite smirked as he played with the five Rainbow Crystals in his hand. "Welcome, Mamoru. Glad you could come." He then walked to the middle of the room and placed the five Rainbow Crystals he had on the floor and walked back. "I've placed the Rainbow Crystals I have there. Now show me yours."

Mamoru glared not trusting this man for a second. Then looked behind him were the unconscious Tsukino twins laid. "Before I do that, you need to let these two go."

"Only if you show me your Rainbow Crystals first," Zoisite said.

Mamoru not really having much of a choice and concerned about Harusuke and Usagi's safety, then walked towards the Rainbow Crystals Zoisite placed, dug into his pocket taking out the two he had, and placed them on the floor walking back. Then Zoisite burst into hysterical laughter seeming to mock him.

"What's so funny?!" he demanded.

"You are," Zoisite cackled. "I'm laughing at how foolish you are!"

At that moment, Kunzite suddenly appeared. Before Mamoru had a chance to react, all seven of the Rainbow Crystals floated towards his hand and disappeared in an instant.

"Now all the Rainbow Crystals are ours," he spoke with victory.

"Damn it! Kunzite!" growled Mamoru as he glared daggers at Zoisite. "You lied to me!"

He was about to go on the attack when Zoisite held up a hand aiming for the Tsukino twins.

"Now, now. You better stay where you are, otherwise, I'll turn your friends into ashes," he spoke.

"Zoisite, I'll leave the rest to you," said Kunzite.

Then Mamoru threw a rose hoping to at least try to hit Kunzite, but it was too late. Kunzite was already gone. But the rose didn't change its trajectory as it shot towards Zoisite. Thinking that the rose would miss, Zoisite tilted his head to dodge. The rose shot past him piercing the window behind. Zoisite thought that he got away scot-free, but then he felt some slight pain on his cheek. He touched it and looked at his hand and saw that his glove was stained with red. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"How dare you do this to my beautiful face, you worm?!" he hissed angrily. "I'll get you for this!"

And with that, Zoisite disappeared in a flurry of petals. At that moment, Usagi and Harusuke had both regained conscious and were now awake just in time to hear Zoisite's voice echo throughout the room.

"Mamoru Chiba! If you want to get the Rainbow Crystals back, come to the observation deck on the top floor!"

"The Rainbow Crystals?" Usagi thought. "What would Mamoru want with them?"

"Damn it! Mamoru must have walked into a trap by Zoisite," Harusuke thought. "And we got dragged into it!"

"Until then," went on Zoisite. "Have an icy cold taste of fear! Try not to die!"

The room then suddenly grew cold with icicles hanging from the ceiling. Suddenly, the icicles started to grow bigger threatening to stab the three teens from above.

"Watch out!" yelled Mamoru as he immediately pushed Usagi out of the way just as the icicles pierced the floor where they once stood.

Harusuke saw another one coming at him and he immediately jumped out of the way. "Man! He's certainly not pulling his punches!" he gasped.

"Run!" yelled Mamoru.

The three then took off running as the icicles continued to rain down from above. As they ran, Mamoru couldn't help but wince in pain for his shoulder was starting to hurt again. This went unnoticed Usagi as she suddenly remembered.

"Hold on a sec... Now that I think about it... Tuxedo Mask had a similar injury the other day," she thought. "Could he be..."

"This is bad," thought Harusuke. "At this rate... we'll be killed if we don't find an exit!" He then quickly looked around trying to find a way to escape. Then he saw it. The exit that was their ticket out of here. The elevator.

"Guys! Over there!" he cried. "The elevator! Run to it before it's too late!"

They managed to make it to the elevator and Usagi furiously pressed the button to open it.

"Come on, come on, come on! Open!" she shrieked. "I can't take much more of this!"

The raining icicles grew closer and closer and then the doors finally opened. The three teens quickly jumped inside as the doors slowly closed.

Usagi and Harusuke sighed in relief.

"Phew. That was a close one," said Harusuke.

"Yeah. At least we're safe now," agreed Usagi.

"I wouldn't count on it," said Mamoru grimly.

Before Usagi and Harusuke could ask what Mamoru what he meant, they took a look at their surroundings. Instead of the normal interior of an elevator, the walls were green, lumpy, plant-like, and seemed to be alive. To make things worse, the door they came through suddenly disappeared. Then they felt the elevator suddenly jolt and whir as it started going up.

"I should have known," said Mamoru. "There's nowhere else to go. We're trapped here."

* * *

Outside of the tower, Luna and the other guardians arrived transformed and ready to fight.

"So this is the Starlight Tower," murmured Sailor Mars. "It's quite the building."

"I'll say," agreed Sailor Jupiter. "It's gigantic!"

Sailor Mercury then activated her visor and scanned the building trying to find a way inside. At first, she couldn't see anything. Then her visor picked up three heat signatures riding on the elevator. She pressed the button on her earrings and could see who the signatures were.

"Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru are all trapped in the elevator!" she said. "Not only that, but the doors are sealed shut!"

"You mean they're trapped in there?!" gasped Sailor Mars. "What the heck is going on?!"

"I don't know," said Luna. "But we have to get inside!"

"But how?!" wondered Artemis. "There no way to get in!"

Sailor Jupiter then stepped forward as her signature antenna popped out of her tiara charging with power.

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

She then unleashed a powerful shockwave of lightning destroying the door before them in a manner of minutes leaving the guardians and the cats completely dumbfounded.

"If we can't get through, then we'll just have to force our way in," she grinned. "Let's go!"

They all then made their way inside the Starlight Tower.

Unaware to them at that moment, Kunzite and Zoisite were watching from above with Zoisite still seething with fury over his scarred cheek.

"What a bunch of pesky ants," scoffed Zoisite.

"We now have all of the Rainbow Crystals and Mamoru as well," said Zoisite. "If we can destroy the Guardians here..."

"That will be our revenge for that cut cheek of yours," finished Kunzite as he lovingly placed an arm around his shoulder.

* * *

Back inside of the elevator, Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru were still riding inside the elevator. They had now risen so high, the town below looked like a toy model.

"Wow... we're really high up," said Usagi. "I can't even see the ground anymore."

"Yeah. Not to mention this elevator's taking its sweet time," said Harusuke. "It makes you feel like we've been up here for days."

The only one who wasn't talking was Mamoru. He just stared out into the town below seeming to be deep in thought. There was a long silence after that. Until at last, Usagi spoke.

"So... why are you after those crystals, Mamoru?" she asked.

Harusuke then gently nudged Usagi. "Hey. Keep it down, Nosy."

"Oh! I mean... it's OK if you don't want to talk about," Usagi apologized.

But to both their surprise, Mamoru spoke up.

"It's got to do with my past," he said. "If I have all those Rainbow Crystals, they'll help me find the Legendary Silver Cyrstal. Then I'll be able to regain my memories."

Mamoru then went to tell Usagi about his past as a child and about losing his memory. Harusuke tuned the conversation out due to him knowing this story already. When Mamoru finished, Usagi couldn't help but be surprised.

Mamoru then smiled bitterly. "You know, I honestly don't know why I'm telling you both this," he said. "So sorry if this seems a bit crazy."

Usagi then turned away pretending to be gruff. "You know what? I used to think that you were the worst person in the world," she said. Then she smiled. "But.. not anymore. You're the second worst."

Mamoru then smiled. "Thanks. I'll take it as a compliment."

Usagi then saw a mirage of Tuxedo Mask overlapping Mamoru's face. She then blushed and she looked away in embarrassment.

"Why on earth would I think about Tuxedo Mask right now?" she thought. "Could it be that... no! It can't be! It's impossible!"

Harusuke then sighed as he looked out the window. "If only she knew..." he said to himself.

* * *

At another part of the tower, Kunzite was standing there gazing into the town below.

"Now Guardians... the time has come," he said. "This will be the place where you all meet your end!"

His eyes then glowed in a bright white color. At that moment, all the lights in the town of Juuban went out making everything pitch-black dark except for the Tower. Then the tower suddenly changed in appearance now having a more frightening shape.

* * *

At the observation deck, Zoisite stood right above the opening where the elevator would soon make its stop. His eyes glinted with malice and revenge as a rope of fire formed in his hand. He wanted to make Mamoru Chiba and the two innocent people had with him die and who better to carry out this task than him.

"Goodbye, you two," he cackled as he unleashed the rope of fire sending it straight down to the elevator riding along the rope that held it.

* * *

The elevator continued to go upwards until suddenly it came to a complete stop with a jolt startling the three.

"What happened?! Why'd it stop?!" cried Usagi.

"I don't know!" said Harusuke. "But it can't be a good thing!"

Mamoru then looked up and his face paled with horror. "Look!"

The Tsukino siblings looked up and their eyes widened. From above shooting straight towards them was the fire that Zoisite had sent to kill them. Usagi and Harusuke were now faced with a difficult decision.

"This is bad! We have to transform!" thought Harusuke. "But if we do..."

"Mamoru will know who we really are!" Usagi thought. "But don't, we'll die!"

After what seemed to be like an eternity, Harusuke looked at Usagi and Usagi looked at him. They both gave each other a nod and knew what to do.

"I guess we don't have a choice now, Harusuke!" said Usagi. "Let's do it!"

"I'm with you, Usagi!" agreed Harusuke.

Mamoru then looked at the Tsukino siblings wondering what they were going to do just in time to hear...

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi  
_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Zoisite watched as his attack reached the elevator his enemies were riding on destroying it with a mighty boom. Smoke and rubble blew everywhere. The Dark Kingdom's general then smirked with triumph thinking that the deed had finally been done.

"What a pity," he mused mockingly. "I'll tell Queen Beryl that it was an accident. I'm sure she won't mind now that we have all seven of the Rainbow Crystals."

"You call that an accident?!" demanded a voice.

"If that was an accident, then I'd hate to find out what murder would be to you," said another voice.

Zoisite immediately turned around and saw Sailor Moon and Solaris standing before him Mamoru behind them.

"You're going to pay big time for deceiving people with your dirty tricks and torment!" Sailor Moon spoke crossly.

"And you're gonna pay for all the other crimes that you committed!" added Solaris.

"I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm Solaris! And in the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

As Mamoru stood behind the two heroes, he could not believe what he just saw. He was so shocked that he thought his heart would burst.

Zoisite gazed at the two not intimidated in the slightest. "Well, well. Sailor Moon and Solaris have joined the party," he said. "But no matter. I'll get rid of you two and Tuxedo Mask at the same time."

Sailor Moon was puzzled. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Tuxedo Mask isn't even here."

Then she heard a familiar voice coming from behind her.

"I'm right here."

Sailor Moon slowly turned around and saw that the only person there was Mamoru. Mamoru then dug into his coat and pulled out a red rose. Then he transformed.

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Mamoru_

 _The rose in Mamoru's begins to glow as Mamoru the enveloped in a grayish black glowing cape. Mamoru then emerges from the case wearing his tuxedo and his Mask donning the cape that transformed him and his top hat. He then throws his hat making it fly around then come back to him landing on top of his head as he finishes with his signature pose._

* * *

Sailor Moon's face was bright red as a cherry her jaw dropping to the floor. Mamoru the very guy that would tease her and call her Bun-head was the mysterious masked man that she fell in love with. Solaris, however, showed no reaction not surprised in the slightest.

"Well... the cat's out of the bag now," he said.

"Sailor Moon. Solaris. You were both very brave and I owe you my life," said Tuxedo Mask. "But now, you two can leave the rest to me."

"Hold on just a minute," objected Solaris. "You're not planning to fight him, are you?"

"You can't! You're hurt!" added Sailor Moon as she held his hand. "Please, let us handle this and get out of here!"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," said Tuxedo Mask. Then he looked at Sailor Moon. "I promise... I will protect you, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon then blushed not sure what to say. Solaris then glared huffily

"Hey. Did you come here to make goo-goo eyes?" he grumped. "Save the flirting for later!"

"Now, now. Playtime's over dear children," said Zoisite. "I'd say it's time that we settle this once and for all, Tuxedo Mask. And you're welcome to join him if you'd like Guardians."

"No. Leave them out of this," said Tuxedo Mask. "Your fight is with me."

"Very well then," said Zoisite. "We'll fight it out fair and square."

Tuxedo Mask then stepped towards Zoisite with Sailor Moon and Solaris staying back. However, this was another trap set up by Zoisite. While they had their backs turned, Zoisite conjured a dagger-like shard of crystal aimed at one target. Sailor Moon.

"That's it... come and get me, Tuxedo Mask," purred Zoisite.

Solaris started to feel uneasy. Something about this was off. He could feel it in his gut. Then he took notice of Zoisite's hand as it opened and closed. At first, he was puzzled, then he saw something in the window's reflection. Just behind Sailor Moon, something glinted shining brightly. That was then he realized.

"Mamoru, stop!" he yelled. "Zoisite's planning another trap!"

"Too late, Solaris! Now die!" shrieked Zoisite as he flicked his wrist.

The crystal then shot out heading straight towards Sailor Moon. Everything seemed to happen in an instant. Solaris dashed towards Sailor Moon in and shielded her in an attempt to save her life, but at the last moment with a speed never before seen, Mamoru stepped in front just as the shard pierced him in the midsection. Sailor Moon and Solaris could only stare in horror as the shard of crystal disappeared and Mamoru fell to the ground badly wounded. Sailor Moon immediately rushed to his side while Solaris stared at him in utter shock and disbelief.

"No! Don't die!" Sailor Moon cried as she cradled him in her arms. "Please hang in there!"

Mamoru smiled weakly. "Are... you all right... Sailor Moon?"

"Yes... I'm fine," Sailor Moon replied her eyss filling with tears. "You... you saved me... Me and Solaris..."

"Stop looking like... you're about to cry," Mamoru spoke now growing weaker. "Listen to me... I'm... sorry that I've been rude to you all time... I've... always been on your side. I'm... just glad that you and your brother... are safe." He then looked at Solaris. "Solaris... please take care of your sister... and thank you for your kindness... I'm glad... that both of you... are safe."

Then Mamoru's arm went limp falling to the cold hard floor as he took his final breath. Tuxedo Mask was now dead. Solaris and Sailor Moon stared at his lifeless body in horror and shock not believing what they were seeing.

"Tuxedo Mask! Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon cried trying to wake him up.

At that moment, the other Sailors arrived on the scene. and saw this terrible sight.

"No! We're too late!" gasped Sailor Venus.

Sailor Mars saw the deceased Tuxedo Mask and gasped. Not only because he was dead, but he was also Mamoru. Sailor Moon now realizing that her beloved Tuxedo Mask was dead, a single tear trickled down her cheek. Then suddenly, her tear began to glow. At that moment up from above, seven different colored lights appeared now hovering around her.

"It's the Rainbow Crystals!" said Solaris. "But... what are they doing here?!"

Then the Rainbow Crystals all began to gather and Sailor Moon's tear floated up towards them. Then one by one, the crystals disappeared into the tear until all seven were gone. Then the droplet shone in a white light as it began to transform. In a burst of light, one crystal remained. It was in the shape of a sphere, colored in a bright white-silver color, and shone in a beautiful pink color. Everyone couldn't help but mesmerized by this incredible sight. Even Zoisite was frozen with wonder.

"Is... is that what I think it is?!" murmured Artemis.

"It is! It's the Legendary Silver Crystal!" cried Luna.

Then the Moon Stick suddenly materialized and the Silver Crystal implanted itself right on top of it as it continued to shine. Sailor Moon then slowly stood up her eyes vacant in a daze as she bathed in the crystal's glow.

"Sailor Moon?!" gasped Sailor Venus.

"What's... what's happening to her?!" wondered Sailor Mercury.

She got her answer soon enough. For right then, Sailor Moon underwent a startling transformation. First, her tiara disappeared revealing a yellow crescent moon mark in the middle of her forehead. At the same time, the crescent moon mark on Sailor Venus' forehead disappeared and was replaced with a tiara like the other sailors. Sailor Moon's outfit then vanished and was replaced with a beautiful white gown having a decorated bodice, golden earrings. and a beaded bracelet on her right wrist. Everyone's mouths hung open in shock. Solaris especially could not believe what he was seeing.

"N-no way!" He gasped. "Usagi... is not only Sailor Moon... but she's... she's also..."

"The Moon Princess!" finished Luna.


	36. Chapter 35

Everyone stared in shock at the newly transformed Sailor Moon who was now Princess Serenity feeling deeply surprised and awestruck by her sudden transformation. Solaris especially couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Is... is this some kind of dream?" he murmured. "If it is... some please wake me up."

Then Luna's crescent moon mark started to blow brightly for a few seconds until it died down. She then gasped as if she suddenly remembered.

"Yes... it's her... Princess Serenity..." she murmured.

Everyone looked at Luna surprised that she knew the princess' name.

"Luna... do you know who this is?" asked Sailor Jupiter. "And is she the Moon Princess that we've been looking for all this time?"

"And not only that... Tuxedo Mask was really Mamoru?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"And my hunch about Sailor Venus was right," thought Solaris. "She wasn't the Moon Princess like I thought!"

He then looked at Sailor Venus now seeing that the crescent moon mark on her forehead was her tiara. The moment the two made eye contact, Sailor Venus instinctively glanced away from him not wanting to face him. The only one who seemed frozen in shock and heartbreak was Sailor Mars who just stood there silently not saying a word as the princess then sat before Mamoru gently placing his head on her lap cradling him.

Zoisite no longer shocked by the princess' appearance saw this as an opportunity and prepared to strike.

"So the princess has awakened, has she?" he thought. "Fine! First, I'll get rid of her and then take the Silver Crystal!"

Solaris heard Zoisite and then immediately shot in between them protecting the princess and Mamoru.

"Not so fast, Zoisite!" he growled. "If you wanna get to them, you gotta get by me first!"

"Fine with me!" roared Zoisite as he fired a powerful blast of black energy.

Solaris crossed his arms and braced himself for the incoming attack. But then, the Moon Stich with the Silver Crystal attached to it floated over the princess and she grasped it in her hand. The Silver Crystal immediately unleashed a powerful bright pink light shining all over the area and before Zoisite had a chance to react, he was sent flying into one of the stalagmites slamming into it hard. He then fell onto the floor completely unconscious. Solaris then looked back at the princess completely bewildered.

"Incredible... she sent him flying with just one attack..." he thought. "Just how strong she?"

The princess then set down her Moon Stick and a single tear fell down on Mamoru's cheek as she began to cry.

"Tuxedo Mask... Mamoru... I'm so sorry," she quietly wept. "You got hurt because of me..."

Then Mamoru began to stir until his eyes slowly opened as he looked up at the princess. Princess Serenity gasped and immediately held his hand grasping it with relief.

"Princess... Serenity... I... I remember..." he gasped. "I remember who I am now. I... am Endymion, the Prince of Earth."

Serenity's eyes widened upon hearing that name. At that moment, memories began to bubble forth in her mind.

She saw herself and Endymion overlooking an ancient castle of sorts. The two then looked at each other gazing into each other's eyes. Then Princess Serenity held out a locket. The same locket that Mamoru had with him before it ended up in Usagi's hands. Endymion opened it and the locket began to play its lovely music. The two then braced each other lovingly embracing each others warmth.

In another memory, she saw herself going Earth just to see Endymion. She was hiding behind a tree watching him from afar. Endymion then took notice and Usagi quickly hid not wanting to be seen and thinking that Mamoru would be cross. But Mamoru just smiled. That smile made Usagi come out of hiding and was the day the flower that was her love for him blossomed.

Then she saw another memory. A horrible one at that. The ancient palace was ablaze with the fires of war and Mamoru had his sword drawn at the ready determined to protect her. Princess Serenity could only watch as her prince leaped into the fires of battle leaving her all alone. Then she saw Queen Beryl who was cackling in triumph as Serenity's and Mamoru's lifeless bodies floated about in the air after just receiving the death blow from Queen Metallia.

She then came back to reality now fully aware of who she was and what her relationship with Endymion was.

"Endymion... You're him... Endymion, my one true love," she spoke.

Then at that moment, Serenity was enveloped in a bright pink light once more and in a few seconds, changed back to Sailor Moon who then fell into Mamoru's chest passing out. Solaris, the guardians, as well as Luna and Artemis immediately rushed to their aid.

"Sailor Moon!" Solaris cried. "Are you alright?! Say something!"

Sailor Mercury then placed Sailor Moon lap and Sailor Venus quickly checked her pulse. She then sighed with relief.

"Don't worry. She just passed out," she said.

"Thank goodness," sighed Sailor Mercury.

"It must have been her memories of being the princess rushing back to her mind and overloading it," said Artemis.

Sailor Mars then went over to Mamoru. "Mamoru! Can you hear me? Please say something!" she begged as she gently shook him.

Mamoru could only respond with a grunt of pain.

"He's in pretty bad shape," said Sailor Jupiter. "He's conscious, but I don't know how much longer he'll last."

Then Zoisite started to regain conscious as he struggled to get to his feet.

"I... won't let you get away..." he groaned. "This... is nothing..."

At that moment, Kunzite then appeared catching the staggering Zoisite before he fell. Zoisite was relieved to see him.

"Kunzite... I found her... It... it was her all along," he said weakly. "Sailor Moon was the Moon Princess."

"So it would appear," said Kunzite. "Her awakening explains why the Rainbow Crystals suddenly flew away from me. They must have been drawn to her."

The Guardians then stood up bravely ready with Mercury standing guard over Sailor Moon. Kunzite's eyes then narrowed as he too braced for battle. Then suddenly a dark portal opened up behind them causing everyone to look towards it in surprise. Then from that portal, a lone figure stepped forth. When the figure stepped out, Zoisite and Kunzite eyes widened as their hearts skipped beats immediately knowing who it was. It was none other... than Queen Beryl.

The moment she appeared, the Guardians immediately sensed danger as did the cats.

"Wh-who the heck is that?!" gasped Sailor Mars. "I've... I've never sensed something this evil before!"

"I don't know, but she's way more powerful than us," Sailor Venus spoke nervously. "Way more powerful than anything we've ever faced before!"

"It's her! The Queen of the Dark Kingdom herself!" hissed Luna her fur immediately standing up on end.

Solaris' eyes widened in shock upon hearing that name. At the same time, he remembered his visions back when the had them when the Sailor Guardians had awakened. The part about the warrior battling an evil with a staff definitely struck a chord in him. He then realized. Queen Beryl was the evil woman that he had been seeing in his vision. At that moment, something began to overtake him. A flurry of emotions that quickly seized him. Feelings of anger and revenge.

"Q-Queen Beryl?!" stammered Zoisite.

"What... are you doing here, my queen?!" asked Kunzite in a slightly baffled tone.

"Get the Moon Crystal now!" Queen Beryl boomed ignoring their questions. "Seize the Moon Crystal now for the glory of the Dark Kingdom!"

The two Dark Generals were still puzzled but they didn't dare disobey their queen.

"At once!" they both replied as the shot straight towards the guardians.

Sailor Jupiter, Venus, and Mars immediately barred their way and went on the attack.

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Sailor Jupiter then unleashed a stream of lightning at them, but the two dodged with ease. Then from where she was sitting, Sailor Mercury then unleashed her signature attack.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

A thick fog blanketed the area blinding both Zoisite and Kunzite. Seizing the opportunity to attack, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus attacked.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Mars' Fire Soul nailed Kunzite on his left arm while Venus' attack hit Zoisite on the right side. The two screamed in pain as they fell to the ground reeling in agony. Queen Beryl glared as her magic power flared in anger.

"How annoying," she spat. "I'll just have to destroy you all myself then!"

She was just about to attack when a rage-filled voice screamed out.

"BERYL!"

And before anyone could react, Solaris had jumped ahead of the guardians charging straight at Queen Beryl his eyes in a piercing and rage-filled glare.

"Solaris, what are you doing?!" cried Sailor Venus.

"Stay away from her!" yelled Artemis. "She's way too strong for you to handle on your own!"

Solaris didn't listen. He kept on charging straight at the evil queen his fist clenched. He jumped into the air and a ball of energy materialized in his hands now bigger than his other attacks from before. He took aim and then punched the ball of energy with all of his might.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Solaris' attack shot with a velocity and speed no one had seen before going straight towards Queen Beryl. The attack then exploded with a might boom shaking the entire area and also creating a cloud of smoke. Solaris landed back on the ground thinking that he had hit his target. But he couldn't have been more wrong. For when the smoke cleared, Queen Beryl was still standing completely unscathed by the attack.

"No way! His attack didn't even faze her!" gasped Sailor Mercury.

Solaris growled as he once more charged at Queen Beryl preparing to unleash another Sunshine Meteor. This time Queen Beryl raised her staff.

"Annoying insect," she scoffed. "Begone!"

A powerful bolt of black lightning erupted from her staff nailing Solaris in the midsection and shocking his entire body. Solaris screamed in pain as he was sent flying into a stone stalagmite hard. He was stuck there for a few seconds, then he fell face down on the floor in heap.

"No! Solaris!" the sailors cried.

Solaris grunted as he struggled to get back on his feet looking a bit wobbly. However, he was not done yet. He looked up glaring at Queen Beryl still determined to put the evil queen down for some unknown reason.

Queen Beryl then looked at the Sailor Guardians and saw that the Moon Stick along with the Silver Crystal in Sailor Moon's possession. She then took aim with her staff preparing to attack.

"That Silver Crystal will be mine!" she yelled. "And I'll destroy anyone who gets in my way!"

She then unleashed the same black lightning attack once more only with more power. The Sailor Guardians stood in front of Sailor Moon preparing to protect her from the incoming attack, but then Solaris who had gotten back on his feet rushed on over and brought his hands together.

"I SUMMON FORTH THE POWER OF THE STARS! LEND ME YOUR POWER!" he yelled as a white ball of light formed in his hands. "STARLIGHT ATTACK!"

He then unleashed a powerful blast of his own to counter Queen Beryl's the two blasts then collided making bright lights spark and wind blow throughout the area like a storm. The Guardians had no choice, but to shield their eyes being unable to see while Solaris tried his best to push the blast back using every ounce of his power. However, Queen Beryl had the upper hand in terms of power as her attack pushed Solaris' back causing the evil queen to smirk in triumph.

"You pathetic fool," she cackled. "Did you honestly think that you stood a chance against me? Now you will perish!"

Then as she gazed into the eyes of her enemies reveling in being the one to cause their destruction, Queen Beryl just so happened to catch a glimpse at Solaris. As soon as she looked at his eyes, her eyes widened. Instead of being blue like they normally were, they were now a bright shade of silver. At that moment, a memory flashed into the evil queen's mind. A memory of her battling warrior having the exact same color of eyes as Solaris did. Upon seeing that memory, she immediately felt a flash of pain go through her body, mostly in her chest area causing the evil queen to lose her focus making her attack weaker.

"No... my chest... it's burning!" Queen Beryl thought to herself. "But... why...?!"

At the moment, the two attacks they were unleashing couldn't take much more. They both suddenly exploded causing dust and smoke to billow everywhere and making everything difficult to see. Soon enough, the smoke cleared the guardians could see again. However, it didn't take them long to realize that someone was missing from their group. That, someone, was Mamoru.

"Where's Mamoru?!" wondered Sailor Mars. "Where'd he go?!"

Then Sailor Venus cried out. "Look! Over there!"

She then pointed towards the direction where Queen Beryl was and there standing beside and also carrying Zoisite on his shoulder was Kunzite. Next to him was Mamoru who was now floating beside the three as he was encased with a purple barrier. Before the guardians had a chance to react, Mamoru immediately disappeared into thin air.

"No! Mamoru!" Sailor Mars cried. "What did you to him?!"

"Nothing that concerns you, guardians," said Queen Beryl. "Until then, I'll let you live a little while longer."

"You're running away?!" roared Solaris. "Get back here and face us, you cowards!"

But it was no use. Queen Beryl and her followers entered the portal as it closed disappearing from view.

"No! They got away!" said Sailor Jupiter in frustration.

"Where is it they could have taken him?" wondered Sailor Mars worriedly.

No one replied not sure what to say nor did they know. At that moment, Solaris then slumped to his knees groaning in agony while holding his head. Sailor Venus quickly rushed over to him along with Luna and Artemis.

"Solaris? Are you alright?!" Sailor Venus asked.

"That was really reckless!" scolded Luna. "You could have gotten yourself killed doing a crazy thing like that!"

Solaris looked up his eyes now back in their normal color. "What... what do you mean?" he asked looking confused. "What did...I do?"

"Don't you remember? You just attacked Queen Beryl right out of the blue," said Artemis. "You even fought her to a stalemate."

"I... I did?" wondered Solaris feeling his head. "I... I don't remember doing that."

"What do you mean? You went nuts when you saw that Queen Beryl lady," said Sailor Jupiter. "You practically took her on even though it was a one-sided fight."

"You're kidding..." said Solaris as he felt his head. "I... I don't remember. I remember... looking at her and when Artemis and Luna said her name... I blanked out."

The cats and the other sailors could only look at the sun warrior as he continued to sit there puzzled and confused.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl once more sat on her throne with Kunzite and Zoisite before her.

"You have our thanks, Queen Beryl," said Kunzite. "I do not know what we would have done without you being there to save us."

"Silence! I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't messed up!" Queen Beryl boomed. "You not only let the princess awaken, but you also allowed the Silver Crystal to slip through your fingers."

"Yes, my queen. I have no excuses," apologized Kunzite. "Fortunately, the Princess has just awakened and doesn't have full control of the Silver Crystal. All I ask is that you give me a little more time."

"Very well. I'll leave it to you then," said Queen Beryl. "Do not fail me." Then she turned to Zoisite and glared daggers at him. "As for you Zoisite, I presume that you're ready for your punishment?"

Zoisite's face immediately paled. "Please, my queen! Give me another chance!"

The crystal ball began to glow in a black and pink light as Queen Beryl's angry glare grew.

"You disobeyed my orders and tried to kill Tuxedo Mask, didn't you?!" she spoke angrily. "Did you think you could fool me with your lies?!"

"I'll take responsibility for that!" interjected Kunzite. "Please, Queen Beryl! Have mercy!"

But the evil Queen refused to listen. She took aim and was about to fire to finish Zoisite once and for all, but then suddenly she felt a shot of pain go through her chest once again causing her to stop and clutch her chest once again. Zoisite and Kunzite looked at her queen feeling a bit worried.

"My queen... is something the matter?" asked Kunzite tentatively.

Queen Beryl didn't respond as she tried to calm down and ease the pain by taking deep breaths, but her chest continued to hurt.

"What... what is happening?!" she thought. "Why is this happening again?! Why does my chest hurt me so much?!"

Then Queen Beryl remembered, back when she looked in Solaris' silver eyes.

"It must be because of him..." she thought. "And there could be only one reason why... It would seem that Princess Serenity wasn't the only one reincarnated into this era."

Queen Beryl then stood up. "Zoisite... I'll deal with you later," she said. "For now, I must go speak to Queen Metallia. Be grateful."

And then she disappeared leaving Kunzite and Zoisite completely confused.

"What was that all about?" wondered Zoisite.

"I don't know, but be grateful that Queen Beryl spared you at the last moment," said Kunzite. "She was just about ready to kill after what you just did."

Zoisite then clung to Kunzite his body trembling in fear. "I'm scared, Kunzite... I'm scared. What's Queen Beryl gonna do to me?! What am I gonna do?!"

Kunzite then took Zoisite's hand and turned his cheek towards him.

"It will be alright my love," he said quietly. "I will try my best to convince Queen Beryl into giving you a second chance. Hopefully, she'll listen to reason. In the meantime, just rest for now."

"You'd really do that for me? Thank you, Kunzite," said Zoisite gratefully. "You really are the only person I can count on in this world."

Kunzite smiled kindly as he gave Zoisite a light peck on his cheek.

* * *

In the room where Queen Metalia was sealed inside her cocoon, Queen Beryl now kneeled before it and as she presented Mamoru's unconscious body before it.

"Oh Great Ruler, Queen Metalia, I call upon you to awaken now!" she commanded.

The cocoon stirred until it brightly lit up as Queen Metalia once again awoke from her slumber. Now aware of Mamoru being in the room, the cocoon of Queen Metallia seemed to rumble in delight.

"Oh, Endymion... how I have missed you so..." she spoke with joy. "Is it really him, Queen Beryl?"

"Yes, it is," Queen Beryl spoke. "I must admit, we've never imagined that the former prince of Earth would end up being reincarnated in this era."

"How very fortuitous," spoke Queen Metalia. "But he's very weak. How did he get so wounded?"

"It was because of Zoisite," spoke Queen Beryl bitterly. "He disobeyed my orders and tried to kill him. But do not worry. I intend to punish him with dea- AHH!"

Then Queen Beryl cried out in pain as her chest burned again.

"Queen Beryl? What's the matter with you?" the cocoon demanded. "Why are you in pain?"

"It's because... of him," Queen Beryl winced. "He has been reincarnated into this timeline as well. The one with the silver eyes..."

The cocoon suddenly flashed as Queen Metalia seemed to gasp. "No... it can't be! Not him! He's been reincarnated too?!"

"I'm afraid so, my queen," said Queen Beryl. "I've seen him for myself. He has been reincarnated as the guardian of the Sun known as Solaris. At first, I thought it was a trick, but my scar has been burning ever since I saw his eyes."

There was a long pause as Queen Metalia seemed to hum in thought trying to think about what to do. After a few seconds, she spoke once again.

"It doesn't matter now. We'll worry about him later," she said. "For now, you must heal Endymion with the power of darkness immediately!"

"Yes, my queen," said Queen Beryl.

"And as for Zoisite, it would be wise to keep him alive for the time being," added Queen Metalia. "We'll need his strength."

Now Queen Beryl was surprised. "But my queen, Zoisite almost killed Endymion! Surely you realize that he cannot be allowed to live!"

"That is true, but we'll have to overlook it for now," Queen Metalia said. "If you what you said is true, then there's a strong possibility that it has awakened as well and we'll need the strength of all four of the Kings of Heaven as well as Endymion. In the meantime, if Zoisite stirs up trouble again, tell him that he'll answer to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my queen," acknowledged Queen Beryl.

* * *

Back inside Starlight Tower, the Guardians were making their way through the rubble of the tower trying to find an exit with Sailor Mercury leading the way using her visor and her computer. Solaris was carrying Sailor Moon on his back while the rest of the Guardians walked.

"Are you sure that this is the right way, Mercury?" asked Sailor Venus worriedly.

"I'm pretty sure according to the sensors," said Sailor Mercury. "However... we do have some sort of a problem."

"What kind of problem?" wondered Luna.

"This appears to be completely sealed projective space," explained Sailor Mercury. "Theoretically, it's not connected to the three-dimensional space we just came from. It's more like a two-dimensional space. You see, the polarity of this tunnel is in an inverse phase, and it's connected to the other space through a zero dimension."

Everyone stared at Sailor Mercury feeling completely confused. Even Luna and Artemis were a bit puzzled.

"Hold on a sec, Mercury. We can't understand what you're saying," complained Makoto. "You're using too many big words."

"I think what she's trying to say is that the space that Zoisite and Kunzite created has become somewhat unstable and no longer connecting to our world," said Solaris. "And instead of walking to the exit like we normally would, we've instead walked into another dimension. That make sense?"

Sailor Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, as well as Luna and Artemis, stared dumbly at Solaris while Sailor Mercury smiled.

"Yes. Exactly," she said brightly.

"How on Earth were you able to translate that?!" wondered Sailor Mars.

"When you study with Ami for a long time, you learn a couple things," replied Solaris.

Luna sighed. "It's a good thing we have Sailor Mercury for these kinds of situations... and apparently Solaris for that matter."

"Never mind that. The important thing is that we gotta move!" said Sailor Jupiter. "If we stick around here, those guys are sure to find us."

"By the way, Solaris are you OK carrying Sailor Moon?" asked Sailor Venus.

"Don't worry. I'm fine," replied Solaris. "After all, she is my sister. This is a piece of cake."

Just then, Sailor Moon stirred and her eyes began to flutter open.

"Hey you guys, she's waking up!" said Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Moon was now fully awake as she looked around. Then she suddenly remembered also realizing that a certain someone was missing causing her to immediately get off of Solaris' back and on her feet.

"Tuxedo Mask! Tuxedo Mask, where is he?!" she asked. "He's not dead is he?!"

Sailor Mars then spoke up. "No. He's still alive. But... he was taken away by the enemy. We have no idea where he is right now."

Sailor Moon now crestfallen looked towards the ground. She was relieved that Mamoru was still alive, but she was also sad that her beloved was taken.

Then Artemis spoke up. "Listen up everyone. Now that the Princess has awakened, I think it's time that you know the whole story." He then turned to Luna. "Luna, when the Princess finally woke up, did all of your memories return?"

"Yes, very clearly," replied Luna.

"Wait... what are you talking about?" puzzled Sailor Jupiter.

"He's talking about our previous lives," explained Sailor Venus. "Our previous lives in the Moon Kingdom, Silver Millennium."

"Hold on a second," said Solaris raising his hand. "Before we get into any of that, there's something I want to confirm first."

All the guardians then looked Solaris as he looked Sailor Venus.

"As we now already know, Usagi aka Sailor Moon is the Moon Princess, not Sailor Venus," he said. "You could have told us about that sooner, but you didn't. So... what I wanna know is why did you lie to us about being the princess, Sailor Venus?"

Sailor Venus frowned not looking Solaris in the eye. "I'm sorry... I... I had no intention to lie. Believe me, there was a good reason that I did what I did."

"She's right. It was all to protect the Princess as well as the Silver Crystal," said Artemis. "Please don't blame Sailor Venus. I was the one who told her to disguise herself as the princess."

Solaris stared at Sailor Venus. Then he sighed.

"I'm still a bit mad. I mean... I thought that you two were the enemy for Pete's sake. However... I suppose I can let it slide," he said. "But, if we're supposed to be a team, there can be no more lies. No more secrets. Understand?"

Sailor Venus and Artemis looked at each other and then gave Solaris a nod in agreement.

Solaris then nodded. "Alright then. Artemis, I believe you and Luna were about to tell us your story?"

Artemis and Luna then telling their tale.

"A long time ago, there was a kingdom on the Moon known as the Silver Millennium,"

"It was a peaceful paradise which was ruled by our benevolent queen, Queen Serenity the head of the Royal Family."

"But then one day, something terrible happened. The earth was taken over by an evil entity!"

"Within a short amount of time, it's forces attacked us to steal the Silver Crystal stored inside Silver Millenium."

"The kingdom was destroyed in a fierce battle, but with the power the Silver Crystal, we managed to seal away the evil entity. And you five are the reincarnations of the Guardians who fought that battle."

"Now, wait just a minute," said Sailor Jupiter. "Are you saying that we're beings from the moon kingdom?"

"Not exactly," said Sailor Venus. "We're normal earthlings and the mothers and fathers that we know are our true parents."

"That was the wish of the Moon Queen," added Luna. "She wanted the Princess as well as all of you all to live happily on this planet as ordinary people. That's why she chose this era to reincarnate you."

"However, it hasn't worked out quite as she hoped," said Artemis grimly. "Someone has released that evil entity into the world."

"And that evil entity is the Dark Kingdom's boss, isn't it?" wondered Sailor Mercury.

"Correct," nodded Luna. "And I'm sorry if it had to come to this. If it weren't for them, you would have lived your lives peacefully as normal people. But if we don't protect the Silver Crystal and defeat the enemy, there can be no peace and there won't be a future for any of us!"

"It's our mission to fight this battle," added Sailor Venus. "We cannot allow the tragedies of the past repeat themselves. We have to work together and fight! Do you understand?"

"Absolutely!" agreed Sailor Mars.

"You can count me in," added Sailor Jupiter. "Let's beat this enemy together!"

"Yeah. I'm in too," said Solaris punching his hand. "Besides, I won't rest until I beat Zoisite's face into the ground! I owe it to Nephrite!"

Every one of the guardians were determined to fight the Dark Kingdom, but there was one who wasn't as willing. That one was Sailor Moon.

"I'm sorry... but count me out," she spoke quietly.

Everyone looked at Sailor Moon clearly surprised.

"Sailor Moon? What do you mean?" asked Sailor Jupiter.

"I'm sorry... but I'm sick of it. I'm sick of fighting," Sailor Moon continued. "I can't do it."

"Are you serious?" Luna asked incredulously.

"I am. I'm sick of it!" Sailor Moon spoke bitterly. "It's all I ever do!"

"How can you even talk that?" Sailor Venus spoke bewildered with shock. "You're the Moon Princess!"

"You say I'm the Princess, but the truth is, I don't feel like one," Sailor Moon said. "I'm not even sure if I want to be one! I'm Usagi Tsukino, not this Princess Serenity!"

"Usagi, don't you understand? You have a mission!" scolded Luna. "When are you ever going to-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY SO-CALLED MISSIONS!" Sailor Moon burst out jumping to her feet. "I mean so what if I had a previous life?! It's got nothing to do with me, don't you get it?! I'm tired of risking our lives fighting all the time!" She then looked towards the floor her eyes filling with tears. "What if... what if you all of you end up just like Mamoru? I don't ever want to see that happen! I'm just... tired of being sad!"

Everyone stared at Sailor Moon surprised at her sudden outburst. Then Sailor Mars walked up to her and gave her a hard slap on her cheek hard.

"How can you talk like that?!" she demanded hotly. "You're a coward, Usagi! A big coward!"

"You're right! I'm not strong like you-"

Sailor Moon looked back at Sailor Mars about to vent her frustrations on her, but then she saw Sailor Mars' face. She was surprised to see that the guardian of Mars had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You crybaby! Mamoru got hurt trying to protect you and this is how you pay him back?!" Sailor Mars tearfully snapped. "If that's the way you feel, then Mamoru risked his life for you for nothing!"

Solaris then stepped in gently pushing them away from each other.

"Now, now. Let's calm down a bit," he said gently. "I know tensions are high and Usagi might be feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I think we just need to take a minute especially with everything that's happened.

"Solaris is right," said Artemis. "Sailor Moon just needs some time to think about this."

"But Artemis-" protested Luna.

"It'll be alright," said Sailor Mercury. "Give her a little space and I'm sure that the old Usagi will come back. Until then, let's be patient and watch over her." She then closed her computer. "More importantly, I found the exit."

"Good job, Mercury," smiled Luna. "I do want to discuss this further, but we'd better get out of here while we can."

"I agree. Let's get going," said Sailor Venus.

The group was just about to start walking when they all felt an evil presence just above them. They then looked up and there above them was Kunzite.

"So you managed to find the exit, eh? Very impressive," he said. "But don't think that you'll be leaving this place alive."

Everyone immediately stepped in front of Sailor Moon protecting her.

"Luna! Artemis! You two get somewhere safe!" said Sailor Venus urgently.

"Okay, we hear you," said Artemis. "But be careful, Venus."

"Good luck, everyone," said Luna.

Then the two cats went for cover under some of the rubble. Sailor Venus then stood bravely before Kunzite ready to fight.

"Alright. You four protect the princess," she said. "I'll take of this!"

Sailor Jupiter then stood next to her. "Hold on. I'm fighting with you," she said taking a stance. "Can't let you have all the fun for yourself."

Sailor Venus smiled. "Thanks, Jupiter. Appreciate that."

"You're wasting your time," scoffed Kunzite. "You don't stand a chance before my power."

"Don't underestimate us!" Sailor Jupiter yelled as her signature antenna came out of her tiara sparking with power. "JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Her signature attack shot forth, but then a black spacial barrier appeared around Kunzite and absorbed the attack making it completely disappear.

"No way! He completely absorbed my attack!" gasped Sailor Jupiter.

"Then how about this?!" said Sailor Venus as she took aim with her finger. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Venus fired a powerful beam of yellow light, but just like with Jupiter's her attack was absorbed by Kunzite's barrier rendering it ineffective.

"It's no use! In this dimension, he can absorb every ounce energy we throw at him," said Sailor Mercury.

"I think we just established that, Mercury!" Solaris cried.

"Then how are we supposed to do?!" asked Sailor Mars.

"Die!" responded Kunzite as he created a powerful attack in the form of a sparkling energy ball throwing it at Sailor Venus and Jupiter.

The two Sailors were blasted back by the attack, but they managed to stay on their feet far from defeated.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to defeat us!" growled Sailor Jupiter.

"Yeah! Is that the best you got, Kunzite?!" taunted Sailor Venus.

"Far from it!" Kunzite smirked as he created another sparking ball of energy which was bigger than before and also appeared to be a fusion of both Jupiter's Supreme Thunder and Venus' Crescent Beam. "Take this!"

He then unleashed the blast hurling it towards the two Sailors.

"Watch out!" Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Solaris cried.

But it was too late. Jupiter and Venus were hit full force by the attack knocking them unconscious. Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury then stepped forward.

"Solaris? Take of the Princess for us," said Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Mars then looked at Sailor Moon who was worried and nervous.

"Listen, Sailor Moon. You need to accept your destiny," she said. "Be strong. You can do this."

"Stop wasting my time," interrupted Kunzite. "Are you ready to die or not?"

Sailor Mercury and Mars then faced Kunzite and both attacked at the same time.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Mars' fireball and Mercury's stream of bubbles shot out only to be absorbed by Kunzite once again. Then a ball of fire and water formed in Kunzite's hands.

"You fools! Take this!"

Kunzite then unleashed the attack hitting Sailor Mars and Mercury with the full force knocking the two flat on their backs unconscious. Sailor Moon gasped in horror while Solaris bravely stood in front of her ready to protect her from harm. Kunzite then smirked with triumph.

"And now it's your turn, Princess," he said darkly. "You ready to die?"

"She's not! Because I'm here!" said Solaris bravely.

"Don't interfere, Solaris," said Kunzite holding up his hand. "Or I'll make your death a painful one!"

The dark general then blasted the two of them with a force of power forcing Solaris back.

"You're quite the stubborn one," murmured Kunzite. "How about this one?!"

He blasted them again, this time sending the two flying until they landed on the floor. Sailor Moon immediately rushed to her brother's side.

"Solaris! Are you alright?!" she asked worriedly. "Hang in there!"

"I'm fine!" said Solaris as he got to his feet. "It's nothing to worry about."

"But... this is exactly why I don't want to fight anymore!" Sailor Moon cried. "All of my friends getting hurt just to protect me! If you all keep this up, you'll all die!"

"I'm aware of that and I get it," said Solaris. "But... we have to do this! We have to protect you, Sailor Moon! No matter what!"

"But... why?! I'm nothing! I'm nothing but a weak little girl who can't do anything!" Sailor Moon wailed. "I don't even know what to do anymore!"

Solaris then looked back towards Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon. Listen to me. You're a strong person and I'm not just saying that because you're my sister. I know for a fact that you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Me and the other guardians all believe in you! Trust yourself and be brave."

Then with a mighty yell, Solaris leaped towards Kunzite his fist clenched. But Kunzite then unleashed one more powerful blast forcing Solaris to the floor hard making an imprint of his body on the ground.

"No! Solaris!" cried Sailor Moon as she rushed over to him. "Are you alright?!"

Solaris didn't respond for he too fell unconscious. Now Sailor Moon was on her own. Then she heard the voices of her friends.

"Usagi... don't give up..."

"Believe in yourself..."

"Give it your all..."

"You can do it."

Sailor Moon then stood up her courage beginning to grow. "Rei... Minako... Ami... Rei... Harusuke..."

Then she heard another familiar voice in her mind. The voice of her love, Tuxedo Mask.

"Fight, Sailor Moon! Hold it up... Raise the Silver Crystal high and use its power!"

Sailor Moon then raised the Moon Stick high and stood bravely ready to face Kunzite.

"So, you've chosen to plunge into the depths of hell on your own, eh Princess?" he spoke. "That's fine by me! I'll now have my revenge for what you and your pathetic friends did to Zoisite!"

He then raised up his hands and a large powerful ball of energy formed as he fired it at Sailor Moon. But the guardian of the Moon refused to run as the crystal began to shine on the Moon Stick.

"Please, Silver Crystal!" begged Sailor Moon. "Lend me your power! Give me strength!"

In response to her call, the Silver Crystal shone even brighter and enveloped Usagi in its bright light. With a mighty yell, Sailor Moon unleashed a powerful attack completely overpowering Kunizte's attack and blasting him along with it. At the same time, the light of the Silver shone throughout the Starlight Tower enveloping it with its bright glow destroying it, and sending Usagi and the others back to the real world.

* * *

In the Dark Dimension, Zoisite was resting while waiting for Kunzite to return. At that moment, Kunzite had appeared. He was now holding his side in pain and was slightly singed. Zoisite quickly rushed over to him.

"Kunzite! Are you alright?!" he cried worriedly. "You're hurt!"

"This... is bad," Kunzite grunted. "She's beginning to learn how to use the Silver Crystal.

Zoisite then gasped. "You're talking about, Sailor Moon, aren't you?! That witch! It's one thing to hurt me, but no one hurts my dear Kunzite! I'll make them-"

"Zoisite, stop!" ordered Zoisite. "We're in no condition to be fighting the guardians right now. Especially with our current situation. For now... we'll have to fight another day."

Zoisite growled with hate and anger, but he knew that Kunzite was right. So he held his lover's hand and stroked it gently hoping that it would ease the pain.

* * *

Back with Queen Beryl, she had just begun the healing process for Mamoru was now watching over him. Mamoru began to stir seeming to be dreaming as he slept.

"S-Serenity..."

"Endymion... she still haunts you. You still cannot forget about her," Queen Beryl spoke with a hint of pity. "No matter how much you love Serenity, it is a love that can never be. But fear not. I'll make sure that you forget about her. And then... you will become truly happy."

* * *

Sailor Moon now stared out towards the ocean as she said a silent prayer for her beloved. The sun's morning glow illuminated over the horizon as it slowly peeked up.

"Tuxedo Mask... thank you," she said to herself. "I pray that you're safe."

The other guardians now fully awake then came up to her pride etched on their faces.

"You saved us all, Sailor Moon," said Sailor Venus. "Thank you."

"Does this mean that you're still gonna fight with us?" asked Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon smiled widely and gave a firm nod. "You bet I will."

Solaris then hugged his sister. "That's my sis. I knew you'd come around."

"In that case, that completes stage one," smiled Luna. "Wouldn't you agree, Artemis?"

"Indeed. You were very brave, Usagi!" agreed Artemis.

"And the same could be said for the rest of you too," said Luna. "Remember, if we continue to work together and do our best, we can overcome any obstacle!"

Everyone heartily agreed. As they headed home, Sailor Moon took one last look at the sea now more determined than before.

"I know he's out there somewhere," she thought. "Tuxedo Mask... I won't gonna give up until I find you. I promise."


	37. Chapter 36

_The Moon Kingdom was engulfed with flames of destruction._

 _Usagi or rather Princess Serenity was running through the flames and destruction chasing Endymion who was running ahead of her._

 _"Endymion!" the princess called. "Endymion!"_

 _Endymion looked back and gave the princess a reassuring smile. The princess then watched as Endymion ran further ahead disappearing into the flames of destruction._

 _The princess' eyes widened in horror as the flames seemed to engulf the prince of Earth completely as everything went white._

 _"ENDYMION!"_

* * *

Usagi was still fast asleep tossing and turning in her bed as she continued to suffer through her nightmare. Luna took notice of them and went over to Usagi feeling a bit worried.

"No more... I don't to be a Moon Princess anymore..." she mumbled. "Constantly having to fight the Dark Kingdom... I just don't wanna do that... I just wanna be a normal girl..."

"Usagi, don't say that!" pleaded Luna. "You can never forget that you made a promise!"

"It looks like the trauma was more serious than I thought," she said to herself. "She keeps contradicting herself. Now I'm getting worried."

Then Usagi turned in her sleep once again. As she did, her arm came flying down and plopped right on top of Luna. The poor black cat struggled as she tried to get free, but the weight of Usagi's arm prevented her.

"Usagi! Wake up!" she squawked. "You're crushing me!"

Then she saw Usagi's sleeping face. As she slept, Usagi's closed eyes began brimming with tears as she continued to dream about Mamoru.

"Tuxedo Mask... where are you?" she murmured tearfully. "I'm so worried about you... Where are you right now...? Please be safe..."

Luna now felt sorrier and more worried for Usagi than ever as she continued to watch over her hoping that she would be back to normal soon.

* * *

The next day during class, the rest of the other class was feeling bright and cheerful, but Usagi was still feeling depressed about what had happened to Mamoru.

Naru and her group then came up to Usagi's desk.

"Hey Usagi, check this out," said Naru excitedly as she pointed to an article to a magazine. "A new hair salon just opened in the Juban District!"

"And it also happens to be owned by Kariko Tokoyama, the winner of last month's World Hair Design Contest," added Yumiko.

"Not only that, but she's also offering free haircuts for anyone who attends grand opening!" said Kuri.

"Yeah! Isn't that great?!" Naru spoke grinning. "We should definitely go! We have to check it out!"

Usagi didn't respond at first for about a few seconds, then she finally responded in monotone-like voice.

"Yeah... That sounds great..."

Naru could see that Usagi wasn't acting like her normal self which made her a bit worried. "Is something the matter, Usagi?" she asked. "You seem really depressed."

"Yeah... sure..." responded Usagi as she continued to sit at her desk sad and depressed.

Harusuke was watching from afar and felt worried about his sister. "Poor Usagi..." he thought to himself.

* * *

A little later, the rest of the group all met up at the Hikawa Shrine to discuss Usagi's problems. Luna and Harusuke then explained.

"She hasn't been sleeping well," Luna explained. "Just when I think that she's fallen asleep, she starts talking in her sleep, and having nightmares about Tuxedo Mask."

"The poor thing," mused Ami sadly. "I feel bad for her. "

"Do we even know what happened to Tuxedo Mask after he was taken by the enemy?" asked Makoto.

Luna shook head. "I'm afraid we don't. We only know that she's still missing," she said sadly. "And that worse part of it is, Usagi's so worried about him that she can't think or focus on anything else. It's getting to be painful seeing her this way."

"I'll say," agreed Harusuke. "She's become more clumsy, she's not paying attention more than usual, and to top it all off, she's hardly eaten either. And when Usagi doesn't eat, that's when you know something's wrong with her."

"This does pose a problem," said Artemis. "We need Usagi to get serious about being the Princess before something bad happens."

"But you really can't blame her," Rei spoke up quietly. "The one she loves has been taken away from her and we haven't heard from him since. I know... what kind of pain that she must be going through."

"Well, this is unusual," spoke Makoko. "I'd never thought I'd see you of all people sympathize with Usagi like this." Then she suddenly remembered what Rei said back when she slapped Usagi and finally understood. "I'm... sorry about that," she apologized.

Harusuke then looked at Rei who turned back towards the coy pond not saying another word.

"It would seem that Usagi's not the only one who's feeling heartbroken about Mamoru," he thought. "Rei must be feeling just as depressed as Usagi is if not a little more."

"Be that as it may, no matter how hard it must be, now isn't the time for Usagi to go soft," said Artemis.

"I agree," said Luna. "In order to crush the Dark Kingdom's ambitions, we have to get her back on track as a full-fledged Princess and soon so she can use the Silver Crystal."

"There must be something we can do to help her," said Minako. "But what?"

There was a long silence. Then Harusuke spoke up.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault."

Everyone immediately looked at Harusuke.

"What are you talking about, Harusuke?" wondered Ami.

"I'm saying that it's my fault," Harusuke spoke bitterly as he squeezed his hands. "If I didn't let my guard down, Mamoru would never have ended up being taken and Usagi would never be in this state right now."

"Come on, Harusuke, don't say that," said Luna. "It's not your fault. Even we didn't expect Queen Beryl to show up the way she did."

"And there's no way you could have predicted anything like this could happen," added Ami.

"I know, but still... I feel so powerless," Harusuke spoke. "Here I am her older brother as well as a guardian, and yet I can't do anything to help her or cheer her up. Makes me wonder what kind of brother am I."

Minako then stood up and then placed a reassuring hand on Harusuke's shoulder causing the boy to look up.

"Harusuke, don't go getting depressed on us too," she said sternly. "You're a good brother. That's what kind you are. I've seen how much you care about Usagi. Don't go blaming yourself for something that was beyond your control. The only thing you can do right now is to be there for Usagi."

"She's right," said Makoto. "And don't worry. I'm sure that Usagi'll cheer up eventually. Just give her a little time."

Harusuke still felt a bit sad, but he gave his friends a small smile as he stood up. "I suppose you're right," he said. "In the meantime, I'm gonna head home and check on her. Hopefully, I'll come up with some way to help her before I get home."

"Mind if I come with you?" asked Minako.

"Well... I guess so, but what for?" wondered Harusuke.

"Let's just say I have my reasons," winked Minako. "And I think I might know how to cheer her up."

Harusuke then gave Minako a tiny smile. "Sure. If you think you can help her," he said.

As the two of them walked ahead, Artemis watched them remembering back to when Harusuke as Solaris fought Queen Beryl the other day. The thought alone made him a bit worried, but he didn't say anything for now as he and Luna followed Minako and Harusuke to the Tsukino house.

* * *

At the Tsukino house, Usagi was alone in her room sitting at her table while listening to the music coming from the star-shaped locket. As she listened to the music while staring at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but feel all the more sadder as her eyes began to fill up with tears. She knew that she shouldn't be so sad considering that she made a promise to fight and save him, but she couldn't but cry. In fact, she thought about what Mamoru would say if he saw her in this sorry state.

 _"Crying doesn't suit you, Bun-head."_

"You're just... being mean," Usagi sniffed as she wiped her tears. Then she had a thought. "Or is he? I mean... does my hairstyle really look that weird?"

She then looked to her right and noticed a magazine that was left open at an article about the new hair salon. She then remembered what Naru and her friends said about it and that the grand opening was giving free haircuts to anyone who attended.

At that moment, Usagi heard a voice.

"I see that you're looking at that ad for the new hair salon, right?"

Usagi looked behind her and was surprised to see Minako standing there.

"M-Minako..."

"Hey there, Usagi. Sorry if I came here unannounced, but I asked your brother if I could come over and he let me in," apologized Minako. "Anyway, why don't you try a new hairstyle? It might make you feel better."

Usagi was a bit puzzled, but she agreed. Minako then undid the buns in Usagi's hair letting it down completely. Then she got a brush and gently stroked Usagi's hair with it while she began thinking up some new hairstyles for Usagi to try.

"Let's see... something like a mature and sophisticated bob cut or maybe a wavy style that's bold and bouncy?" she suggested. "Or how about long and straight for a classic and chic look? Sometimes changing your hairstyle is just what a girl needs to lift her spirits."

"Yeah..." said Usagi now showing a smile. "I think I'll give it a shot..."

* * *

As Minako continued to brush Usagi's hair, Harusuke stood outside of the room. He had heard everything and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Way to go, Minako," he thought. "I guess you were the right person to go to after all. Hopefully, this will help Usagi take her mind off of Mamoru."

He then walked away down the hall towards his room. He was just about to enter his room. When Luna and Artemis approached.

"Harusuke?"

Harusuke looked down. "Oh. Hey Luna. Artemis. What's up?"

"There's something that we need to talk to you about," said Artemis. "Alone if you don't mind."

Harusuke looked down the hall making sure that no one else was around. Then he opened the door to his room letting himself and the two cats in.

"So what's up?" wondered Harusuke. "Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing like that," said Artemis. "There are just some questions that I need you to answer for me," He paused and then he resumed. "First and foremost, it's about the other day when Queen Beryl showed up."

Harusuke then remembered and upon remembering, he felt his heart skip a beat a little. However, he kept his wits. "What about that day?"

"I want you to tell me everything that you know about when she came," said Artemis. "What exactly was going through your mind when you saw Queen Beryl? And please try to remember as much as you can.

Luna looked at Artemis curiously as did Harusuke, but the boy closed his eyes and thought back.

"Let's see... I remember Zoisite and Kunzite about to fight us, but then Queen Beryl showed up," Harusuke spoke. "Then as soon as Luna said her name... I... I zoned out. The next thing I knew, I'm on my knees with a pounding headache."

"I see," said Artemis. "And you're sure that you don't remember anything else?"

"No. I don't," replied Harusuke. Then he had a thought. "Actually... I do remember something else. There was a feeling that I felt before I blanked out. Something that completely overwhelmed me."

"And what was that feeling?" wondered Luna.

Harusuke paused for a few seconds, then he looked at the two cats with eyes filled with slight fear as he spoke in a quiet voice.

"Rage. Pure rage."

There was a long silence. Then there was a small knock on the door. The door opened and Minako peeked inside of the room.

"Hey guys, I was gonna take Usagi to that hair salon," she said. "Do any of you want to come along?"

"Well... I don't know if..." Harusuke began.

He was about to tell Minako that now wasn't a good time, but then Artemis interrupted.

"You should go with them, Harusuke," the white cat said. "You need to be there for your sister. Besides, that was all I needed to know. Go out and spend some time with Minako and Usagi."

Harusuke was a bit taken aback, but he didn't say anything more.

"Alright then. Count me in," he said.

The three then left the house leaving the two cats by themselves.

"Artemis, why did you ask Harusuke those questions?" wondered Luna.

"It was for the investigation," said Artemis. "I had to ask because there's something that's been worrying me about him. I can't really say anything more than that I'm afraid."

"Why not?" asked Luna.

"It's because I don't have enough information to explain everything yet, Luna," said Artemis. "For now, we have to make sure we keep an eye on him. If anything happens to him, make sure you let me know. Got it, Luna?"

Luna was still feeling unsure, but she nodded in response.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, an unconscious Mamoru laid in a bed of sorts made of stone bathing in dark black waves of energy being healed with Kunzite watching over him. At that moment, Zoisite appeared.

"So how is he doing?" Zoisite asked.

"He's still unconscious at the moment, but his injuries have almost completely healed," replied Kunzite. "It's only a matter of time before he fully wakes up." He then looked up at Zoisite. "Has Queen Beryl spoken to you yet, Zoisite?"

"Not yet," the brunette spoke shaking his head. "I'm still afraid of what she has in store for me. I wonder... will she banish me like she did with Jadeite? Or will she arrange for me to be dead like Nephrite? I'm scared, Kunzite."

"Fear not, my love. I'm sure that Queen Beryl will give you a second chance," Kunzite reassured. "After all, she did spare you. We'll just have to wait until she gives up further orders."

"Kunzite... Zoisite..."

Zoisite and Kunzite then stood at attention upon hearing a familiar voice. At that moment, Queen Beryl appeared before them. The two remaining Kings of Heaven immediately bowed respectively to their queen.

"Listen well, you two," said the evil queen. "I'm sure that I don't need to tell you, but we must secure the Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon at any cost."

"Yes, Queen Beryl," the two acknowledged.

Queen Beryl then looked at Kunzite. "Kunzite, I trust that you've managed to discover Sailor Moon's true identity by now?"

"Not just yet, my queen," said Kunzite. "Please give me more time."

"You better be quick about it," the evil queen spoke in an ominous tone. "Uncover Sailor Moon's identity as soon as possible, so that we can steal the Silver Crystal from her."

"Don't worry. Leave it to me," Kunzite spoke. "I already have my next plan ready to be put into motion." He then waved his middle and index fingers and a golden long lock of hair came down and wrapped around his hand. "This is a strand of hair belonging to Sailor Moon of which I managed to find during the last battle," he explained. "I will search for the girl who has the same matching strands hair and then I will uncover Sailor Moon's identity."

"Very well, but proceed with caution," warned Queen Beryl. Then she turned towards Zoisite of which gulped upon meeting her gaze. "As for you Zoisite..."

Zoisite then gulped and braced himself for whatever punishment Queen Beryl had as she paused impressively.

"You should consider yourself lucky. Due to your previous actions, I was planning on executing you as soon as you returned," went on Queen Beryl. "But... I have decided to pardon you of your crime."

Zoisite eyes went wide with surprise as did Kunzite's.

"Y-you mean it, Queen Beryl?!" Zoisite managed to choke out.

"Yes. But remember, you will obey my orders without any question and if you ever decide to pull a stunt like that again, I will make sure to erase you from existence!" Queen Beryl spoke sternly. "Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, my queen!" Zoisite spoke happily bowing. "You won't regret this! I will obey you without any question and I promise won't do what I did ever again!"

"In that case, I have a mission for you to do as well, Zoisite," said Queen Beryl. "A mission that only you can do."

"A mission only I can do?" wondered Zoisite. "What is it?"

Queen Beryl's eyes glinted as the orb in her staff shone as she then began explained Zoisite's mission.

* * *

Back in the real world, Usagi, Minako, and Harusuke arrived at the Hair Salon Kariko. Inside there were numerous girls having their hair cut or the hair washed by the staff members who all wore red or blue uniforms. When the three arrived, they were immediately greeted by a young woman wearing a white uniform and had short green hair with dark eyes.

"Welcome and thank you for coming to Kariko Tokoyama's," she greeted. "How may I help you?"

"I'd like you to take a look at her hair and see what new style would look best on her," said Minako as she gently pushed Usagi forward.

"Of course. Just leave it to me," said Kariko. "Come this way."

Usagi was a bit unsure but she followed Kariko to a chair that came with a sink. As she sat down and lied back, her hair also being undone, Kariko put a small washcloth covering her face and turned on the water. She then lathered her hands with shampoo and began to scrub Usagi's hair gently.

"Please let me know if I pull your hair or massage your scalp too hard," reminded Kariko.

Usagi felt a bit awkward by having her hair scrubbed by someone else, but bit by bit, she began to relax as she let Kariko work her magic.

Minako and Harusuke watched on from afar.

"I sure hope this cheers her up so she can be her old self again," said Minako.

"Yeah. Let's hope," said Harusuke. He then looked around at the many different girls who were getting their hair done. Some were getting them cut, some were getting them washed, and even some that were getting their hair dried.

"I feel kinda awkward being here," he spoke. "I mean I'm the only boy that's in here, right now."

"Try not to think about it," smiled Minako. "Besides, I've seen a couple boys who go to salons like this all the time. In fact, you should ask if you could get your hair done, Harusuke."

"No way, Minako," Harusuke chuckled. "Besides, I like my hair the way it is. Short just the way I like it."

As the two chatted on, they were unaware that evil that was occurring at that moment. The hair dryers that the girls were using were really machines designed specifically to analyze their hair and match it to the hair that Kunzite found which belonged to Sailor Moon. Not only that, but Kariko was an agent for the Dark Kingdom helping out in the search.

As the hair dryer scanned another girl's hair and while watching a mirror which was some sort of a screen, Kariko was disappointed to see yet another who didn't match the hair Kunzite gave her.

"She's not Sailor Moon either," she thought. "So far, none of these girl's hair match the strand that Kunzite provided."

As Kariko continued to test the girls, Minako and Harusuke sat in the waiting area. Minako was reading a magazine while Harusuke kept an eye on Usagi. At that moment, one of the workers approached them catching Minako and Harusuke's attention.

"Thank you for waiting," she said smiling sweetly. "Please follow me to the hair steamer, Miss."

"I'm... not here to have my hair done," Minako said. "I just came with my friends."

"That's no problem. While you're waiting, you should really try our revolutionary hair steamer," said the worker. "We use special steam that instantly repairs split ends and sun damage which sometimes you're not even aware you have. It'll make your hair silky smooth and make you look like a star, not that you need it because you already look like one. And in addition, it's free."

Minako was a bit impressed as well as flattered, but she still wasn't very sure.

"I'd go for it, Minako," said Harusuke. "It's as they say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You should give it a shot. I mean what's the harm?"

Minako then nodded. "Alright then. I'll go for it," she said. "I mean, after all, it's free and it sounds pretty good."

Minako was then led to the hair dryer. She sat down and undid her long golden hair. She then had her hair in curls wrapped in a cap and had the dryer lowered to her head as she sat in the chair. While that was happening, Harusuke sat back in the waiting area now waiting for Minako and Usagi to be finished.

"It's a pity I can't join them," he thought. "That really sounds and looks pretty relaxing. Then again, I do have my pride."

He then grabbed a magazine skimmed through it hoping to pass the time.

As Minako was having her hair dried, she was unaware that she was also having her hair tested by Kariko as well. Kariko who was still scrubbing Usagi's hair looked towards the mirror hoping that Minako would be the match that she was searching for. This time to Kariko's surprise, the mirror gave several dings signaling that the hair matched the strand that Kunzite found. She then looked back towards the unsuspecting Minako her eyes gleaming red with triumph and an evil smile tugging at her lips.

"I finally found you, Sailor Moon," she cackled to herself. "After all this time, I've discovered Sailor Moon's true identity!"

She immediately stopped what she was doing leaving the water running on Usagi's head.

"Um... Miss Kariko, are you finished with my shampoo yet?" wondered Usagi.

Kariko didn't answer. She walked straight towards Minako with a pair of scissors at the ready.

"I found you, Sailor Moon!" she snarled. "You're all mine and you can't run away anymore!"

Before Minako had a chance to react, Kariko grabbed her by the collar and had her pinned down.

"S-stop it!" yelped Minako. "Let me go!"

This caused Usagi to sit up taking the towel off of her face and Harusuke to look up.

"Minako!"

At that moment, Kariko's assistants immediately stopped each one holding a can of spray unleashing all of its contents. The girls that inhaled the spray all slowly fell unconscious one by one. Harusuke immediately covered his mouth trying not to inhale the gas.

"Dammit! Hold on, Minako! I'm coming to help you!" he yelled.

He rushed on over to try and help her, but he was immediately cut off by an assistant. Before he could react, the assistant socked him right in the gut knocking the wind out of him. Harusuke coughed as he tried to breathe, but unfortunately, he ended up breathing in the gas which in turn made him fall unconscious to the ground.

Usagi, however, saw what was going on and sneakily crawled away making sure to keep low to the ground, so she wouldn't inhale the gas.

Minako was also beginning to lose herself too, but she was kept awake by Kariko with one forceful shake of her shoulders.

"Don't you dare fall asleep yet, you idiot!" Kariko snapped as she snipped her scissors dangerously. "Hand over the Silver Crystal now!"

"What? Wh-what are you talking about?" Minako asked dizzily.

"Don't play dumb!" Kariko snarled as she shook Minako harder. "My computer analyzed your hair and it says it's an exact match to Sailor Moon's, so don't you dare tell me otherwise! I want that Silver Crystal and I want it now!"

Minako felt all the more confused. How could this woman confuse her for Sailor Moon? Sure she and Usagi had the exact same hair somewhat, but there was no way that her hair could have matched hers. Then Minako remembered back to when she was brushing Usagi's hair.

"That's it... I must have gotten some of Usagi's hair tangled with mine when I was brushing it!" she thought.

Kariko then gave Minako one more hard shove as she took her silence as a means of defiance.

"So you're refusing to hand it over, eh?" she smirked. "Fine then. I've got ways of making you change your mind."

Her assistants then suddenly appeared around her in a circle and to Minako's shock, the assistants began to spin around and around Kariko until they became a whirlwind of red, blue, and white. The whirlwind disappeared and a horrifying sight now stood there before her.

She was big and bulky, wore a red one-piece unitard with stranger white markings at the center, had long white spikes protruding from her shoulders and three others coming out of her spine, and wore a strange band on her arm that covered her right forearm reminiscent of a barbershop pole. She had gray skin, red lipstick on her lips, piercing yellow eyes, a row of pink hair curlers on top and had dirty blonde hair that stuck out from four different directions in pigtails.

Kario had now become the monster known as Mitsuami

"It's... it's a monster!" gasped Minako in horror.

Meanwhile, Usagi who had managed to sneak away unseen saw that Minako was in trouble as she hid behind a corner of the room.

"This is bad! The Dark Kingdom's turned Miss Kariko into a monster just so they could get to me!" she said to herself. "Hold on, Minako! I'm coming to save you! And you too, Harusuke!"

She then raised her hand into the air initiating her transformation.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi  
_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

The monster closed in on Minako snipping her scissors as she did, Minako being too weak to move could only tremble in fear. Then suddenly...

"Hold it right there!" a familiar voice yelled. "That girl isn't the real Sailor Moon! The real Sailor Moon is right here!"

The two immediately turned around behind them to find that a certain Sailor Guardian was now standing before them much to the monster's shock.

"I-impossible!" she gasped as she looked back and forth at Minako and Sailor Moon in disbelief. "How can this be?!"

"You offer free haircuts to girls who have little money, but you don't care about their feelings when you mess with their hearts!" the heroine proclaimed. "I, Sailor Moon, will not forgive such devious monsters like you! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Mitsuami was still a bit surprised, but she managed to regain her composure as she smirked darkly.

"I will admit that I never expected you to come here on your own," she said. "But you're like a slug that jumped right into the salt! In the name of the Dark Kingdom, I Mitsuami will melt you into goo!"

Her hand then popped off and was replaced by a blowdryer. She took aim and unleashed a powerful blast of hot air at Sailor Moon causing our hero to immediately dodge by jumping out of the way while Minako watched from afar still feeling weak.

"I... have to help her... " she gasped. "Usagi..."

She tried to stay awake, but it was no use as Minako finally fell unconscious.

"Come on now, let me dry your hair!" mocked Mitsuami as she continued her assault. "It looks rather wet!"

Sailor Moon from behind the counter as Mistuami's hot hair blasted the plants that were sitting up there. Sailor Moon's face immediately paled with horror as the plants that were blasted were burned to a crisp.

But Mitsuami wasn't done. She took off the blowdryer on her hand and was now equipped with a large barber's blade sharpening it with a piece of leather.

"Now it's time to shave all that unwanted hair!" she cackled as she divebombed straight for her.

Sailor Moon jumped out of the way in time for the monster to cut the counter completely in half. Then just as Sailor Moon looked back, Mitsuami switched weapons once again. This time, she had a large green gattling gun. She took aim and she fired unleashing a wave of scissors for bullets. Sailor Moon squealed with fright as she rolled out of the way dodging the attacking scissors. However, as she rolled, she accidentally crashed into a cart spilling its contents everywhere. From the mess, Sailor Moon saw a small jar of powder. This gave her an idea. As soon as Mitsuami saw her, Sailor Moon grabbed the jar and threw it right at her. causing the jar to explode its contents in a giant white cloud. Mistuami roared in agony as she was now blinded. Seeing this as her chance, Sailor Moon took out the Moon Stick and took aim.

"Alright, Mistuami! No, Miss. Kariko! It's time to end this!" she said. "I'm going to use the Moon Stick to turn you back to normal! MOON HEALING..."

Then as Sailor Moon was about to use her Moon Healing Escalation, something shot out from out of nowhere piercing her wrist which caused her to drop her Moon Stick. Sailor Moon felt pain, but she quickly picked up the Moon Stick not wanting to lose it. Then she saw what had pierced her which caused her eyes to grow wide with shock. There in front of her was a single red rose.

There was only one person of who Sailor Moon knew that would use roses as a weapon.

"No way... It's couldn't be!" she thought. "Am... am I imagining it?!"

She slowly turned around towards a chair in the dark corner of the room. The chair had its back turned, but Sailor Moon could see someone sitting in that chair. The chair then slowly turned around and Sailor Moon immediately felt her heart leap as her eyes began to fill with tears of joy.

For sitting in that chair was none other than Tuxedo Mask.

"T-tuxedo Mask... you're alive!" she wept tearfully. "Thank goodness!"

Sailor Moon was expecting that Tuxedo Mask would be happy to see her, but she was wrong. The masked man looked towards her, his face filled with no emotion and his eyes cold and piercing as he stood up and walked towards Sailor Moon.

"You are mistaken," he said. "I'm not Tuxedo Mask. I am Endymion, the commander of the Dark Kingdom."

Sailor Moon now was puzzled as she was horrified. "You... you can't be!" she spoke not believing what she was hearing. "You can't be serious!"

But he was as Tuxedo Mask took out his baton extending it and preparing to attack. "Sailor Moon, hand over the Silver Crystal," he demanded.

At that moment, Mistuami had finally recovered and now had equipped herself with a large hair clipper which revved and buzzed like it was a chainsaw. Taking advantage of Sailor Moon's shock, she swung the clippers hoping to kill her with a single shot. Luckily, at the last moment, Sailor Moon immediately jumped out of the way just in time.

"Mitsuami! Retrieve the Silver Crystal!" commanded Tuxedo Mask. "Don't let her get away!"

"Yes sir!" replied Mitsuami.

Sailor Moon could not believe her eyes and what she was hearing. Tuxedo Mask, Mamoru Chiba, Endymion, her one true love was now working with the Dark Kingdom to try and kill her and steal the Silver Crystal. She couldn't believe it. She refused to believe it, but it was true.

"What have they done to you, Mamoru?" she whimpered quietly her eyes now filling with tears of heartbreak.

Mitsuami then charged straight towards her the clippers sharp and buzzing. "I'll give you such a good trim, you'll never need to come back for more!"

Having no other options at this point and not wanting to fight Tuxedo Mask even though he was now an enemy, Sailor Moon took off running racing right through the entrance as Mitsuami and Tuxedo Mask followed in hot pursuit.

At that moment, Harusuke finally began to wake up as his eyes fluttered open.

"What... what's going on?" he groaned as he rubbed his head. "What's happening?"

Then he heard Minako who at some point managed to regain conscious.

"Harusuke... Over here... Hurry..."

Harusuke immediately rushed over to Minako and helped her to feet. "Minako, are you all right?"

"Yeah... but... don't worry about me... we need to call the other guardians... Usagi's in trouble," Minako spoke weakly. "And not only that... Tuxedo Mask's...become an enemy..."

Harusuke's eyes widened. "What?! You mean he's alive?! And what do you mean he's become an enemy?!"

"There's no time..." Minako snapped. "We have to transform... quickly!"

"But Minako, are you sure you're gonna be able to do this in your condition?" asked Harusuke. "You look like you're about to pass out any second."

"I'll be fine... once I transform," Minako said as she took out her transformation pen. "Now come on! We have to help Usagi!"

Harusuke then gave Minako a firm nod in understanding as he along with her raised their hands into the air shouting their phrases.

"VENUS POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _Transformation sequence: Minako._

 _ _The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as streams of yellow stars begin to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the stream of stars forms a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground forming a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were orange and her bow being bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she strikes her signature pose.__

* * *

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon was running for her life trying to avoid Mitsuami's clippers. She dodged and she weaved and Mistuami kept attacking and attacking destroying everything in sight.

"Stop moving around!" she roared. "I still want to give you your cut!"

Sailor Moon screamed with fright as she dodged once again. The clippers bashed straight through a power line causing it to tip over to one side.

"You need to be more careful!" squeaked Sailor Moon. "You could take somebody's head off with that thing!"

Then Tuxedo Mask arrived. "What are you doing wasting time, Mitsuami?!" he demanded. "Get that Silver Crystal!"

Sailor Moon couldn't help but be distracted by Tuxedo Mask's words. Seeing her chance, Mistuami thrust her clippers hoping to finally land a hit. Sailor Moon was able to dodge, but in her haste of dodging, she lost her balance and fell onto the ground on her back. Seeing the guardian down and out, Mitsuami closed in on her prey her clippers armed and ready.

"Now for that trim, my dear," she smirked. "I hope you're ready..."

Sailor Moon gulped thinking that it was all over for her, but then five voices were heard.

"Stop right there!"

Sailor Moon, Mistuami, and Tuxedo Mask all looked up to see that the other guardians, as well as Luna and Artemis, had arrived coming to the rescue much to Sailor Moon's relief.

"Alright girls! Let's clean house!" shouted Solaris. "Take out that monster's clippers!"

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Sailor Mars and Jupiter unleashed both of their attacks at once, the two combining into an electrified stream of fire. The conjoined attack hit Mitsuami's clippers dead on causing the monster to howl in pain as the clippers then exploded.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Sailor Mercury then unleashed her attack causing fog to blanket the area. Mitsuami growled as she tried to see where her enemies were. Seeing his chance, Solaris in then unleashed his attack next.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

A beam of light shot forth from his hands wrapping around tightly around Mitsuami preventing her from moving or attacking.

"Now's your chance, Sailor Moon!" yelled Sailor Venus.

Sailor Moon then raised her Moon Stick, the Silver Crystal glowing brightly, and waved it over her head releasing a blast of sparkes and dust.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Mistuami struggled as she tried to break free, but it was too late. In a burst of light, the evil spell was broken and Mistuami was reverted back to Kariko and her assistants that worked with her.

Tuxedo Mask clicked his tongue in annoyance having to have been foiled. But then Sailor Mars approached Tuxedo Mask her eyes filled with tears of joy.

"Tuxedo Mask! I mean... Mamoru..." she said. "I'm so glad that you're back safe and sound! So glad..."

"Sailor Mars, that guy is not the Tuxedo Mask you used to know, believe me!" warned Minako. "He's now one of the commanders of the Dark Kingdom!"

Everyone then stared at Tuxedo Mask in surprise, Sailor Mars especially in disbelief. She could not believe what she was hearing.

"No... she's kidding, right? Tuxedo Mask, tell me it's not true!" she begged.

"Roses have many thorns," Tuxedo Mask spoke coldly and he brandished his baton. "And it's also true that even the reddest of roses turn to the blackest of nights when they wilt."

"Are you... really planning to fight all five of us?" asked Sailor Mercury incredulously.

"Normally, hurting young women isn't my style," replied Tuxedo Mask. "But to get the crystal, I'm prepared to do what's needed."

Solaris then stepped in front of the guardians. "You can't be serious, Mamoru," he said. "I know that you're a brave man, but there's no way you can take us all on at once. Besides, if you think that I'm just gonna stand idly by while you threaten to hurt these girls, you got another thing coming."

"Then do you intend to stand in my way, Solaris?" asked Tuxedo Mask. "Be warned if you do, I won't hesitate to strike you down."

"You bet I do," growled Solaris as he cracked his knuckles. "If you wanna get to these girls, especially Sailor Moon, you gotta get by me first! And you can be sure I won't go down without a fight!"

"Solaris, wait a minute! You can't!" begged Sailor Mars.

"Sorry Sailor Mars, but I'm gonna have to ask you to stay out of this," said Solaris. "I know how much he means to you as well as Sailor Moon, but now that Tuxedo Mask's an enemy, I have no choice but to fight him. No matter how much we care or love him."

The two boys gazed grimly at each other daring one another to make a move. Then suddenly, Tuxedo Mask heard Queen Beryl inside his head.

"Endymion. Retreat for now. This is a direct order from Queen Metalia."

Tuxedo Mask then lowered his weapon tucking it away in his cape. "Guardians, it would seem that your deaths by my hands has been postponed. A woman's friendship is fragile. So much so that even slight breeze can make it fall apart like a flower in the wind," He then looked at Solaris. "As for you Solaris, it would be wise to keep your emotions in check, otherwise those very emotions will ensure your demise as well as the demise of the people around you. Be careful of that."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" demanded Solaris.

"I'll let you figure it out," Tuxedo Mask spoke coolly as he turned on his heel. "Until then, farewell."

And with that, Tuxedo Mask disappeared into the night via a portal to the Dark Kingdom leaving the everyone stunned and confused.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl sat at her throne beside herself with glee.

"It would appear that Endymion has become a warrior of the Dark Kingdom of both body and soul," she said smiling.

"Indeed," agreed Kunzite. "The brainwashing was extremely effective."

"Now that Endymion has proven himself to be dedicated to us," went on Queen Beryl. "We must think of ways to make good use of his loyalty."

She then cackled in triumph reveling in her small victory.

* * *

A little while later in the real world, Usagi and her friend watched as Kariko and her workers were back at it stylizing hair as if nothing had happened. Then Usagi spoke up.

"Listen you guys. I just wanna say something," she said. "Miss Kariko was turned into a monster because of me. If we don't stop the Dark Kingdom, more innocent people will suffer and I won't let that happen."

"Well I'll be darned," smiled Artemis. "It seems like Usagi's finally starting accepting her responsibilities as a princess."

Usagi then looked back at her friends smiling with glee. "But more importantly, Tuxedo Mask is back!" she squealed. "All is right in the world of Usagi now!"

Everyone nearly face-faulted in response.

"You sure about that, Artemis? Because it looks to me that Usagi's pretty much the same as she always is," sighed Luna.

"W-well... I think she's trying to put on a brave face by making light of everything," said Artemis. "At the very least, she's showing that she's growing up and moving on."

"And she's not the only one who should be learning to move on," said Makoto as she placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. Rei then looked up as Makoto smiled kindly at her. "You should too. You can't let it bother you forever."

Rei understood what Makoto meant and she smiled with confidence. "Yeah. You're right," she said.

The girls then watched as Usagi went onto a rant with Tuxedo Mask being controlled and how she must use the power of love to save him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Juuban Park, the cemetery was as gloomy as it always was. The stars shone, the moon was bright, and the only sound you could hear was the sound of crickets chirping.

As the night rolled on, a lone figure made its way through the cemetary being as quiet as he could. That figure was Zoisite. As he walked by the many graves, he carefully checked each one as if he was inspecting them for something.

"Now let's see... I know that its around here somewhere," he mumbled to himself.

He ventured deeper into the cemetery going past trees and many bushes.

Then he stopped by a particular tree and saw something beside it. It was a cross made out of two sticks tied together and on top was a certain orange cloth tied around it. zoisite walked up to the cross and stood there for about a moment or two staring at the cross. Then Zoisite walked away disappearing into the night the cloth now removed from the cross.


	38. Chapter 37

It was morning in the Tsukino household. The sun shone, the birds sang, and it seemed that it was going to be another quiet morning. However, that quiet atmosphere was immediately interrupted by a loud scream coming from a certain young girl.

"AHHH! IM GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"

Usagi came bursting out of the front door as she ran as fast as her feet could carry her. As she left, Luna watched from on top of the front gate shaking her head.

"Oh brother. Being a princess hasn't changed Usagi at all," she sighed. "She's late again just like any other morning."

* * *

Soon enough, Usagi managed to make it to the front gates of the school where Harusuke was waiting for her.

"There you are, Usagi," he said. "I was worried you wouldn't make it in time."

"You could have woke me up, Harusuke!" complained Usagi. "Then I wouldn't end up having to be late all the time!"

"If I did that, then you'd start treating me like your own personal alarm clock," said Harusuke. "And I have no time to do that."

Just then, Naru came running up of whom was also running late. Usagi went up to her and the two greeted each other with a high five.

"Morning, Usagi. Harusuke," Naru greeted.

"Morning, Naru," Usagi spoke. "Looks like you overslept too, huh?"

"Speak for yourself," laughed Naru. "For your information, I was up all night finishing my homework."

Usagi's eyes then went wide as saucers and her odango even puffed up. "What?! We had homework?!" she squeaked.

"Of course we did. Weren't you paying attention?" spoke Naru. "We had science, math, English, social studies, and that embroidery for home ec."

"Not to mention that Japanese report too," added Harusuke. "Let me guess, you didn't do any of that did you, Sis?"

Usagi's face went as pale as a sheet as she sank to the ground her face kissing it.

"I'm so screwed..." she groaned.

Then at that moment, a green limousine pulled up to the gates catching the three's attention. From that limousine, a young man with short blonde hair in a suit stepped out of the car. He walked over the side and opened the door and three young girls stepped out. They all wore the same uniforms as Usagi and Naru did, but just by looking at them, the teens could all see that they had a royal and regal atmosphere about them as they walked by. Harusuke and Usagi couldn't help but feel a bit impressed.

"Wow... just look at those girls!" Usagi gushed. "And that guy too! He looks like a total hunk!"

"I'll say this much. They're certainly not like any other girls I've seen around here," Harusuke spoke. "I wonder what's up with them?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Those are some of the girls who are attending the Princess Seminar at the Rose Mansion," spoke Naru.

"Hey. Now that you mention it, I know that place," said Usagi. "That's the place where Countess Rose lives."

"Countess Rose? That's the first time I've heard that name," said Harusuke. "Who is she?"

"She's a lady who recently moved from England. Apparently a very famous aristocrat," explained Naru. "Not only that, but she's an expert on manners and the social graces. Which is why wealthy parents send their daughters to her to learn how to act like a princess."

"Wow! You can take a class for that?" gasped Usagi with wonder.

"Yup. She teaches them the basics of elegance and culture," said Naru.

"Well, that's interesting," said Harusuke. "Although, I'm a bit surprised that you knew all about that."

The three were rudely interrupted as the bell began to ring. They immediately realized that class was about to get started and they took off running hoping they wouldn't be late.

* * *

It was now English Class and everyone was paying attention, Ms. Haruna, as she went over last night's homework. However, there was a certain student who wasn't focusing on the class. In fact, she was fast asleep dreaming about being a princess.

* * *

 _It was a magical ball._

 _Chandeliers were sparkling with lights and a huge tree stood littered with lights and decorations like it was Christmas._

 _Everyone was having a splendid time waltzing around the ballroom floor without a care in the world._

 _Then a young man called out catching everyone's attention._

 _"May I present to you, Princess Serenity!"_

 _The doors then opened revealing Usagi wearing a beautiful light purple dress with red rose decorations on the bosom, skirt, and hems of her dress. Everyone couldn't help but stare at the girl with wonder and amazement._

 _"She's so beautiful!"_

 _"So elegant and refined!"_

 _"She is truly a princess like no other!"_

 _At that moment, Tuxedo Mask suddenly appeared walking up to her and holding out his hand._

 _"You're breathtaking, Princess Serenity," he said. "May I please have this dance?"_

 _The girl nodded and smiled as she took his hand in earnest. The two of them then elegantly danced across the floor like a pair of ballerinas on stage. Tuxedo Mask then leaned in for a kiss and it felt like nothing would ruin this romantic moment._

 _Then suddenly, Ms. Haruna appeared causing the two to immediately separate._

 _"Young lady! Did you get your homework done?!" demanded Ms. Haruna._

 _"Silence! How dare you address a Princess that way?!" Usagi snapped back._

 _Ms. Haruna immediately relented as she got on her hands and knees bowing repeatedly in remorse._

 _"I-I'm so sorry! Please forgive, Princess!" she begged._

 _Usagi then let out a laugh in triumph. "This is so great!" she giggled._

* * *

As Usagi continued to dream of being a princess in her sleep, she was unaware that Ms. Haruna was standing right by her desk not amused.

"Ms. Tsukino! Wake up right now!" she snapped.

Usagi then woke up with a start her eyes half open a line of drool trailing from her mouth.

"Wha? How dare you address a princess in that way...?" she mumbled.

Then she immediately realized of whom she was addressing and she immediately covered her mouth her face pale as paper. Ms. Haruna was beginning to get even more cross.

"You seem to be babbling, Ms. Tsukino," she spoke in a low and threatening voice. "Let me guess. You forgot your homework again, didn't you?"

"Uhh... yeah. Sorry. I... guess I did," Usagi spoke sheepishly. "What can I say...? Sorry about that..."

Ms. Haruna had one thing to say about that.

"Go stand in the hall!"

* * *

Usagi was now standing outside of the classroom in the hallway feeling very silly.

"Man... this is becoming a real problem," she said to herself. "I've got to start taking my responsibilities as a princess much more seriously."

Luna then appeared having to have just heard her.

"Very good! I'm glad you finally realized that!" she said proudly.

Usagi then blushed giddily. "Well of course, silly! If I don't, I won't be able to dance with Tuxedo Mask at the ball!"

Luna then face-faulted to the floor. "Good grief, she's hopeless!" she groaned.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Endymion, Kunzite, and Zoisite all stood before Queen Beryl about to receive their orders about their mission.

"Endymion. You shall assist Kunzite and Zoisite in the task of defeating Sailor Moon and recovering the Silver Crystal," the evil queen spoke.

"I refuse," Mamoru spoke. "I don't team up with anyone. I work alone."

"That's fine with us," said Kunzite cooly. "Zoisite and I can work better bt ourselves anyway."

Endymion shot a glare towards Kunzite and Kunzite calmly looked back.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever gets the job done," Queen Beryl spoke. "I expect at least one or all of you to bring me Sailor Moon's corpse and the Silver Crystal as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course," smiled Kunzite. "In fact, I already have a plan in motion."

Queen Beryl smiled pleased. Then she turned to Zoisite. "As for you, Zoisite, you did well in finding the item that I requested. Very good work."

Zoisite politely bowed. "I thank you for the praise, my queen," he said. "However, there is something I've been wanting to know. What do you plan on doing with that thing anyway? It does have me a bit curious."

Queen Beryl paused for a moment. Then she smiled even darker.

"Let's just say that I have something in the works that will return us to full strength," she spoke. "Until then, make sure you help Kunzite or Endymion in retrieving the Silver Crystal. Is that understood?"

Zoisite was a bit puzzled, but he didn't dare question his queen.

* * *

Later that night, Luna was the Game Center Crown speaking to the soundwave once again via the Sailor V game.

"Codename Zero-Zero-Nine-One, this is Luna. Passphrase: "The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes."

"The moon cake's rice cakes are sticky."

And they puff up when you toast them, as well."

"Alright then. What is it, Luna?" asked the soundwave. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, sir. Usagi just isn't serious about being a princess," Luna sighed with an embarrassed smile. "And I have no idea what to do to get her mind straight."

"That is a very difficult problem," the soundwave said. "If that's the case, then we need to- Oh no! Not now!"

At that moment, the screen of the soundwave went completely dark and the picture became nothing but static. Luna was a bit startled as well as confused, but then the picture came back on and what she saw made her eyes widen in surprise.

There on screen looking shocked as he was embarrassed was Artemis who had a can of cat food beside him and a headset on top of his head.

"A-Artemis... is that you?" she spoke quietly.

"I... guess that cat's out of the bad so to speak," Artemis laughed sheepishly. "Well, the communicator has been acting weird lately."

Luna dumbfounded expression then changed into an angry scowl.

"Are you meaning to tell me that you've been the one bossing me around this whole time?!" she growled her claws extending. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Well... you never asked!" cried Artemis as he flailed his arms. "And as time went on, things got more awkward..."

Luna could only groan.

* * *

The next day at the Rose Mansion, the Princess Seminar was underway. Every girl that was attending was dressed in a beautiful pink dress sitting at a table elegantly drinking their tea or coffee making pleasant conversation. Among them was a beautiful woman with long chestnut brown hair. Unlike the others, she sat in front of the room in a chair and wore a long blue dress. She was none other than Countess Rose, the very woman that was teaching the seminar.

"Alright now class," she spoke getting everyone's attention. "Today, young ladies, I shall read you a poem by Francis Hineck."

So every girl paid attention as Countess Rose opened her book.

" 'As I sank deeply into the darkness, my beloved sent me a golden arrow' ," she read. " 'I confess I am perplexed by the sweet poison covering the arrowhead. I realize as I sit here that I am a prisoner of love...' "

As Countess Rose continued to read and girls continued to listen, a certain someone and her cat were watching from afar outside in a tree.

"Looks like they're having a party," Usagi spoke. "Not to mention that composition is pretty nice."

Then Usagi let out a scream causing Luna to jump in surprise.

"Usagi?! What's the matter?!" Luna asked thinking that there was danger afoot.

But Usagi just drooled with hunger. "Those girls are eating cheesecake from Charmont! I want some too..." she spoke hungrily.

Luna could only look at the girl not surprised in the slightest by her reaction.

"Ahem. Excuse me," said a voice.

Usagi and Luna jumped at the sound of the voice which was coming from below. They then looked down and saw a young butler who could see them in the tree.

"I'm sorry young lady, but if you have business here," he said. "Please use the front entrance."

Usagi and Luna scrambled to try and get out of the tree, but that caused the two lose their balance and they both ended up falling out of the tree and flat on their faces hard.

"So... how may I help you?" the butler asked politely.

Usagi immediately stood up to her feet. "Well... actually, I was kinda thinking about attending the Princess Seminar," she said nervously.

"Unfortunately, the seminar is by invitation only, through current members," the butler said curtly.

"Invitation, you say?" Usagi gulped feeling a bit disappointed. Then she picked up Luna by the scruff and presented her to the butler. "I got my invitation from this prominent lady!"

The butler sweatdropped. "Um... we don't accept invitations from cats."

Then they both heard the sound of a woman laughing behind them. They looked to where it was coming from to find that Countless Rose was walking up to them.

"What a pleasant and imaginative young lady," she said. Then she turned to the butler. "In fact, I think an invitation from a cat would be fine this time."

"Wow... you're so understanding," Usagi spoke filled with admiration.

"Well, in my opinion, it will be amusing to have a unique person like you around," Countess Rose spoke brightly. "However, there is a condition."

Usagi then gulped again feeling a bit nervous.

"But... you see... if it has anything to with tea ceremony, flower arrangement, cooking, sewing, cleaning, or even putting on a kimono, I'm afraid I can't do any of those things," she spoke trying to be cheerful. "Is that alright? If not... I completely understand."

Countess Rose laughed again. "How wonderful to be so unskilled," she spoke. "Don't worry. It isn't any of those things at all." Then she turned to her butler. "Edward. If you would please."

"Yes, ma'am," responded Edward.

He then gave Usagi a large green disk with a yellow stripe on it. Usagi felt puzzled. Then Edward explained.

"Forgive us. Strange as it seems, but the Countess really enjoys playing frisbee," he said. "And so, if you wish to attend the Princess Seminar, you'll have to be skilled at it."

"Alright!" Usagi grinned as she twirled the frisbee on her finger. "Now there's something that I'm good at!"

The girl then took her stance like she was about to use her Moon Tiara Action as Sailor Moon and threw it with grace and elegance. The disk zipped and flew into the air entering the open window. It shot right past a couple girls in the room narrowly missing their heads. Then like a boomerang, it zipped and zagged right back outside to Usagi as she caught it. No sooner than she caught it, the ribbon from the girl's hair the frisbee passed snapped in two surprising them.

Countess Rose and Edward were impressed.

"Very good!" applauded Edward.

"Splendid indeed," smiled the countess. "You may attend my Princess Seminar."

Usagi then smiled from cheek to cheek as she let out a whoop of joy.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikawa Shrine, the other guardians all met up at the temple with Artemis having to have heard the news about Usagi from Harusuke.

"So, Usagi really went to the Rose Mansion to become a princess?" asked Makoto.

"Pretty much," said Harusuke. "When Usagi told me about it, I was pretty surprised that someone like the Countess would let her in especially since the seminar being so exclusive."

"I bet that she gives up in a day," Rei scoffed.

"But it is great that she's taken the initiative to try and learn the basics of being a princess," said Ami. "Who knows? Maybe it'll help her."

"I just hope this course will turn her into a proper princess," said Artemis.

"But Artemis... what would she have to do to become a proper princess?" Minako asked. "I mean what's wrong with the way Usagi is right now?"

"Many things, actually," said Artemis. "The bottom line is, she has to behave like a princess in every respect."

"And why is that?" asked Harusuke raising a brow.

Artemis groaned with frustration. "Well... among other things, Only a proper princess would be able to activate the true power of the Silver Crystal."

"So in other words, you have no idea why and are saying that because you want Usagi to change, that about sum it up?" asked Harusuke.

Artemis answered Harusuke by glaring at him.

Then Ami had an idea. "Hey, you guys! Why don't we join Usagi at the Princess Seminar?"

"Yeah! Good idea!" the girls spoke with excitement.

"They're taking this too lightly..." groaned Artemis. "The world doesn't need five princesses..."

Harusuke could only nod his head in agreement. "Well, since all of you are gonna go and play princess and stuff, I'm gonna go for a walk in the park," he said. "If you need me, just give me a call on the communicator."

"You sure you don't wanna come with us, Harusuke? We could probably dress you up like a girl, so you can be a princess too," Rei spoke teasingly.

Harusuke then looked back chuckling. "Very funny, Rei. But sadly, I'm gonna have to pass," he said. "Besides, learning that royal stuff isn't really my thing and I don't intend to try cross-dressing."

And with that, Harusuke left.

* * *

Back at the Rose Mansion, Usagi along with the other girls were practicing throwing discs around. Usagi as she demonstrated before as showing off her ability at the disc. However, she was completely unaware that she was being watched and not just by Countess Rose. Standing in the background behind her were Kunzite and Zoisite.

"Is everything proceeding to your satisfaction, Masters?" asked Countess Rose.

"Yes indeed," said Kunzite. "You've done well."

Zoisite, however, couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

"Kunzite, what is the point of all this?" he demanded. "Don't tell me that you put on this little charade to look at women."

"No. Nothing of the sort, Zoisite," said Kunzite. "You see, Sailor Moon's special technique called the Moon Tiara Action which is a bit similar to that game the humans called frisbee, but she's also extremely clumsy."

"Ah! I see! In other words, the girl who is skilled in this game and yet can't pass the seminar has to be Sailor Moon!" Zoisite spoke in understanding. "That makes sense. But... will someone of her experience fall into our trap?"

"Oh, she will. I can guarantee it," Kunzite smirked. "After all, Sailor Moon is that kind of person. Naive and gullible."

* * *

Later on, Countess Rose, Usagi, and the other girls were all at the table about to begin their next lesson. Usagi was now wearing a pink dress just like the other girls, but she found out that the dress may have looked pretty, it had its shortcomings when it came to how it felt on her.

"Geez! This dress is so tight and uncomfortable!" she thought to herself. "I don't know how these girls put up with it. They definitely have my respect."

Just then, Edward and a few other butlers entered the room each one carrying a ladle with big bowls of soup. As they filled up the bowls in front of them, Usagi immediately became hungry.

"All right! I'm starving!" she spoke eagerly.

"All right then girls, it's time for us to dine," said Countess Rose.

As the girls were about to eat the soup, Usagi immediately took a spoon and slurped it noisily and loudly. Everyone immediately looked towards the blonde. Edward then immediately came over to her.

"That's not the correct way, miss," he whispered. "Try not to make any noises."

Usagi tried again but trying to be a little bit quieter, but she was still making slurping noises that everyone could hear.

"Unacceptable! Try again!" Edward whispered harshly.

Usagi tried a third time, but she was still making slurping noises.

"Wah! This is crazy!" Usagi mentally screamed. "How can eating be this hard?!"

Next Countess Rose was teaching the girls how to speak properly and politely.

"A princess's way of speaking is of utmost importance," she said. "And let me emphasize that polite speech is essential. At all times, one must be sophisticated, elegant, and to the point."

As she went on, Usagi was starting to get pretty bored from hearing her. So much so in fact, that she was beginning to get a bit sleepy.

"Man... this is so boring," she thought as she yawned. "It's just like school."

Then Countess turned towards Usagi. "Perhaps you would like to go first, Ms. Tsukino," she said. "What do you say when you're offering a guest a cup of coffee?"

Usagi immediately stood up snapping out of her tired daze. She hadn't really been paying attention to what Countess Rose had said, so she tried her best to be as polite as she could.

"Well... uh... W-would you be so kind as to... please partake of some coffee? It's free!"

All the girls in the seminar giggled and Usagi's cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment.

"I appreciate your concern, but there's no reason to be so polite about coffee," Countess Rose sighed. "In this case, a simple, "Please have some coffee," will suffice."

Usagi could only groan in exasperation. "I give up already..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Harusuke was walking around Juuban Park lost in his own thoughts. He was busy thinking about Usagi, her true identity in being the Silver Crystal. Then he remembered what Artemis said about Usagi acting like a proper princess.

"Geez. It kinda irritates me the way that Artemis so desperately wants to change Usagi," he said to himself. "I know that it's important for her to act and be a princess as soon as possible for the upcoming battles with the Dark Kingdom, but I wish they could understand that she's still a kid. I mean... Rome wasn't built in a day."

He continued on walking around the park heading for a certain location which was somewhat of a sacred place.

You see, back when Nephrite died and Naru was suffering from his death, Harusuke took it upon himself make a cross built for Nephrite, so he could pay his respects to him. He even asked Naru if he could have the cloth Naru had tied to the cross to remember him by.

Every since then, Harusuke's made it a habit to visit that cross every once in a while whenever he had time.

He walked along the path going in the deeper part of the park. As he ventured deeper and deeper, he could hear the wind whistling through the trees and the sound of leaves rustling.

"This place... it's really peaceful here," he thought to himself. "It's a shame that whenever I come here, I feel so melancholy."

Soon he came up to the tree which was the spot where Nephrite died. He looked towards the cross expecting it to be as it was before, but then he noticed something. Something different about the cross.

As he came up to it, he soon realized what it was. The cloth that was tied to the cross was missing. He looked around trying to see if the cloth was close by, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"What...? Where did the cloth go?" he wondered. "It couldn't have gone anywhere."

Harusuke looked around and searched and searched, but he couldn't see any sign of the cloth anywhere.

* * *

Later that night, Usagi and the other girls were at the ballroom going under a dance lesson. Each one of the girls danced about on the dance floor with Countess Rose's butlers as partners as the soft classical music played.

"Remember girls, gracefully. Gracefully. Follow the music," Countess Rose called out. "This is the final session of the Princess Seminar. If I come by and tap your shoulder, you have graduated."

Most of the girls were dancing beautifully and gracefully, but Usagi was still being her clumsy self. She tried her best to dance just like the others, but every step she took was awkward and confusing for her and her partner. Then she accidentally stepped on her partner's foot making him cry out in pain.

"Oops! S-sorry about that!" Usagi squeaked.

To make things even worse, Usagi accidentally stepped on her dress causing her to trip and fall flat on her face.

"This is hell on Earth!" wailed Usagi. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Well this isn't surprising," said a familiar voice. "Same old Usagi being clumsy and usual."

Usagi then looked up to find that all of her friends were there too each one dancing with a butler. wearing the same pink dress that she wore. She was surprised.

"What are you guys doing here?!" she gasped.

"We can't let you have all the fun," smiled Ami.

"So we decided to join you," added Minako.

And the girl then continued to dance around the floor. Out of the five girls of the Usagi's group, Ami and Makoto were the two who were dancing elegantly. In fact, they were dancing so well, that they looked like pros.

Rei and Minako, however, weren't as graceful. In fact, they were doing as horribly as Usagi was if not more. Rei was swinging around her partner like he was a ragdoll and Minako was trying her best but made her awkward dancing even worse. They even went and accidentally stepped on their partner's feet.

"Know what? Every single person has at least one redeeming feature," grumbled Rei.

"Everyone has things they struggle with," said Minako.

"But I'm not very good when it comes to dancing," the two finished with embarrassment.

"Man... this is not going well..." Usagi sighed to herself. "I wonder... if I'm not cut out to be a princess?"

As the dancing continued, Countess Rose went around tapping whichever she saw on the shoulder signaling that they passed including Ami and Makoto. Soon enough, the dancing was over.

"Young ladies, if I had tapped your shoulder please go to the other room," said Countess Rose. "I will give you your graduation certificates in there."

All the girls then proceeded to the other room leaving three girls remaining. Usagi, Rei, and Minako all of which were very disappointed.

"We flunked... " they groaned.

* * *

In the other room, it was very dark and quiet as the all the girls walked in. In that room, as they walked in, there were numerous statues. They were all green, appeared to be made of wax, and were all models of girls. Upon seeing this, all the girls that were in there couldn't help but be a bit confused and little unnerved by this sight. Even Ami and Makoto couldn't help but feel a bit frightened.

"This is... a bit creepy for my taste," said Ami.

"Yeah. No kidding," agreed Makoto. "These statues look way too real..."

"That's because they are man-made," said an ominous voice. "As a matter of fact, all of the dolls in this room, are actually young women!"

Then suddenly, Countess Rose appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. Then before the girls very eyes, Countess Rose changed into her monster form. She was now a pale blue, wore a dress that comprised of a yellow corset with a green skirt, and throughout her body were several yellow clams.

Every girl in the room gasped with shock.

"She's a monster!" Makoto cried.

The newly transformed Countess Rose bowed politely as every one of the clams on her body opened up.

"I am Shakoukai!" she spoke. "And welcome to your graduation!"

The girls then screamed as her clams then unleashed a spray of green wax from upon contact turned every girl in the room into a wax statue including Makoto and Ami.

Those screams were immediately heard by Usagi, Rei, and Minako.

"Did you guys hear that?!" gasped Usagi. "That was screaming just now!"

"Something must have happened with Ami and the girls!" Rei spoke.

"We'd better check it out then!" Minako said.

The three were just about to do so when Shakoukai suddenly appeared causing them to jump. The butlers who just so happened to be in the room, scream with fright and tried to escape, but Shakoukai opened up the clams on her back shooting green wax and turned them into statues too.

"That... is so gross!" Usagi groaned in disgust.

"You three were the only ones who failed the seminar," the monster said. "Which means that one of you must be Sailor Moon."

Usagi immediately gulped. "Wh-what gives you that idea?" she asked nervously.

"Well, I was told that Sailor Moon is clumsy, stupid, lazy, and completely unrefined," Shakoukai explained shaking her head. "And there's no way that a girl like that could ever pass the Princess Seminar."

"Wow... that actually makes sense!" Minako spoke impressed.

"Damn! That's actually pretty smart if you think about it!" agreed Rei.

"Hey! This isn't the time to be impressed, you two!" Usagi snapped indignantly. "Whose side are you on anyway?!"

"And now... to turn you all into dolls!" Shakoukai crowed as she unleashed her green wax again.

The three girls immediately took cover and Rei immediately took out her communicator.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Juuban Park, Harusuke was still searching for the cloth that was tied on Nephrite's grave. He searched and he searched, but he couldn't find it anywhere.

"Damn it all!" he cured. "Where could it have gone?! I can't find it anywhere!"

Then suddenly, he heard a loud beeping noise coming from his bracelet. Knowing that it was important, he immediately pushed a button and Rei's face appeared on a small screen.

"What's up, Rei?" he asked.

"Harusuke! Hurry and get to the Rose Mansion!" Rei spoke urgently. "It's a monster attack and Ami, Makoto, and the others are in trouble!"

"Don't worry, I'm on my way!" Harusuke spoke. "Just hang on till I get there!"

He then closed the screen and looked at the cross.

"Looks like I'll have to find it later," he thought. "The girls need me!"

And he raced away as fast as his feet could carry him.

* * *

Shakoukai continued to fire her green wax trying to turn the three girls that remained into statues. At that moment, Luna and Artemis came diving down from above glomping onto her face blinding her.

"Get off of me! I can't see!" she snapped.

Seizing their chance, Usagi, Rei, and Minako gunned for the door jumping straight through it immediately transforming.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

"VENUS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi  
_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Minako._

 _ _The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as streams of yellow stars begin to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the stream of stars forms a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground forming a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were orange and her bow being bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she strikes her signature pose.__

* * *

Shakoukai finally managed to get Luna and Artemis off of her face as she made her way outside. As soon as she did, she looked around for Usagi and the others, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"How irritating!" she growled. "Where did those girls go?!"

"You can't flunk Sailor Moon without consequences!" said a voice coming from behind and above her.

Shakoikai turned around and looked up and saw Sailor Moon along with Sailor Mars and Venus standing on the balcony.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!" the Moon guardian proclaimed.

"And I'm Sailor Mars!" the fire guardian added.

"And I'm Sailor Venus!" the former Sailor V said.

"And in the name of the Moon, we'll punish you!" all three guardians spoke while pointing.

"You're certainly welcome to try and punish me, but first let me give you something," Shakoukai smirked as she took aim with her clams. "Take this!"

All three guardians immediately jumped as Shakoukai fired her green wax at them. Sailor Mars then went on the attack.

"I'm gonna burn that up!" she spoke as she took aim. "MARS FIRE SOUL!"

She unleashed a powerful fireball as Shakoukai fired her green wax. However, when the two attacks collided, the wax overwhelmed Mars' attack turning it into a lump of wax. Sailor Venus then attacked.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

But once again, Shakoukai countered the attack by shooting her spray of wax making the Cresent Beam a line of wax.

"This is bad!" Sailor Venus spoke. "Our attacks are having no effect on her!"

"And I don't think my Moon Tiara Action's gonna slow her down either!" squeaked Sailor Moon.

Shakoukai cackled with triumph as she closed in on the helpless guardians, her clams dripping with her wax.

"You're all going to make exquisite wax dolls," she purred darkly.

"We'll pass, thanks!" Sailor Moon spoke fearfully. "Playing with dolls is one thing, but I don't wanna turn into one!"

Then suddenly, something shot down from above piercing the ground just in front of them. It was a certain red rose that immediately turned black.

"That rose!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"Could... could it be...?" wondered Sailor Mars.

Sure enough, appearing just behind Shakoukai was Tuxedo Mask.

"Excellent work, Shakoukai," he said.

Sailor Moon was overjoyed upon seeing him. "Yay! Tuxedo Mask has come to save us!" she spoke happily.

But Sailor Moon couldn't have been more wrong as Tuxedo Mask walked up to them, his face stern and cold.

"Sailor Moon, hand over the Silver Crystal," he spoke. "If you do it now, I shall spare your life."

Sailor Moon was now horrified and Shakoukai was now worried.

"But... that's going against Master Kunzite's orders!" she protested.

But Tuxedo Mask ignored Shakoukai keeping his attention on Sailor Moon.

"Well, Sailor Moon? Will you hand it over?" he demanded.

"You're kidding, right, Tuxedo Mask?" she gasped. "You don't mean that..."

"You've got to snap out of it, Sailor Moon!" spoke Sailor Venus. "This Tuxedo Mask isn't anything like the one we used to know!"

As Sailor Moon's eyes began filling with tears, Tuxedo Mask grew closer his hand held out. Then at that moment, a loud voice rang out.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

At that moment, a large golden ball came shooting down from above straight towards Tuxedo Mask forcing the man to immediately jump back to dodge. Then Solaris came flying down from above landing in between the guardians and Tuxedo Mask.

"Solaris!" Sailor Mars cried.

"Sorry, I'm a little late," he spoke. "Looks like I came here just in time!"

Tuxedo Mask scowled. "So, you're here too, Solaris," he spoke. "Always showing up to interfere as always."

"And you're still taking advantage of Sailor Moon and the other guardians as usual," Solaris countered as he took a fighting stance. "But I'll tell you what. Since you're all dressed up for a night on the town and everything, how's about I take you to a ballroom blitz?"

"Well, aren't you clever?" Tuxedo Mask said as he took out his cane extending it. "But I'm not interested in dancing with boys."

The two stared at each other daring for one of them to make a move. The Sailor Guardians and Shakoukai all stared at the two wondering how the fight was going to go.

Then suddenly, Kunzite and Zoisite appeared.

"Endymion! Just what do you think you're doing?!" demanded Kunzite. "Stand down and don't interfere!"

"And what do you mean?" wondered Tuxedo Mask.

"You know very well what!" Zoisite snapped crossly. "This plan was put into motion by Kunzite and he wants you to stay out of it!"

Tuxedo Mask then smirked snootily pushing his glasses. "The issue here is only one thing and that's getting the Silver Crystal," he spoke. "So why don't you two bug off?"

Kunzite and Zoisite glared.

"What did you say?!" growled Zoisite.

Shakoukai looked back and forth between in the three unsure of whom she should obey. All three of them were on the same side and yet they were acting like enemies.

"Um... excuse me," she spoke trying to be polite. "What... should I be doing right now?"

"Kill Sailor Moon and the guardians!" Kunzite said.

"No. The Silver Crystal comes first," insisted Tuxedo Mask.

"Don't listen to this dressed up fool!" Zoisite spoke firmly. "Sailor Moon and those pesky guardians come first!"

"The Silver Crystal!"

"Shouldn't you be off serving appetizers somewhere?!"

"Shouldn't you two be off making out in your own little world or something?"

"How dare you speak to us that way!"

Shakoukai was at this point very fed up and didn't know what she should do now.

"This is ridiculous," she sighed shaking her head. "Whose orders am I supposed to be following? This is giving me a headache."

Then Sailor Moon suddenly appeared next to her holding a cup of coffee offering it to Shakoukai.

"Here you go. You must be exhausted," she said brightly. "Won't you kindly please have a cup of coffee?"

"You don't need to be so polite about coffee," Shakoukai said. "Although... now that you mention it, a cup of coffee does sound very good right now."

Sailor Moon's eyes then glinted as she seized her chance whipping out the Moon Stick.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

With a wave of her wand, Sailor Moon showered Shakoukai with its sparkles and dust causing her to writhe in pain. Then in a burst of light, Shakoukai was no more and Countess Rose was back to her old self again. Seeing that she was no longer under their control, Kunzite and Zoisite immediately retreated. Sailor Moon then turned to Tuxedo Mask.

"Alright, Tuxedo Mask! Now I'll return you to normal too!" she spoke.

She raised her the Moon Stick about to use Moon Healing Escalation again, but Tuxedo Mask was in full retreat too as he disappeared from sight. She and the others then heard Tuxedo Mask's voice.

"Sailor Moon. You can hold on to the Silver Crystal for now," his voice said. "But make no mistake, I will take it the next time we meet. Farewell!"

Sailor Moon could only stare up toward the moon as her heart was heavy with sorrow.

At the very same time inside of the mansion, all the girls that were turned into wax had now turned back to normal.

* * *

The next day, the sound of Usagi screaming was heard again as she raced out of the house once again late for school. Just when she was about to take off running down the sidewalk, Luna in front of her cutting her off.

"You're still doing this after all that?" she sighed. "What happened to your princess training?"

"Oh, that? I got that covered," Usagi smiled with a wink. "I've decided to become my own kind of princess, on my own terms."

And with that, she raced past Luna who could only look back miserably as she ran.

"She's never gonna make my life easy, is she?" she groaned.

* * *

Back in the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl stood before the cocoon that was Metalia.

"Oh, Great Ruler! Hear me now!" she spoke. "I ask you for your power and your great wisdom!"

The cocoon then glowed as Metalia's voice was heard.

"What is it, Queen Beryl?" Metalia asked. "What reason have you awoken me?"

Queen Beryl then held out a glass container. Inside was the cloth that was tied on Nephrite's cross.

"Please, Great Ruler. I wanted to report that Zoisite has succeeded in his mission," Queen Beryl spoke.

"Very good, Beryl," Metalia spoke. "Now you know what you must do now, correct?"

"Yes. I do," said Queen Beryl. "But I have one more thing I have to ask. What about him? I deeply regret banishing him, but is there a way to bring him back?"

"Yes, there is. But in order to do so, I need a great deal of energy," Metalia spoke. "In the meantime, I want you to gather as much energy as you can, so I can perform this task. Not only that, beware for when that awakens."

Queen Beryl nodded as she bowed before the cocoon. "Yes. Great Ruler."


	39. Chapter 38

Everyone was hanging out at the Hikawa Shrine waiting for Usagi to come back from school. The teens were talking to each other about normal stuff, but there was one among them lost in his own thoughts.

Harusuke was still wondering about the other night when he visited Nephrite's grave.

"I know that it was just a cloth from Naru's pajamas, but that was the only reminder of Nephrite," he thought. "What could have happened to it? And who would even bother to take the cloth if it was taken? Perhaps the wind blew it away?"

"Is something the matter, Harusuke?" wondered Ami. "You look deep in thought about something."

Harusuke then looked up and noticed Ami looking at him quizzically.

"Oh. It's nothing, Ami," Harusuke said shaking his head. I was just lost in my own world that's all."

Just then, Usagi finally arrived running up to them.

"Usagi! You're late!" complained Rei. "I knew that you had to stay after school, but what took you so long?!"

The twin odango blonde dug into her pocket and took out an advertisement grinning from cheek to cheek. "This!" she spoke pointing to the paper excitedly. "There's a skiing contest happening at the resort in the mountains this weekend! It's called The Moon Princess Contest!"

"The Moon Princess Contest?" Harusuke repeated.

"That seems like an odd coincidence," Minako said.

"Yeah, but it's perfect!" Usagi nodded eagerly. "A contest like this one is tailor-made for me to win, don't you think?!"

"Let me see that," spoke Rei as she snatched the advertisement away from her and took a quick scan. She then hummed in interest. "Wow! So the winner gets to be crowned Moon Princess at night, in front of a big crowd of people?!"

She then began to imagine herself skiing down the snowy slope like pro winning the contest with the crowd cheering for her.

"Wow... I can see myself there," she sighed. "It even sounds romantic."

"I know, right?!" agreed Usagi eagerly. "So does that mean a yes?!"

"It's fine with us, but what about Luna and Artemis?" wondered Makoto. "I mean what are those gonna say when they hear about it?"

"Don't worry about them," smiled Minako. "I'll just say that we're all going to the mountains to do some serious training."

Usagi was a bit surprised. "I'm... actually kind of surprised that you would suggest telling them that," she said.

"It shouldn't. I mean it's the truth, isn't it?" asked Minako.

"I believe it's more like stretching the truth, Minako," said Ami. "But I'm sure they'll more likely believe it coming from you."

"Great! That means all of us can go!" cheered Usagi.

"But where are we gonna find a hotel vacancy on such short notice?" wondered Rei.

"I think that I can help you with that," said a familiar voice behind them. "That is if you don't mind."

Everyone looked to find Yuichiro standing there.

"Do you really know a place, Yuichiro?" asked Harusuke.

"Sure. My parents live in that area and they own a place that's big enough for all of you to stay," Yuichiro said.

"Whoa! That's awesome!" Usagi smiled her eyes sparkling. "We would so appreciate that!"

"Then it's settled!" Yuichiro smiled back. "I'll take this weekend off and then I'll just-"

"Hold on, does that mean that you're coming too?" asked Rei with a hint of disdain.

"Is... that a problem?" Yuichiro asked now looking sheepish.

"No. Not at all. It'll be fine, Rei," smiled Makoto. "You know what they say, "Even a chance encounter is preordained." "

"Makoto, I think you mean "By chance, a meeting could your destiny," right?" corrected Minako.

"Actually... do either of those quotes even apply in this case?" wondered Ami.

Minako and Makoto didn't say anything more. Rei could only sigh because she still wasn't sure or too thrilled about Yuichiro going.

"Come on, Rei. It'll be fine," he said. "Besides, he is providing you all a place to stay, so this is the least you could do to thank him. In fact, I'll think I'll come along too."

"Wait, you're coming too, Harusuke?!" asked Rei in surprise.

"Well, of course. I've always wanted to try skiing," smiled Harusuke. "And you know what they say, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." "

"Now that's the right quote," smiled Ami.

Makoto and Minako could only glare softly at Ami in annoyance.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite was holding the exact same advertisement as Usagi chuckling with triumph while Endymion stood by a few feet away leaning against a pillar.

"I know that they'll fall for this trap," smirked Kunzite. "Because they're not only dense but predictable too."

"You sure about that?" asked Endymion. "I think you might be underestimating the Guardians. That is also perhaps the reason all of your previous attempts have failed because you tend to regard your enemies abilities too lightly."

Kunzite growled as he glared at Endymion in anger.

"Know thy enemy, know thy self," Endymion went on. "That is the first rule of battle, isn't that right?"

Kunzite then calmed down. "Just what I would expect you to say, Endymion," he spoke in a calm demeanor. "After all, you've been fighting alongside the Guardians for quite some time, so I'm very sure that you know everything about them. But I know them as well and I will do whatever is required to defeat every last one of them."

Endymion said nothing more and took his leave. At that moment, Zoisite appeared.

"I still don't understand how you can let him talk to you like that," Zoisite complained. "He's disobedient as he is arrogant."

"I know, but there's no point in arguing with him, Zoisite," said Kunzite. "The only thing that matters is defeating those Guardians and getting that Silver Crystal. Besides, if we even so much as raise a hand to him, Queen Beryl will show no mercy. You are aware of that, right?"

Zoisite certainly knew what Kunzite meant. He could still remember how he was almost killed by Queen Beryl for trying to kill Endymion a while back. The mere thought made his spine quiver with fright.

"Yes. I know... but still...!" he growled gritting his teeth.

Then Kunzite placed a reassuring arm around Zoisite's arm and pulled him close.

"It's alright. There's no need for you to worry about me, Zoisite," said Kunzite as he gazed into his eyes. "I'll bear through any pain and any trial as long as you're here to help me get through it."

Zoisite then blushed. "Oh, Kunzite. You're such a flirt," he giggled.

From afar as they two were off in their own little world, Endymion who hadn't left the room was watching from behind the pillar. He clicked his tongue and walked away feeling disgusted.

"How annoying," he mumbled under his breath as he disappeared.

* * *

A few days later, the weekend had come and Usagi and the others had just arrived at the ski resort. They were amazed by the mountain size and how much snow there was. It certainly was a beautiful sight.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" gushed Usagi.

"No kidding!" agreed Harusuke. "I've never seen this much snow before!"

"I just can't believe we're actually here!" said Makoto.

"I feel bad for leaving Luna and Artemis behind," said Ami. "They don't know what they're missing!"

"They'll be fine," waved off Minako. "Besides, I'm sure that they'd rather be curled up somewhere warm like a kotatsu."

"Good thing that there's one in Usagi's room," said Harusuke. "They're gonna be sleeping on that thing for hours."

"Come on, you guys, I'll show you to my parent's place," said Yuichiro. "It's just a few miles from here."

So everyone then followed Yuichiro. As they walked, Rei couldn't help but have low expectations of what his house was going to be like.

"It'll probably be some kind of cabin," she thought. "Or probably some kind of old shack."

But Rei would soon learn that she was wrong. For they soon came to a huge mountain lodge. It was big, green and purple, appeared to be two stories high and had the appearance of a mansion.

Everyone couldn't help but be amazed as they all settled into the house while Yuichiro stoked the fire in the fireplace and prepared some hot cocoa.

"My parents are at our chalet in Switzerland right now," explained Yuichiro. "So please, make yourselves at home."

"Wow! This place is huge!" exclaimed Harusuke. "I didn't know you were this loaded, Yuichiro!"

"Say... Yuichiro... Just one question," Rei spoke. "Since you're so filthy rich- I mean so well-to-do, how come you train at my grandpa's shrine anyway?"

Yuichiro then smiled. "It's easy. It's so I can become a better person," he replied.

"O-Oh. R-right."

Usagi then whispered to Rei. "Yeah, right. Become a better person my foot," she spoke. "He just wants to spend his days smelling your hair. Rich people do have a tendency of being eccentric."

Harusuke then gave Usagi a hard nudge to her hip causing her to yelp in pain.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?!" she demanded.

"Don't be creepy," replied Harusuke sternly. "Besides, Yuichiro's not eccentric. He's... misunderstood. Now keep quiet."

Usagi can only puff her cheeks in a pout while all Rei could do was laugh wryly.

"Well, who cares about that?" smiled Makoto. "Let's go skiing! I'm in the mood to have some fun! Who's with me?"

"Yeah!" everyone else said.

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone was bundled up and was wearing skis. Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Minako, and Harusuke all looked around at the many people who were also skiing and at the beautiful view as they casually skied around.

"This is so cool!" Usagi gushed. "Look at all this snow!"

"Yeah! This weather is perfect weather for skiing, isn't it?" grinned Makoto.

"That's for sure!" agreed Minako.

Ami then noticed a couple people weren't there with them. "Say, does anyone know where Rei and Yuichiro went?"

"Search me," said Harusuke. "They were with us a few minutes ago."

Sure enough, Yuichiro and Rei came down the slope skiing effortlessly and elegantly making Usagi and the others stare in amazement. They soon stopped just in front of them.

"Hey you guys, this area's flat as a pancake," spoke Rei. "Why don't we go further up the mountain?"

"Um... no thanks, I'll pass," said Makoto.

"Yeah... that goes double for me," Harusuke agreed.

"Maybe you'd be better go on ahead with Yuichiro," said Minako.

"Yeah. Don't worry about us. We'll be over at the beginner's slope practicing," said Ami. "We'll have more than enough fun over there."

"Agreed," nodded Usagi. "We'll be A-OK."

"But Usagi, you're gonna be taking part in the Moon Princess contest, aren't you?" asked Yuichiro. "You do realize that it's taking place on top of the mountain up there, right?"

He pointed to the top of the mountain which was several yards high up from where they were originally standing. Usagi's jaw dropped and her skin became as pale as the snow. Even Makoto, Minako, and Ami were shocked with how high up the starting point was.

"Pl-please tell me you're joking," Usagi squeaked her eyes not leaving the mountain.

"Nope. I'm serious," replied Yuichiro. "Besides being good looking, you also have to be a good skier, otherwise, you'd never win the contest."

"You're kidding..." groaned Usagi.

"So what'll you do now, Usagi? Drop out? Either way, it suits me just fine," said Rei. "Even if you do quit, I'll be taking that Moon Princess crown!"

And with that, Rei skied away. Usagi at first was going to drop out, but after what Rei said, she was now more determined to win than ever.

"You can count on me being there!" she called back. "After all, the real Moon Princess should win this thing!"

"But Usagi, there's no way you'll get through that race!" Harusuke protested. "That slopes so high, it makes what we're skiing right now look like the flat cover of a book!"

"It doesn't matter!" Usagi spoke with determination. "I'm gonna win this thing if it's the last thing I'll do!"

Harusuke and the others could stare at Usagi as she pumped herself up.

"She's gonna get creamed, isn't she?" Harusuke spoke in a flat voice.

The girls could only sigh and nod

* * *

Later that evening, at the top of the mountain where the Moon Princess contest was taking place, lots of women gathered around to compete for the big contest. Among them was a young woman who was also Kunzite's latest follower. She had long flowing green hair, dark sunglasses, a purple headband on her head, a pink jacket with white gloves, and pants to match and purple boots on her feet. She was Saeko Yamamoto, a popular skier.

As she gazed around the competition while keeping a low profile, Kunzite appeared behind her.

"Do you see anyone who could be Sailor Moon?" he asked.

"No, not yet," replied Saeko.

"I see. Well, give it some time," Kunzite spoke. "With the monster power, I've given to you, you'll have no problem uncovering Sailor Moon's true identity. Make sure that you do just that."

"Leave it to me, Master Kunzite," Saeko said.

And with that, Kunzite left.

* * *

Around that very same time, Usagi, Rei, Harusuke, and Yuichiro were all riding the ski lift to the top of the mountains. Rei, Yuichiro, and Harusuke were enjoying the view, but Usagi was feeling rather scared.

"I-I I sure hope th-this isn't where I'm supposed to ski..." she gulped.

"Nah, this is nothing compared to the mountaintop," said Yuichiro. "It's way high than this."

Usagi couldn't help but feel all the more nervous which made Harusuke worried.

"Are you sure you don't wanna drop out, Usagi?" he asked. "I mean if it's too much for you, there's no shame in backing out."

"N-No way!" refused Usagi. "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna win this! E-even though... it's super scary..."

Soon enough, they made it to the top where all the contestants were gathered at the starting line. Usagi and Rei took their spots while Harusuke and Yuichiro stood with the other spectators hoping to watch the race.

Then a young man stepped up on the podium with a microphone in his hand.

"Good evening and welcome to all you lady contestants!" he spoke. "The Fourth Annual Moon Princess Contest will begin in just a moment! Tonight, our very first princess is here to help explain the rules of the course and spectating this contest as well. Moonlight Slope's very own ski instructor, Miss Saeko Yamamoto!"

The very woman in question then came up to the podium and gave everyone an enchanting smile.

"Thank you much," she said to the man. Then she turned to all the female contestants. "Now, here are the rules for this contest. Whoever is the fastest and most graceful and crosses the finish line of the Moonlight Course will be crowned Moon Princess," she went on. "And don't worry about the darkness. Even though it's dark, the course is very well lit so you'll be able to see your way. Now, take your places, girls! And may the best one win!"

The girls then took their places and the spotlights came on lighting up the entire track. They gripped their poles and readied their muscles ready to race.

Saeko then said: "On your mark... Get set... GO!"

At her call, every one of the girls came shooting out of the starting line with Rei immediately drawing in front, except for one who was completely frozen in fear at the starting line.

Usagi was so scared that she immediately burst into tears sobbing.

"Wah! OK, that's it!" I quit!" she wailed.

Harusuke then sighed. "I knew she should've just quit," he groaned.

Yuichiro then went up appearing behind her. "Come on, Usagi! You can't fall behind!" he encouraged. "You gotta give it your all! You can do it!"

Then before Harusuke and Usagi could stop him, Yuichiro gave Usagi a small shove. Usagi shrieked with fright as she went flying down the slope desperately trying to stop herself.

Harusuke was horrified while Yuichiro was impressed.

"That's the way, Usagi!" he cheered. "You can do it if you try!"

"Yuichiro! What the heck?!" snapped Harusuke. "Usagi's gonna get creamed down there!"

"Come on, Harusuke. You worry too much," chuckled Yuichiro. "Usagi's gonna be fine. Besides, she's a natural."

"If that's what he calls a natural, I'd hate to see what he thinks of a pro," Harusuke thought to himself.

He then grabbed his poles and with a mighty push, he was well on his way too following Usagi in hot pursuit. At the very same time, Saeko shot past the starting line and skiing her way down the slope too.

Harusuke was a bit surprised. "What the heck? Wasn't Saeko supposed to be a spectator for this?" he thought. "What's she up too?"

* * *

Back with the contestants, Rei was having great fun skiing her way to victory in front of the competitors unaware of the danger that was behind her and the other girls.

Saeko was right behind them a few feet away ready to initiate her plan to find Sailor Moon.

"This course will be their one-way ticket to hell!" she cackled.

She then let out a yell and using her monster power, she bent the snow to her will creating several large hills just in front of Rei and the other girls.

Rei sensing danger was able to dodge the hills just in time. The other girls, however, weren't so lucky. One by one, each one of them wiped out and fell into the snow.

"What was that just now?! I thought I sensed an evil aura," Rei thought. "But... that can't be! There's no way a monster would be out here, right?"

At that moment, someone shot right past Rei catching her by surprise. It was Usagi who had miraculously got past the hills and was desperately trying to stop herself from going too fast.

"Someone stop this thing!" she wailed. "I can't stop!"

Rei thought that Usagi was competing and was impressed making her completely forget about the aura she sensed.

"Not too shabby, Usagi," she said to herself. "But there's no way I'm gonna let you beat me!"

As the two continued to ski, the two were unaware that Saeko was right behind them keeping a close eye on who was left. When she saw that Rei and Usagi were the only two, she was pleased.

"Looks like those two survived," she smirked. "That means one of them has to be the Moon Princess, Sailor Moon. Now I can start getting serious!"

She looked around making sure that no one was looking. She then turned sharply to the right going over the edge disappearing from view.

At the very same time, Harusuke came shooting past Saeko catching up to Rei and Usagi. He soon could see Rei and Usagi up ahead of him as used his poles to go faster to catch up.

"Usagi, you've got to slow down or you're gonna get hurt!" called Rei.

"That's easy for you to say!" Usagi cried. "If I could, I would have done that by now! How are you supposed to control these things?!"

Then Harusuke appeared skiing beside her catching her by surprise.

"Harusuke?! What are you doing here?!" she cried.

"No time for that now!" Harusuke spoke. "We gotta stop this runaway!" He then called out to Usagi. "Usagi! Use your skis to make a V! It'll help you slow down!"

Usagi did so, but she was going so fast, it didn't make her stop.

"It's not working!" she shrieked.

"Oh, great! Now what?!" Rei spoke. "She's completely out of control!"

"I know!" said Harusuke. "Ugh! Can things get any worse?!"

Then as they passed a cliff, there came more trouble. A large chunk of snow broke off from the cliff and started to roll creating a large giant snowball. It hit the ground with an earth-shaking thud and rolled after the three. Rei and Harusuke looked back and saw the snowball making their eyes wide with terror and they desperately skied faster trying to get away from the snowball.

"On second thought Usagi, you might want to start skiing a lot faster!" cried Rei.

"Like I told you two, there's nothing I can do!" shrieked Usagi. "I've got no control over here!"

"This is really bad!" Harusuke yelled as he skied for his life. "What'll we do?!"

"Just keep going!" was Rei's response. "Don't stop unless you wanna get crushed!"

Then suddenly the ground beneath them began to tremble and a chasm erupted from the ground making the three teens ski right into it with the snowball right behind them. As they kept on skiing, an unlikely hero came from above hoping to help them. (Mostly Rei) It was Yuichiro.

"Hold on, Rei! I'll save you!" he yelled as he jumped down inside the chasm and then spread his arms out wide hoping to block the snowball bravely standing his ground.

"You shall not pass!" he yelled.

But however brave he was, he was no match for the snowball as it rolled right over him as it continued its pursuit of Usagi, Rei, and Harusuke.

Then there was worse to come for the three. Up ahead, the chasm began to close by huge blocks of twos. Two closed, then four, then six. If they didn't stop soon, they would be crushed.

"Usagi!" Rei and Harusuke yelled as they frantically sped up hoping to get to the blonde in time.

The blond could see that she was heading for certain doom and was sure that her life was gonna end right then and there, but luckily, Harusuke and Rei tackled the blonde knocking her to the ground just as the next two blocks of ice slammed in front of them. At the very same time, several ice blocks slammed behind them growing closer and closer to them. Just when they thought they would be crushed too, the chasm closed around the snowball destroying it and thanks to that snowball, it prevented their section from closing.

Usagi and the others were out of danger thanks to that, but now they were all trapped.

"Geez! What is that?!" wondered Harusuke. "Indiana Jones and Snow Queen?!"

"I don't know. But it's got to be the work of a monster," said Rei. "There's no other explanation."

"What should we do, now?" wondered Usagi. "We're trapped."

Luckily, thanks to the snowball being crushed by the chasm, there was a huge wall of snow that someone could possibly climb out of. Rei knowing this then started to climb up the wall. She barely managed to get a few feet up, when the snow gave away and Rei ending up falling on her butt buried in snow.

"Are... you all right, Rei?" asked Usagi.

Rei then immediately popped out of the snow. "No, I'm not alright!" she snapped as she started climbing up the wall of snow again. "Now come on! We need to climb this snow bank and get out of here!"

She then began clawing her way up the snowbank only to have it give away underneath her once again making her fall on her butt and buried in snow.

"Um... Rei? I don't think climbing our way out is gonna work," said Harusuke. "The snow is way too soft."

"Maybe we should wait for help," suggested Usagi. "Or least come up with another way..."

"And what if no one shows up until after we've been turned into ski-sicles?!" Rei shrieked indignantly. "Giving up now means losing my womanhood! You both got to suck it up and tough it out!"

She then started climbing one more time more determined than ever to get out while Usagi and Harusuke watched her climb.

"Well, this has turned to a real mess," sighed Harusuke. "We're stuck and no one knows where we are."

"Yeah. And I'll bet that someone has been crowned Moon Princess by now," sighed Usagi.

"Probably, no thanks to a certain somebody making me miss my chance!" Rei spoke huffily.

Usagi could only hang her head sadly. "Sorry," she spoke quietly.

"Come on, you two. This isn't the time to be thinking about that nor is it the time for fighting," Harusuke said. "If this was caused by a monster, then this whole thing must have been some kind of sham." He then looked up at Rei. "And you could be a little nicer, Rei," he said sternly. "No one is to blame for this, so you need to calm down."

Rei at this point had reached the halfway point of the snowbank. But like before, the snow began to gave way underneath her causing her to fall. Harusuke saw this and he immediately ran forward and managed to catch Rei in his arms bridal style before she hit the ground. Rei froze for a bit and looked up at Harusuke a bit surprised.

"You OK, Rei?" asked Harusuke.

Rei then blushed as she hastily jumped out of Harusuke's arms. "I'm fine!" she said. "Don't worry about me!"

Then at that moment, the two heard something. It was the sweet melodic sound of a music box. Harusuke and Rei looked to where it was coming from to find a sad Usagi sitting on the ground holding her locket in her hand. It glowed and the crescent moon on it danced around as it continued to play. The two then went over to her.

"Usagi, that music... it's beautiful," said Harusuke.

"That's used to belong Tuxedo Mask, right?" asked Rei.

Usagi nodded. "Yes. I listen to this whenever I'm sad," she explained. "It... kinda helps take away my sadness a little." Then Usagi then immediately became flustered knowing about Rei's feelings about Tuxedo Mask. "Dah! I'm sorry! I'm not trying to show off or anything!" she apologized to Rei. "I was just trying to be positive! Y'know, change the mood? I... hope I didn't hurt your feelings by bringing him up."

Harusuke looked at Rei knowing what Usagi was talking about. She was referring to Rei's feelings for Mamoru before she found out that Usagi and Mamoru were previous lovers. Ever since then, he knew that Rei was crushed, but he didn't know how was feeling about Usagi and Mamoru now that time had passed.

Rei for a few seconds said nothing. Then to Harusuke and Usagi's surprise, she smiled.

"There's no reason to think that," she said kindly. "It really doesn't bother me anymore."

Usagi was surprised as was Harusuke.

"Are... you sure about that, Rei?" asked Harusuke. "I mean... you really did care about Mamoru and stuff."

"Yeah... but honestly, I'm totally fine with the fact that Mamoru- I mean Tuxedo Mask wasn't gonna be the one for me," said Rei. "I mean let's be honest, he went and risked his life to save Usagi's life. That proves that he really likes you. A girl like me can't compete with that nor does she deserve that kind of devotion."

Usagi stared at Rei surprised with what she was hearing. Harusuke stared at Rei too just as surprised. He wanted to say that she was wrong, but he didn't say a word.

Rei then gave Usagi a stern look. "But now hear me out, Usagi Tsukino," she said. "If you don't have a life filled with happiness with Mamoru, I'll make sure to punish you!"

Usagi then smiled her eyes sparkling as she felt much better. "O-Okay," she said.

Harusuke then chucked. "Looks like you two can be friends when you want to be," he said. "Aside from that, in order for that to happen, we have to make sure that we defeat the Dark Kingdom and bring peace to our world."

Then suddenly, Usagi shot up to her feet realizing something very important. "Hey! Wait a minute! That's right!" she cried.

"What is it?" asked Rei. "What's right?"

"I just realized it just now!" said Usagi. "Rei, with your Fire Soul and Harusuke's Sunshine Meteor, we can probably get out of here!"

Rei and Harusuke then stared at Usagi, then they shot up to their feet too their realization hitting them like a snowball in the face.

"She's right!" cried Harusuke. "Why didn't we realize of that sooner?!"

Rei then glared at Usagi now back to her normal angry demeanor. "Yeah! When it comes to coming up with ideas, there's just no hope for you, Meatball Head!"

"I just came up with one!" Usagi snapped back. "Besides, you didn't think of it either!"

"Enough with the arguing make!" Harusuke spoke. "Let's just hurry and transform!"

They then took out their pens were just about to transform when suddenly, they heard a voice.

"Rei! Is that you?!"

Then from the side of the wall bursting out triumphantly after digging a tunnel to save them was Yuichiro. Everyone was surprised.

"No way! Yuichiro!" gasped Rei.

"Yes! I finally found you, Rei!" Yuichiro cried with relief. "I'm so glad that you're are safe! This has got to be a miracle of love!"

"Hey! What are we?! Chopped liver?" Harusuke grumped clearly insulted.

But Yuichiro ignored him and pointed to the tunnel he dug. "Look! I dug us a way out," he told them. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Not so fast!" said a voice from above. "You're not going anywhere!"

Everyone looked up to see that an unexpected visitor in the form of Saeko Yamamoto had appeared standing above them. She then jumped down and began to transform into her monster form.

She now had pale skin, wore snowballs all over her body, two on her chest, one on each other shoulders and one covering her pelvic area.

"She's been turned into a monster!" exclaimed Rei.

"So that means the snowball and everything else that happened was her doing all along!" growled Harusuke.

"That's right! I am Blizzar and I've been ordered to eliminate Sailor Moon," she the monster. She then glared at Rei and pointed a finger at her. "Now, Sailor Moon, prepare to die!"

Rei looked around feeling a bit puzzled wondering who she was pointing to. She then realized.

"Wait... are you talking about me?" she asked.

"That's right! You have looks, elegance, and athletic ability," said Blizzar. "Therefore, you must be the Moon Princess!"

Rei then blushed and flirtatiously posed while pretending to be modest.

"Oh, so you think so too, eh?" she grinned. "You're quite the honest monster."

Yuichiro gawked at Rei in disbelief. "Wait... Rei is Sailor Moon?!" he exclaimed.

"You've got it all wrong!" wailed Usagi.

"Would it kill you to keep your identity a secret?!" Harusuke whispered harshly. "That's why it's called a secret identity!"

"Silence!" roared Blizzar. "My judgment is never wrong and now you will die my ice!"

She then took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful blast of icy wind at them. At the last minute, Yuichiro leaped in front of shielding them from the cold.

"I'll save you, Rei!" he yelled.

But no matter how brave he was, Yuichiro ended up frozen solid.

"Oh man. Poor Yuichiro," said Usagi.

"Forget about him," said Rei. "Now's our chance to transform!"

"You're even colder than this snow, Rei," Usagi spoke with a whimper.

"And I don't think she's just saying that to be clever either," agreed Harusuke.

"Just hurry up and do it!" Rei snapped.

The three then took their chance and transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

Blizzar jumped back in surprise.

"I don't believe this!" she gasped. "All three of you are Guardians?!"

"That's right and we can't forgive you for trapping us in this ice!" said Sailor Moon. "Don't you know that it's dangerous for young teens to let your tummies get cold?!"

"And how dare you freeze an innocent man into a statue?!" Sailor Mars spoke angrily. "That is nothing short of unforgivable!"

"And you're also responsible for ruining everyone's dream of a perfect snow day by causing havoc and destruction!" added Solaris. "That is also something that you can't be forgiven for!"

"In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"

"And in the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Enough of your talk!" Blizzar growled. "Take this!"

She summoned forth a lance made of ice and then threw it. The Guardians immediately scattered dodging the attack as Mars and Solaris went on the attack.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Both guardians fired their respective signature attacks, but Blizzar was able to dodge them just in the nick of time.

"You're finished now!" she yelled as she summoned forth another lance of ice.

She was just about to throw the lance when someone grabbed a firm hold of her lance causing it to slip out of her hand. Blizzar turned around ready to reap whoever stopped her assault a new one, but then she gasped. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars gasped too as their eyes practically became hearts.

For there standing in front of them was Tuxedo Mask.

"Good evening, Guardians," he spoke in a pleasant voice tipping his hat. "Nice to see you."

"Oh my god, it's Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon and Mars gushed.

"Hey! Can we please not do the fangirl thing right now?!" Solaris snapped. "Need I remind you two that he's with the Dark Kingdom?!"

"Endymion?! What are you doing here?!" demanded Blizzar.

"I'll handle these guardians once and for all, Blizzar," said Tuxedo Mask as he threw the lance back to Blizzar. "So you step aside and watch."

He then summoned forth a black rose and took aim. "Prepare to die, Sailor Moon!" he yelled as he threw the rose.

Solaris immediately stepped in front of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars knocking the rose away. The rose changed direction and with its sharp stem pierced the wall to the side.

"You wanna get to them? You'll have to go through me," he said putting up his fists.

"You got lucky this time, Solaris," Tuxedo Mask said. "But next time, I won't miss."

He then took out another black rose and prepared to strike and Solaris was ready to attack too, but Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars didn't know what to do. They didn't want to hurt him, but at the same time, they knew that he was an enemy and had to be stopped.

After a few long and tense seconds, Sailor Mars bravely stepped forward.

"Tuxedo Mask, have you really forgotten who we are?!" she spoke. "You used to be on our side, remember?! You've always fought to protect Sailor Moon because you love her so much!"

"Sailor Mars?! What are you doing?!" Solaris spoke looking back.

"He doesn't remember!" said Sailor Moon.

But Sailor Mars didn't care. "Please! Try to remember!" she pleaded. "Try to think back to that time! I'm begging you!"

Then for the first time since he became a slave to Queen Beryl, Tuxedo Mask hesitated and for a fraction of a second, his signature black rose turned a rosy red.

But while this was happening Blizzar saw this as a chance to lay out an ambush. She disappeared into the icy walls carefully and sneakily making her way to the guardians and seizing her chance, she came bursting out from the wall above the Sailor Guardians aiming her lance right at them.

Just when it was likely that the attack would succeed, the unthinkable happened.

Tuxedo Mask fired his rose, but not at Guardians. Instead, the rose pierced right through Blizzar's lance and nicked her right at her side making her fall to the ground with a thud.

The Guardians stared at Tuxedo Mask in disbelief as Blizzar glared at the masked man groaning in agony.

"Endymion... what are you doing?!" growled Blizzar in anger. "Who's side are you on anyway?!"

Solaris then saw an opportunity. "Sailor Moon! Now's your chance!" he cried.

"Right!" acknowledged Sailor Moon as she took out her Moon Stick activating its powers. "MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

And with a wave of her Moon Stick unleashing its magic spell, Blizzar was gone Saeko was back to being her normal self again. The Guardians then looked up and saw Tuxedo Mask standing from above the chasm looking down at them.

"Defeating you as you are now wouldn't be worth bragging about, so don't get the wrong idea," he spoke coldly. "So farewell... We will meet again..."

And with a wave of his cape, he walked away.

Sailor Moon could only watch as he disappeared with a sorrowful look in her eyes, but Solaris gave a reassuring pat on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sailor Moon. We'll get him back," he said. "Just you wait."

Sailor Moon could only nod. Sailor Mars then went over to Yuichiro who was no longer a statue of ice.

"Stupid Yuichiro. Always risking your life to save me," she muttered. Then she smiled. "But... I appreciate that. Thank you."

* * *

After a while, everyone was able to make it out of the chasm and had set up a fire by one of the lifts. Yuichiro was now just waking up.

"Well, look who's finally awake," smiled Usagi. "Welcome back, Yuichiro."

Yuichiro was a bit confused. Then he saw Rei and became elated.

"Oh, Rei! Thank goodness you're OK!" he said.

"Yeah. After you got knocked out, the Guardians showed up and rescued everyone," explained Rei.

Yuichiro then frowned. "Oh. Then I guess I was completely useless then," he said sadly. "Sorry about that."

"That's not true at all," said Harusuke kindly. "You acted pretty cool and brave back there."

"Yeah. He's right," agreed Rei. "In a weird sort of way."

Yuichiro then blushed cheering up a bit. "Well, I'm glad to hear that," he said.

Just then, Makoto, Minako, and Ami came skiing up accompanied by Saeko.

"This is where you guys were hiding," said Makoto in a scolding tone. "Where have you guys been?! We've been worried sick."

"But it's all good because they're safe now," smiled Minako. "If it ends well, all's well."

"I think you mean "All's well that ends well", Minako," corrected Ami.

"It wasn't my fault anyway," spoke Rei. "Usagi's such an idiot, she almost got us killed."

"Say what?! You know that's not true, Rei!" Usagi spoke indignantly. "We had a chat that strengthened our friendship and we had fun!"

"Me?! Friends with you?! When pigs fly!" Rei scoffed.

Usagi's lip trembled and then she burst into tears feeling very upset.

"Wah! Rei's being mean to me!" she wailed.

"Oh, come on, you guys. I've just about enough of you guys fighting for one day," said Harusuke. "Let's just head back to the lodge already. I wanna get out of this snow."

* * *

Later, everyone all settled into the lodge ready to go to sleep for the night. Rei, in particular, was looking forward to getting a good night's sleep after the day she just had. She was dressed in her warm pajamas and was snuggled up into her bed and was just about to go sleep when she heard a knock on her door.

"Who the heck could that be at this hour?" she groaned as she went to the door. "I swear if it's Usagi, I'm gonna-"

As she was opening the door about to yell at Usagi if she was at the door, but she was surprised to find that there was someone else standing at the door. Harusuke to be exact.

"O-Oh. Harusuke, it's you," said Rei.

"Yeah. It's me," said Harusuke sheepishly. "Do... you have time to talk for a few minutes? It's important."

Rei then looked around making sure that no one else was around, then she beckoned him to come into her room. Harusuke then walked in and Rei shut the door behind her.

"So what's up?" asked Rei. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well... it was about today," Harusuke said choosing his words carefully. "You took a pretty big risk today pleading Tuxedo Mask like that. He could have continued to attack us and I would have had no choice to fight him. You know that right?"

Rei looked down towards the floor. "Yeah. I know," she spoke quietly.

"I'm not gonna scold you or anything, but... I have to ask you," went on Harusuke. "Why did you do what you did?"

"I... just had to try," said Rei. "I mean... you saw how miserable Usagi gets whenever Tuxedo Mask shows up. I just wanted her and Mamoru to be happy and together again. I mean I know that she cries all the time, but seeing her get choked up because of Tuxedo Mask... it just makes me sad and... well..."

"You don't want her to be sad anymore. That about sum it up?" asked Harusuke.

Rei answered with a nod.

"I see," said Harusuke. "And what about you?"

Rei looked up a bit puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Harusuke then sat down next to her. "I mean are you really OK with Usagi and Mamoru being together?" he asked. "I know that you said you are, but I can't help but sense that you still harbor feelings for him."

Rei then paused not saying a word for a few seconds. Then she looked at Harusuke and smiled.

"Yes. I am. Really. There's no reason for you to worry, Harusuke," she said. "I'm over Mamoru. Really. There's no reason for you to worry about me. I do appreciate it though."

Harusuke looked at Rei and he smiled understanding.

"Alright then. If you say so," he said. "I guess underneath that tough demeanor of yours, you're a soft kind girl after all."

Rei then lightly punched Harusuke on the shoulder pouting. "Shut up. You tell Usagi, and I'll deny it and punish you."

"I'll make a note of it," chuckled Harusuke as he got up. "In the meantime, I'm gonna head for bed. Night, Rei"

"Good night, Harusuke," said Rei still pouting.

Harusuke had just walked up to the door about to leave when he stopped. Then he looked back Rei.

"Oh, one more thing. You were wrong about what you said before," he said. "You do deserve it. To have a guy devote himself and even risk his life for you I mean. Any guy would be lucky to have an awesome person like you."

Rei then stared at Harusuke as the boy left the room shutting the door behind him. She couldn't help but feel her cheeks grow a bit hot as they turned pink.

"Wh-What was that all about?" she wondered.

She felt flattered but at the same time felt a bit embarrassed and a bit put off. However, she rapidly shook her head shaking the feelings off as she went to bed pulling the covers over her head. However, she could still hear Harusuke's words in her mind and those words alone made a little smile tug it's way to her cheeks as she went to sleep.

* * *

 _If you liked what you read or want to give me some pointers, PM or leave me a review._

 _Dragoman signing off!_


	40. Chapter 39

_He was in a sea of flames. A sea of flames that burned brightly threatening to burn him._

 _He whipped his head around trying to see where he was or what was going on._

 _Then he heard the sound of evil laughter that echoed through the flames._

 _"Who's there?!" he yelled. "Show yourself!"_

 _He turned around and what he saw made his eyes widen in shock and horror._

 _Before him, was a burning castle. A castle that he recognized as The Moon Kingdom from the Silver Millennium. Not only that, but there were bodies lying around everywhere. The bodies of which he recognized as all of his friends and loved ones. The Inner Guardians, Luna, Artemis, and even his sister, Usagi._

 _"No... everyone... they're... they're all..."_

 _"That's right. They're all dead!" said an evil voice. "And it's all your fault."_

 _The boy then turned around see someone standing before him which made his blood boil. It was none other than Queen Beryl._

 _As soon as he saw her, the boy whipped out his sword and let out a loud yell of rage eager to make the evil queen pay._

 _He thrust his sword with all of his strength, feeling the sword pierce right through her with a sickening slicing sound. He then looked up eager to look at the queen's face before she died, but then his eyes went wide as saucers._

 _Instead of stabbing Queen Beryl, the boy was shocked to see that someone else had taken Queen Beryl's place. Someone that he didn't expect to see.  
_

 _Nephrite._

 _"No... Nephrite... w-why are you...?"_

 _"Why...?" Nephrite choked out. "Why... would you do this to me? I thought... that you were... my friend? How... could you kill me?"_

 _Nephite then fell to the ground his blood oozing out from his body creating a puddle. The boy took a couple steps back reeling from horror._

 _"No... NO! What have I done?!"_

 _He then heard Queen Beryl's voice that seemed to speak directly into his ear._

 _"That's right. You killed him. It's your fault that he's dead," she spoke with sadistic malice. "You so desperately wanted to be friends with him and even protect him, only have him dead because of you! If you hadn't interfered in his life, he never would have died!"_

 _"No! That's not true!" yelled the boy. "It's not true! It's not true!"_

 _Then the corpses the boy's friends as well as his Nephrite all slowly began to rise up like zombies. When they got to their feet, they all glared at the boy speaking in one unanimous voice._

 _"It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault."_

 _The boy desperately covered his ears trying to block out the sound, but the chanting rung in his ears loud and clear._

 _"Stop it! Stop it!" he yelled._

 _But they didn't stop. The corpses of his friends and family all kept saying those three words._ _The boy then sank to his knees fresh tears streaming down his face as he began to fall into despair while Queen Beryl continued to cackle all the while._

 _All this made the boy sink deeper and deeper into despair and this kept going on and on until the boy let out a bellowing scream. At that moment, his sword began to glow in a bright light blinding everyone in the area._

 _The boy looked down wondering what was going on._

 _The sword continued to glow until a strange symbol appeared at its hilt. At first, the symbol was a crescent moon mark, but then it changed into a symbol that he couldn't quite make out as the light overtook his vision._

* * *

Harusuke shot up waking up with a fright, his eyes wide and his body drenched in sweat. His chest felt tight as he breathed like he just ran a marathon and his heart rapidly beating. After breathing deeply for a few minutes, he calmed down.

"What was that?" he wondered aloud. "What a horrible dream."

He then looked at the clock to see that it showed that it was currently three am. He then got out of bed wiping the sweat off of his brow and went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. When he finished brushing his teeth, he then began taking a shower hoping that the warm water would ease his stress.

However, as he showered, he couldn't help but recall the nightmare he just had. Every part of it still scared him and at the very same time made him think about Nephrite. He could still remember how he died as he played it over in his mind. Not only that, but he could still hear Queen Beryl and the corpses of his friends saying those three words in his mind.

 _"It's your fault."_

Harusuke clenched his fist and punched the wall of the shower while he bit his cheek. He felt upset, he felt angry mostly at himself, but most of all, he felt regret.

Regret for failing. Regret for not being strong enough. Regret for not being able to save Nephrite. And most of all, regret for failing and letting Nephrite down.

"Damn it all," he cursed quietly as he continued to stand in the shower letting the water rain down hoping that it would wash away his agony.

* * *

Soon enough it was morning and Harusuke was coming down the stairs to eat some breakfast when he heard the TV in the living room. He peeked inside to see that Usagi, Minako, Luna, and Artemis were all in there watching a couple skating across an ice rink being as elegant as they were graceful.

The couple comprised of a man with wavy blonde hair wearing an outfit of a white button-down with black pants and a belt and a young girl with hair that was a mixture of blonde and pink while wearing a skating skirt that was a beautiful pale color with blue trims and a corset.

Usagi and Minako's eyes were especially glued to the screen as they gasped with wonder and delight.

"Oh wow... How wonderful!" gushed Usagi.

"Every move is so smooth and flawless," agreed Minako. "No wonder Janelyn and Misha are true Olympic gold medalists!"

On the TV, Janelyn, and Misha both jumped into the air twirling and landed safely back on the ground without making a single mistake. Usagi felt so amazed she got up and spun around on her foot only to end up falling right on top of Luna and Artemis. Harusuke then came in.

"Looks like you guys are having fun," he said with a slight smile.

"Oh, hey, Harusuke," smiled Minako. "Hope you don't mind, but I wanted to come over and introduce Usagi to figure skating."

"So it would appear," chuckled Harusuke. "Truth be told, I've never seen Usagi this excited about something other than food."

"Hey! I can be excited about other things too!" grumped Usagi. "Is it wrong to be excited about figure skating?!"

She then got up and attempted to twirl around gracefully again, but she ended up losing her balance and fell right on top of Luna and Artemis again. The cats glared at Usagi feeling a bit irritated and Usagi embarrassingly laughed while bowing as an apology. Then Artemis had an idea.

"You know, maybe her interest in figure skating is a sign that she's serious becoming more princess-like?" he suggested.

"How so?" wondered Harusuke.

"Well, back in the Moon Kingdom, figure-skating was one of the most popular sports," explained Luna. "And the princess was especially good figure-skating."

"What?! Really?!" gasped Usagi excitedly. "I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones who happens to be blessed with an over-abundance of talents."

She then laughed cheekily while everyone else looked at her a bit annoyed.

"I hate to break it to you, Usagi," said Harusuke. "But the only over-abundance talent you have is the talent of being clumsy."

Usagi then glared. "Shut it, Harusuke!" she snapped.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite and Zoisite were watching Janelyn and Misha skating as they formulated their next plan.

"Figure skating, eh?" hummed Kunzite. "This could be a good idea. If we use the most popular sport in the Moon Kingdom for our plans..."

"We can entice Sailor Moon and while she's busy participating in this sport, we can steal the Silver Crystal from her," finished Zoisite. "It's a brilliant plan, my love, but are you sure it will work?"

"I would stake my honor to Queen Beryl on it," smiled Kunzite proudly.

Then Endymion appeared. "Now very noble of you, Kunzite. Staking your honor on such a dirty plan to lure her out," he spoke snootily. "I'd expect nothing less of you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" demanded Kunzite.

"If you two had any pride as warriors, you should have to the courage to challenge her head-on," said Endymion. "But instead of that, you two choose to let other people do your dirty work."

"That doesn't matter. Battles only have meaning if they're won," said Zoisite. "Besides, if you hadn't interfered with the last few plans, we'd already have the Silver Crystal by now."

"Really? Is that what you think?" Endymion spoke raising a mocking brow. "Somehow, I'm not too sure about that."

Kunzite and Zoisite glared and the prince glared back not backing down. Just then, Queen Beryl appeared. The three immediately bowed before her.

"That's enough fighting for now," she said. "Kunzite, I overheard this plan of yours and I approve it, but I expect this plan to work."

"It will," Kunzite spoke trying to hide his anger.

"Don't worry, Queen Beryl," reassured Zoisite. "Kunzite and I will make sure that it this plan gets you the Silver Crystal."

Queen Beryl then looked at Zoisite. "Actually, Zoisite, you will not be coming along with him," she said. "I have a separate mission for you."

Zoisite was surprised as was Kunzite.

"What kind of mission?" wondered Zoisite.

Queen Beryl smiled. "A mission that is of the utmost importance. A mission that will greatly help us get the Silver Crystal and protect the Dark Kingdom."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the ice rink, Janelyn and Misha were practicing their skating being as flawless as they were on TV. But then as Misha lifted up Janelyn up, the two began to stumble and Janelyn fell onto the icy floor.

"Just what were you trying to do, Misha?!" Janelyn snapped crossly.

"Don't lay this on me! You're timing on that jump was completely off!" Misha snapped back.

"It was your fault!" Janelyn insisted.

"Damn it! I'm done for today!" Misha cursed as he turned on his heel about to skate away.

Janelyn immediately jumped to her feet now angrier than ever.

"Don't you walk out on me!" she yelled. "Come back here!"

"Janelyn, as an Olympic Gold Medalist pair, the world expects us to be the best of the best!" Misha spoke. "But that's not happening anymore with you. It's time for me to move on and find a new partner who can keep up with me."

"What a good idea," huffed Janelyn. "I was just thinking the same thing!"

"I won't allow you two to split up," said an ominous voice. "In fact, I absolutely forbid it."

Misha and Janelyn looked around wondering where the voice was coming from until they finally saw Kunzite who was hovering just above them.

"Congratulations, Janelyn and Misha," Kunzite went on. "You both have been chosen to become my minions to serve the Dark Kingdom."

The two figure skaters could only stare at Kunzite with fear and wonder as he smiled his eyes gleaming white.

* * *

A little later, Usagi and the gang were outside of the new Juuban Ice Arena where a large crowd of girls were waiting outside eager to get in.

"Wow. Look at the size of this place," said Luna. "This skating rink is huge!"

"I'll say," agreed Artemis. "I've never even heard of this skating rink."

"That's because it's brand new!" explained Usagi excitedly. "And the best part is for its grand opening, the Olympic Gold Medalists, Janelyn and Misha are gonna be giving coaching lessons!"

"Isn't that amazing or what?!" Minako added who was just as eager.

"That' fine and all for you two," said Rei. "But why did you have to drag all of us along?"

"Yeah. I really should be at home right now, said Ami. "I need to study for the national practice exam tomorrow."

"Well, the thing is, they're offering free admission, but only to girls in groups of five," said Minako.

"Groups of five? I wonder why?" puzzled Makoko.

"Because it sounds suspicious," spoke Usagi brightly. "Don't you wanna check it out and see what's going on?"

"Yeah! Just ask and you shall be answered in the order in which you ask!" chimed in Minako.

"I think the phrase is 'ask and it will be given to you'," corrected Ami.

Minako and Usagi gulped.

"Uh... you sure about that, Ami?" wondered Minako.

"It doesn't matter which it is!" insisted Usagi. "Let's go ask!"

"Now hold on just a minute," spoke Harusuke raising his hand. "Usagi, Minako, are you sure that you two aren't just here to catch a glimpse at Misha?"

Usagi and Minako flinched as they pretended they didn't hear him.

"Sorry! We didn't hear you!" they both said as they pushed their friends along. "Let's just go skate!"

* * *

Inside the building, the large rink was surrounded by numerous girls all wearing their unitards with skirts. Among them, the gang was wearing skating dresses too.

Ami's was sky blue with teal unitard, Rei's skirt was light yellow with the bow and the trim of her skirt red, Minako's was orange trimmed blue ribbon with blue bows on the shoulders, the hips and on the ends of her sleeves, and Makoto's was a solid green color. As they put on their skates, they all looked around at the number of girls that surrounded the rink.

"Wow... look at the number of girls that who showed up for this," spoke Ami with amazement.

"Well, you can't really blame them. They're all curious," said Rei. "Not only that, but it's also their chance to skate with gold medalists."

"The last time we remember being in a rink was ages ago," said Artemis.

"I know, right?" agreed Luna. Then she noticed two members of their party weren't there. "Hey, where's Usagi and Harusuke?"

"Hold on everyone! Wait for me!" said a voice.

At that moment, Usagi came hopping out wearing a white skating dress that was trimmed red at the skirt and a red bow in the back struggling to put her skates on. But being the clumsy girl that she always is, her foot slipped causing her to fall flat on her face and burst into tears.

"That really hurts!" she wailed.

"Usagi, are you OK?!" gasped Ami.

"Honestly, she's so embarrassing!" groaned Rei.

"Same thing as always," sighed Luna.

"Well, at least she's consistent," agreed Artemis.

"Good grief, Usagi. That's why I told you to wait to put on your skates," said a familiar voice. "I understand that you wanna get out there as soon as possible, but you could at least try to be patient."

Everyone looked and saw Harusuke. He was now wearing a tight dark yellow t-shirt with a pair of blue pants with a black belt.

"Wow! Looking good, Harusuke," said Rei. "Those clothes really suit you."

"Thank you very much, Rei, but I can't help feeling a bit embarrassed," smiled Harusuke scratching his cheek. "These clothes do feel a little bit tight on me."

Just then, they heard the girls cry out squealing with glee surrounding the rink. Usagi's group looked towards the rink and what they saw made Minako's cheeks flush and squeal as much as the other girls.

"It's them! It's Janelyn and Misha!" she cried.

Usagi immediately stopped crying and scrambled her way to where Minako furiously looking around.

"Where?! Where?! Where are they?!" she cried.

Sure enough, Janelyn and Misha came entering the rink zipping and sliding around the ice showing off their moves. The girls along with Usagi and Minako all squealed even louder amazed by their skills and gushing over Misha especially. Even Harusuke and the others were impressed. They had never seen such an amazing display.

"It's really them! They're the real deal!"

As Janelyn and Misha continued to skate, Makoto couldn't help but stare at Misha. To her, he looked so handsome and just by staring at him alone made her heart pound in her chest.

"He looks just like him..." she thought to herself.

Then with a jump, a spin, and a bow, Janelyn and Misha finished their demonstration and the girls cheered wildly as they applauded and swooned.

"Hello and welcome everyone!" Janelyn called out. "Thank you for coming here and your enthusiastic reception. Now, let's have some fun and skate together. But first, all figure skaters must start with the basics. Step one is getting used to the ice. Who wants to go first?"

All the girls cheered wildly raising their hands. Minako and Usagi were especially cheering loud waving their hands wildly.

Janelyn then saw them and smiled. "You two seem very eager. How about you and your group be the first to try out the new rink?"

"W-wait! Hold on! I don't have my skates on yet!" yelped Usagi as she desperately tried to get her other skate on.

"Good grief, you're so hopeless, Usagi!" sighed Rei.

After a few minutes, Usagi had her skate on and she and the others were ready to skate on the ice. Rei went onto the ice first, then Ami, and then Minako. Makoto was about to follow on, but then she saw Usagi and Harusuke. Harusuke was putting on his skates while Usagi was now desperately trying to stay on her feet while holding onto the rail her knees wobbling like a deer's.

"Hey, Usagi, is this your first time skating?" asked Makoto.

"I-I'm gonna be just fine," reassured Usagi shakily. "I was a master skater in my previous life as the Moon Princess. This'll be a breeze."

"Well, I'll give her points for confidence," said Harusuke. "We'll see how long that'll last."

"What about you, Harusuke?" asked Makoto. "Aren't you gonna get on the ice?"

"I will in a minute," replied Harusuke. "Just let me get my skates on."

"Alright then. Just don't take too long," smiled Makoto as she too got onto the ice.

As the four girls skated onto the ice, Minako, Ami, and Rei made sure to go slow to get used to the ice. Makoto, on the other hand, skated gracefully in front of them even going as far as to skate backward.

"Whoa... look at Mako," said Ami.

"She's so good!" agreed Minako.

Usagi couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "Not bad, but watch me!" she spoke brimming with confidence. "I'm gonna make a spectacular debut! Get ready to applaud!"

Then she took a giant leap and went onto the ice expecting it to be easy. However, she couldn't have been more wrong as her feet slipped and slid on the ice causing her to stumble. The twin-tailed blonde desperately tried to stay standing, but it was no use as she fell on the ice flat on her bum.

"Oh my goodness!" gasped Ami.

"Why aren't I surprised?" muttered Rei.

Usagi tried again trying her best to stand up, but she ended up falling flat on her back again. She tried again and again and again, but every time she stood up, she slipped and fell flat on her back. Harusuke groaned as he along with Luna, Artemis, and the other girls watched.

"This... is painful to watch," Artemis spoke to Luna.

"I didn't expect much from Usagi on ice, but this is worse than I thought," agreed Luna.

Harusuke felt sorry as well as embarrassed for his sister as well, but then he took notice of Makoto along with everyone else. She was skating beautifully around the rink as she posed in a spread eagle and jumped into the air while spinning. Everyone couldn't help but gaze at Makoto with wonder and amazement.

"Come to think of it, Sailor Jupiter was a skating pro, every bit as good as the princess," said Artemis.

Harusuke couldn't help but watch Makoto as well and he thought that Makoto looked amazing and beautiful dancing around the ice like she was a snow fairy.

"Wow. Makoto's incredible," he thought to himself. "She's as good as Janelyn and Misha. Maybe even better!"

Makoto gracefully landed back on the ice and spun around and around entering in a Bielman pose before stopping. When she finished, everyone couldn't help but applaud at that wonderful display. Makoto couldn't help but blush as she gave a slight bow. Then she caught sight of Misha who was also impressed with her skills which made her blush even deeper.

Janelyn saw that Misha was looking at Makoto and she gave him an angry glare. Misha saw Janelyn and he turned away in a huff paying no attention. Janelyn then turned away too as she smiled masking her anger.

"That was very impressive!" she said to Makoto as she turned to the others. "Everybody get on the ice! Let's skate!"

As everyone else got on the ice, Ami, Minako, and Rei were all trying their best to help Usagi to stand as her knees trembled.

"You can do it!" said Minako.

"You're almost there," encouraged Ami.

But sadly, it was no use as once again, Usagi fell taking all the others with her.

"Oh man... So much for my spectacular debut..." Usagi groaned.

As all the girls skated around, Harusuke who managed to get his skates on, couldn't help but stand on the edge of the ice gripping the railing and feeling a bit nervous.

Luna and Artemis noticed this and went up to him while making sure no one had seen or heard them.

"Is something the matter, Harusuke?" asked Luna. "Aren't you gonna go skate?"

"Well... yes. But... I was, but, uh, now... I'm not really sure if I should," Harusuke spoke with a hint of worry.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to skate either," spoke Artemis.

Harusuke chuckled embarrassedly. "Yup. Hit the nail on the head there, Artemis. I'm... kinda scared that I'll make a fool of myself."

"You couldn't be worse than Usagi," pointed out Artemis. "Just go out there and try."

"Artemis, come on! It's one thing for Usagi to fall, but I'm a guy," pouted Harusuke. "And a guy has his pride and stuff."

"Come on, Harusuke. Stop being like Usagi and buck up," said Luna. "If you fall, just take it like a man and move on. You can't be as bad as Usagi."

Harusuke then looked back on the rink and gulped. "OK then. Here I go."

He took a deep breath and stepped onto the ice making sure to keep his balance. At first, he seemed fine, but then he felt his feet beginning to slip causing him to stumble. Then one foot went in one direction and the other went another direction making Harusuke almost do a split. Harusuke scrunched his face as he pulled his legs back together while trying to stay upright. He still unbalanced but he kept on going.

"Atta boy, Harusuke!" called out Minako. "You're doing great!"

"At least he's not falling down like Usagi is," said Rei.

"I wouldn't so sure," said Ami.

Harusuke desperately tried to keep himself upright, but he couldn't as he felt himself beginning to fall backward. At that moment, someone came whizzing by and managed to catch Harusuke before he fell. Harusuke looked up and was surprised to see that his catcher was none other than Makoto.

"M-Makoto!" he gasped. "You..."

"That was a close one," smiled Makoto. "You doing alright, Harusuke?"

"If by fine, you mean almost falling on my butt and being as graceful as an elephant, then yeah. I suppose so," said Harusuke. "Thanks for catching me, by the way."

"Anytime," said Makoto as she helped Harusuke upright.

Harusuke tried to remain straightened, but he started to stumble again and he ended up falling flat on his butt making him yelp in pain.

"Ow! That hurt!" he exclaimed while rubbing his butt.

"Geez, you're almost as clumsy as Usagi is," she chuckled. "I'm actually a bit surprised that you're don't know how to skate considering that you're a good skier."

"Sking is one thing, but this is a different ball game for me," said Harusuke. "Man... I feel so silly being the only guy here that doesn't know how to skate. Not to mention that I'm wobbling around like I'm a stack of blocks waiting to topple."

"You just need to learn and get better is all," reassured Makoto. "I can teach you if you want."

"But... I wouldn't want you to waste your time on me," said Harusuke. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather skate with someone more advanced?"

"I don't mind at all," said Makoto smiling. "Besides, I think it's more fun when you skate with friends." She then held out her hand to Harusuke. "Now come on, I'll get started in teaching you the basics. When I'm done, you'll be skating like me in no time."

Harusuke looked at Makoto, then her hand, and back to Makoto. Then he gave her a slight smile as he grabbed her hand.

"Alright then. I'm in your hands teacher," he said as Makoto pulled him up and began teaching him how to skate.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark room, Janelyn was by herself looking at several different monitors which showed all the many girls that were skating. She was also using a computer to scan the girls as well to see if any one of the girls was one of the Guardians. So far, none of the girls she scanned were any of the Guardians. Then she was suddenly interrupted. All the screens went blank and Kunzite's face appeared on every one of them.

"Master Kunzite!" she gasped.

"How is your progress?" asked Kunzite. "Did you find Sailor Moon or the other guardians yet?"

"No. Not yet," replied Janelyn.

"Remember, you're looking for a girl that has agility and athletic skills in order to find Sailor Moon," said Kunzite. "As a Gold Medalist yourself, you should be able to find her in no time at all."

"I understand, Master Kunzite," said Janelyn. "Don't worry. I'll find her without fail."

"Good, but make sure that you don't underestimate the Guardians," added Kunzite. "Stay alert and don't fail me."

And with that, Kunzite's face disappeared from the screens returning them to normal. Janelyn then resumed her search scanning every girl that was in the rink while she looked at the monitors. Then she caught sight of Usagi who was still trying to stay on her feet while Ami and Minako tried to keep her. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"There's no way that this could be Sailor Moon," she snickered. "I heard she was a bit clumsy, but this one's out of the question!"

* * *

Back in the rink, Harusuke and Makoto were having a good time skating together. Harusuke was still a bit wobbly and a couple fell a couple of times, but Makoto was there to help him and taught him some things to help improve his skating. Harusuke didn't even care about being embarrassed anymore. All he cared about was having fun with his friend. Soon enough, Harusuke was now skating with no more wobbles enjoying himself.

"This is so much fun!" he said as he skated. "Way better than falling on your butt!"

"You're doing great!" Makoto said. "You've gotten way better than before."

"Thanks to your teaching," smiled Harusuke. "Now I feel a lot more confident."

"But don't go too crazy. You're still somewhat of a beginner," added Makoto. "Remember to keep your balance and make sure that you fall if you're about

"Don't worry, Makoto. Thanks to your tips and your coaching, I feel I can skate like a pro!" spoke Harusuke brimming with confidence. "In fact, check this out! I'm gonna go for a jump!"

Harusuke then sped up and jumped up into to air, but he should have heeded Makoto's warning. When tried to land, he felt his foot slip and before he could stop himself, he fell backward landing hard on his bottom.

"See? Told you so," said Makoto.

"Ow... I guess I should've listened," Harusuke winced. "Darn... I was trying too hard to be like you."

Harusuke then laughed and Makoto couldn't help but laugh too as she helped Harusuke to his feet.

"Don't worry. You'll get better," said Makoto. "Just try not to do that again until you get better. But if you wanna get good at jumping, keep your back straight, make sure to coil your leg, spring up with that leg, and land with the right skate first."

"Got it," nodded Harusuke.

Rei then came over. "You two seem to be having fun," she said.

"Oh yeah. Makoto was just teaching me how to skate," Harusuke said. "She's a really great teacher."

"It's no big deal," said Makoto. "Just keep practicing and I'm sure that you'll get it. Maybe I can teach you some more tricks once you master jumping."

"I'd like that very much," smiled Harusuke.

"Maybe you should teach Usagi a couple things," said Rei. "At least that way she won't look like such a klutz."

Just then, they took notice of someone skating toward them. Someone that three did not expect, Misha.

"Oh my gosh! It's Misha!" gasped Rei whose cheeks were bright pink.

"I wonder what he's coming over here for?" asked Harusuke.

Makoto didn't answer. She just blushed as Misha came closer and closer until he stopped just in front of them, looking especially at Makoto.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said in a gentle and smooth voice. "I was wondering if a talented and beautiful girl like yourself would be willing to skate with me."

"Hey um, Misha. I'm a good skater too," said Rei. "And I'd love to be your partner."

But Misha ignored Rei and Makoto being smitten as she took his hand and skated away with him. Harusuke couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

"Aww man. I wanted to skate with Makoto a bit longer," he said. "Oh well, I suppose I'll have to practice my jumping."

As Makoto continued to skate with Misha, she couldn't help but admire his handsome face and feel giddy from his charm and the fact that he reminded her of her guy that broke her heart. Then Misha pulled Makoto a little closer to him making the girl's heart skip a beat.

"Um, coach? Is this the free coaching?" asked Makoto.

Misha didn't answer as he continued to skate while holding Makoto's hands observing her.

"She's very good," he thought himself. "Could she be Sailor Moon?"

"Alright. Here we go," he said softly.

He then made an attempt to lift Makoto up over his head as he did with Janelyn, but due to her size, Makoto was too heavy forcing him to put her down.

"Sorry about that," said Makoto. "I'm probably too heavy for you. Let me make it up to you."

"It's alright," said Misha. "There's no need to-"

But before he could react, Makoto had grabbed his hands and in an amazing display of strength, lifted Misha above her head.

Everyone who was watching this all gasped and applauded at this incredible sight their mouths hung open and their eyes wide with wonder.

"Makoto can lift a man into the air while skating?!" gasped Minako.

"That's the first time any female has successfully done that!" said Ami in shock.

"I knew Makoto was awesome, but... not that awesome!" said Harusuke. "She's the most incredible and apparently strongest girl I've ever seen!"

Even Misha himself couldn't believe what was happening. As he and Makoto continued to skate, he couldn't help but be smitten with Makoto himself.

"Wonderful..." he murmured. "Absolutely wonderful..."

At that moment, an angry voice belonging to Janelyn erupted through the P.A. system.

"Attention everyone, the free coaching session for today are done!" she said. "Please gather up your belongings and leave the ring immediately!"

Everyone was surprised.

"But why?" wondered Usagi.

"How ridiculous and lame!" said Rei.

Makoto then shyly looked up at Misha letting go of his hand.

"Well... I guess I better get going now," she said. "Thank you for the lesson."

She turned on her heel about to skate away, but then Misha stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"I'm sorry, but... I can't let you go," said Misha. "You're special, the partner that I've been searching for."

Makoto was taken aback as her heart soared in her chest. "R-Really? You mean it?" she asked.

* * *

Outside, Luna and Artemis were waiting for the others to return as all the girls came out of the building. Soon enough, Ami, Rei, and Minako came up to them all dressed in their normal clothing and somewhat disappointed.

"Well, it's about time you came out," smiled Artemis.

"Where are Usagi, Makoto, and Harusuke?" wondered Luna.

"Mako stayed behind to stay behind to get special lessons from Misha," grumped Minako. "I wish I was in her place."

"I know, right?" groaned Rei. "I'm so jealous!"

Ami then looked back. "As for Usagi and Harusuke, weren't they just behind us a second ago?"

"Well, Usagi's a slowpoke, there's no helping that," said Rei. "And knowing Harusuke, he most likely stayed behind for Usagi's sake."

Then suddenly, the glass doors slammed violently behind them and several metal security doors came slamming down preventing anyone from getting in.

"What the heck is this?!" cried Rei. "Doors like that don't just suddenly slam by themselves. Unless..."

"Unless this could be a trap set up by the Dark Kingdom?!" gasped Ami.

"Oh no, I hope not!" said Minako. "Because if that's true, then Makoto, Usagi, and Harusuke could be in danger!

* * *

Inside of the computer room, Janelyn was seething with fury and jealousy as she watched Misha and Makoto skating together.

"Misha! How could you leave me out?!" she hissed. "Were you really serious about us breaking up?!"

She grew red with fury and her hands were balled into fists as she grew more and more jealous and angry.

"This girl may be graceful and may skate like she's done this her whole life, but she has no right to do that!"

She then punched one of the monitors with all of her strength piercing straight through it and destroying the screen. She then shot out of her chair and stomped out of the room.

* * *

Usagi and Harusuke were making their way down the hallway trying to find their way to the ice skating rink. You see, what happened was as Harusuke was getting ready to leave when he heard Janelyn's announcement, he saw Usagi sneaking away by herself. Naturally, he followed her and tried to get her to leave, but Usagi refused. Next thing he knew, the two were making their way down the hall trying not to be seen.

"I can't believe how stubborn you're being right now, Usagi!" said Harusuke. "We need to get out of here now!"

"No way I'm doing that!" said Usagi. "Not without my free lessons from Misha!"

She then tip-toed down the hall thinking that she was being so clever, but then suddenly, as she was about to pass a door, the door suddenly flew upon thanks to an irate Janelyn and slammed Usagi directly in her face. Usagi was dazed and bruised as she fell to the floor with a thud. Harusuke quickly rushed over to her.

"Usagi! Are you OK?!" he asked.

"That really hurt..." groaned Usagi holding her face in pain.

At that moment, the Tsukino twins happened to look inside the room and saw the monitors. They saw a particular monitor which was showing Makoto skating with Misha and a diagram reminiscent of her as Sailor Jupiter flashing with bright letters that said match. It didn't take the siblings long to figure out what this room was.

"No way!" gasped Harusuke.

"It can't be!" cried Usagi.

Then the monitor that Janelyn punched began to spark brighter and brighter until it looked ready to explode. Harusuke then immediately grabbed a hold of Usagi and tackled her to the floor as the room exploded with a mighty boom. Smoke and flames billowed everywhere. Luckily, Usagi and Harusuke weren't hurt, covered with soot but fine.

"Are you OK, Usagi?" coughed Harusuke.

"I'm fine," said Usagi. "But we gotta get to Mako! She's in trouble!"

* * *

At the ice rink, Makoto and Misha were still skating with Misha holding Makoto in a tender and loving embrace.

"Are you sure that this is your first-time figure skating?" thought Misha. "There's no way that could be possible. You must be hiding some sort of secret. Come on, you can tell me the truth. Just trust me."

Makoto at this point was giddy and breathless never wanting this moment to end, but then suddenly...

"Misha!"

A sharp female voice shattered the moment and Makoto and Misha were surprised to see Janelyn standing before them her green with and envy and eyes glowing red.

"Is this your way of telling me we're really done?!" demanded Janelyn. "I'd rather kill you right now than allow an amateur like her have you take her!"

Her body then erupted in a malicious and hateful red aura. Makoto stood bravely to try and protect Misha, but the man simply grabbed her arm and coldly pulled her out of the way.

"Janelyn, calm down! It's not what you think!" Misha said. "I was only skating with her all day as a means of a test to see if she was Sailor Moon!"

"Liar!" snapped Janelyn. "I don't believe you!"

"It's true! She's a wonderful skater, but it takes years of hard to produce the perfect pair!" insisted Misha. "You're the only partner for me! You know that!"

Makoto felt her heart twinge with heartbreak. "But... that's what..."

But Janelyn wouldn't listen. Her aura flared destroying her current attire revealing an entirely new one underneath. She now wore tight but skimpy red top and bottom that resembled a swimsuit with a white cloth in front and back had pink skin and had gleaming red eyes. She also had bands wrapped around her arms with spikes jutting out from the elbows, her hair turned a mixture of green and blue and she had a strange headpiece that had was a red headband with green earpieces that covered her ears.

"She's a monster!" gasped Makoto.

"No! Janelyn!" cried Misha.

Janelyn then zoomed straight towards them and jumped up performing a triple spin and swung her leg kicking Makoto sending her flying away from Misha onto the icy floor.

"Stay away from my Misha!" she barked at Makoto. Then she turned to Misha her eyes flashing in a hypnotic glow as she held out her hand. "Come here, my Misha," she said. "We're partners forever and ever."

Misha looked at Janelyn falling under her spell. "Yes. That's right... we're the ultimate pair! Blended as one when we skate!"

He then took his partner's hand and he began to change into a youma too. He was now wearing a suit with a long cape, had spikes jutting from his arms like Janelyn, his skin was white, and his blonde hair was now a sickly green color.

Makoto was shocked as she got back on her feet. "No way! Misha was a monster too?!"

"That's right! We are amazing! The best pair of skaters in the world!" the two monsters said together. "Together we are Zoilingeller! And now that you've seen our true forms, we can't allow you to live!"

"No! Wait!" cried Makoto hoping to reason with them. "You don't wanna do this!"

But Janelyn and Misha went on the attack jumping high into the air and attacking Makoto with their spikes. Makoto screamed in pain as her skirt was torn and she was sent flying into the stand hard on the concrete floor. At that moment, Usagi and Harusuke arrived on the scene and saw the battered Makoto.

"Oh no! Mako's hurt!" gasped Harusuke.

"How dare they do this to her!" growled Usagi in anger. "Let's go, Harusuke!"

"Right!" agreed Harusuke.

The Tsukino twins then transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Janelyn and Misha cackled with triumph as they closed in for the kill.

"I can finish her off," said Janelyn.

"Be my guest," said Misha.

Then they both heard a pair of voices.

"For making a weapon of the graceful sport of figure skating..."

"...and using to torment innocent girls, is forgivable!"

The former gold medalists looked up and saw the shadowy shapes of two people revealing themselves to be Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon!" the Moon Guardian proclaimed. "And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior, Solaris!" the sun guardian added. "And by the power of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Sailor Moon, we've been waiting for you!" Janelyn and Misha said together. "And now that you're here, we'll crush both you and Solaris and take your Silver Crystal!"

"We'll see about that!" said Sailor Moon. "Solaris, you take care of Mako! I'll handle these goons!"

"Wait... what? Sailor Moon, wait!" cried Solaris.

But before he could stop her, Sailor Moon had taken a giant jump towards the rink with a pair of skates magically appearing under her boots. No sooner than she hit the ice, Sailor Moon felt her feet slip making her fall flat on her face. Janelyn and Misha laughed as Solaris rushed to the side of the rink.

"I don't understand! I still can't skate even if I transform!" she cried.

"Your transformation can't exactly give you skills that weren't there to begin with, Sailor Moon!" called Solaris.

Seeing their chance, the monster pair went on the attack with Misha launching Janelyn straight at her with her spike aimed to kill. But then a familiar man in a tuxedo came skating from out of nowhere wisking Sailor Moon out of harm's way just in time.

"Tuxedo Mask!" gasped Sailor Moon. "I'd knew you'd come to my rescue!"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask spoke. "We're still enemies, but there's no honor in defeating you by involving the innocent. Once I stop this monster's rampage, I'll be taking your Silver Crystal."

Sailor Moon elation deflated a little, but she was still grateful that Tuxedo Mask was there to help her. Then she heard Solaris.

"Sailor Moon! Just hang on!" he called out. "I'm coming to help you!"

"Don't worry about me! Everything's fine!" Sailor Moon called back. "Just make sure that Mako's safe!"

Solaris was worried, but he did as he was told and rushed over to Makoto. The team of Zoilingeller were surprised and cross upon seeing Tuxedo Mask.

"Master Endymion! Do not interfere!" the two of them yelled. "We will show no mercy! No even to you!"

"Do you actually think that you'll be able to beat me?" Tuxedo Mask smirked. "Go ahead and try."

"I... really don't think you should be provoking them," said Sailor Moon nervously.

And she was right. The Zoilingeller pair then skated straight towards them eager to take up Tuxedo Mask's challenge.

"How interesting that you think you can win!" they said. "Let's see if you can take on two gold medalists!"

They zoomed as they skated and then jumped into the air diving straight towards them with their feet aimed and poised.

"See?! I told you!" squeaked Sailor Moon.

But Tuxedo Mask wasn't worried. "It's time to jump! Now!" he said.

And before Sailor Moon could react, Tuxedo Mask and launched her into the air enabling both to dodge. Sailor Moon screamed as she fumbled about in the air as she grew close to the ground, but in an insane stroke of luck, she managed to land on the ice without falling even managing a spread eagle as she moved.

"Hey! I did it!" she cried happily. "I'm actually skating!"

"Not for long!" The Zoilingeller pair cried as they chased after her in hot pursuit with their spikes raised.

"Sailor Moon! Jump as high as you can!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.

"Easy for you to say!" whimpered Sailor Moon. "It's taking everything I have to stay upright!"

But as the Zoilingeller pair grew closer, Sailor Moon knew that this wasn't the time to be afraid. She had to jump and take a risk.

"OK! It's do or die!" she said to herself. "Here goes!"

And just when she was about to be pierced, Sailor Moon launched herself into the air while spinning dodging the incoming attacks also managing to land safely back onto the ice.

"I did it!" she cried in delight. "I jumped without falling all by myself! I'm truly amazing!"

"Nice jump, Sailor Moon!" congratulated Tuxedo Mask. "You did good!"

But their celebration was quickly cut short as the Zoilingeller went on the attack again. This time their attacks connected sending Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask flying slamming into the boards of the rink. They then jumped up once again closing in for the kill, but then...

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

A familiar blast of thunder shocked the pair stopping their incoming attack. At the same time, Solaris and the other guardians arrived on the scene.

"Everyone!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"Please, you have to stop this!" begged Sailor Jupiter. "Go back to your normal selves!"

Then suddenly, an evil cackle was heard and Kunzite suddenly appeared from high above.

"Well, what do you know? The gang's all here. Isn't this lovely?" he smirked. He looked down towards Tuxedo Mask. "How pathetic, Endymion. If hadn't interfered, you wouldn't have to share in their fate."

He waved his hand and at his command and due to a device of which he planted, the vents above the rink turned on and unleashed a powerful and continuous blast of icy cold air down at the rink. The air was not only powerful, but it was also slowly freezing everything in sight from the Guardians to the Zoilingeller pair.

"This is Absolute Zero Ice Hell!" cackled Kunzite. "Very soon, you'll all turn into beautiful ice statues. Then I'll simply return and recover the Silver Crystal."

"Damn you, Kunzite!" cursed Tuxedo Mask.

"It's so cold!" shivered Sailor Mars.

"I can't take much more of this!" cried Sailor Venus.

Tuxedo Mask then looked up and trying to see a way out of this icy trap. Then he saw the device Kunzite planted which was controlling the vents. He immediately took out his cane and threw it with all of his might. His cane pierced directly into the device which caused it to explode with a might boom immediately shutting off the vents. Everyone was relieved to be out of the ice trap, but they weren't out of the woods yet, for the Zoilingeller pair roared as they got back on their feet.

"Sailor Moon! Hurry and heal them!" cried Sailor Jupiter.

Sailor Moon did just that by taking out her Moon Stick and activated its healing powers.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

In a brilliant flash of light, the monster pair was no more and Janelyn and Misha were back to normal while somehow managing to skate gracefully.

Sailor Moon looked beside her wanting to thank Tuxedo Mask, but as he always did, he disappeared.

"Hey! Tuxedo Mask?! Where'd you go?!" she cried. "Aww come on! Please come back!"

* * *

A little later, while standing on the bridge under a streetlight, everyone couldn't help but notice that Makoto seemed to be a little glum due to having your heart shot down again.

"Hey, Mako. Are you OK?" asked Usagi uneasily.

"If you're feeling down about what happened, we're all here for you," said Minako.

Makoto then smiled. "It's alright you guys," she said. "I'm fine. I'm not gonna let being dumped by Misha bother me forever, but I do need to hurry up and find another guy."

At that moment, a young man came walking by them. As soon as she saw him, Makoto's cheeks immediately flushed red.

"How dreamy... " she swooned. "I just love the shape of his nose! The guy who broke my heart has one that was just like that!"

Everyone immediately fell flat on their faces blown over in disbelief.

"Oh, Makoto, give us a break, will you?!" groaned Usagi.

"Somehow I don't think that's gonna happen," said Harusuke. "But that's Makoto for you."


	41. Chapter 40

It was the start of another fall morning in the Tsukino's. Luna woke up the warmth of the sun's rays causing her to rouse from her cushion and stretch her body while letting out a contented yawn. As she woke up, she remembered what today was and she knew that a certain someone was still asleep. She then looked up towards her bed.

"Rise and shine, Usagi," she said. "It's two day holiday today, so you get to focus on your studies on becoming a princess."

But no one answered. At first, Luna thought that Usagi was just ignoring her and wanted to stay asleep, so she looked over on the bed. But instead of Usagi being in the bed, Luna saw that her bed was empty. The bed was made and there wasn't wrinkle to be seen.

"Well, that's unusual," Luna said to herself. "She must have already gotten up. Oh well. I might as well check to see how Harusuke's doing."

Luna then left Usagi's room and headed for Harusuke's. But when she walked in, she was quick to find out that Harusuke's room was empty too. Now she really felt surprised. She then went to Shingo's room, Ikuko and Kenji's room, and even the living room and kitchen. All throughout the house, there wasn't a Tsukino to be seen making the house eerily quiet.

"That's odd. Where is everybody?" wondered Luna. "There's no one here."

Then Luna took notice of her food bowl next to the leg of the table. It was filled with food with the box next to it and also had two slips of paper on it. One of the papers was a note and the other was a brochure to a hot springs resort. Luna then inspected the letter and saw that it had a picture of Usagi on it meaning the letter was written by her. It read:

 _Good morning, Luna!_

 _The family's taking a trip to the hot springs. We'll be back by tomorrow night, so watch the house_

 _while we're gone, OK? Harusuke and I will bring back some hot springs manju for you!_

 _With Love, Usagi._

Luna stared at the letter. Then she couldn't help but let out a groan of exasperation and disappointment.

"Usagi! How could you abandon me here?!" she wailed. "I wanted to go to the hot springs too!"

* * *

The Tsukino family was now in their en route to the hot springs resort to have some family relaxation time. Kenji and Ikuko were sitting in the front seats while Usagi, Shingo who was playing a handheld game, and Harusuke sat in the back.

"Stupid Usagi! Why'd you have to be mindful for that cat by leaving a note!" grunted Shingo as he played his game. "It's not like she can read."

"Trust me, Shingo, she has her reasons," said Harusuke. "In fact, I was the one that suggested the idea to her."

"It's been so long since we've gone on a trip together," said Ikuko. "In fact, it's been ages."

"Yeah, but I'm not too thrilled about having to spend the night in a rustic hot springs inn," said Usagi. Then she took notice of Shingo's game and gasped. "Hey! He's getting away! You gotta shoot! Here! Give to me! You suck at this!"

She then snatched the game away from Shingo and started playing the game. This made Shingo very cross.

"Hey! You give that back!" he yelled.

Shingo then pounced on to Usagi trying to get his game back and while Usagi tried to keep him away so she could keep playing. Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Harusuke stayed on his seat making sure not to get involved. But then during the fighting, the locket that was given to her by Tuxedo Mask fell out of Usagi's coat pocket causing her to immediately let go on the game and catch the locket before it fell. When she was sure that the locket was safe, Usagi let out a sigh of relief.

Ikuko and Kenji couldn't help but chuckle.

"Now, why are you getting so upset, Usagi?" he asked. "Let me guess, some boy you like gave it to you, am I right?"

Usagi's cheeks then flushed pink. "Um, yeah, something like that," she said.

"Usagi! No!" cried Harusuke.

But it was too late. As soon as Kenji heard those words, he immediately let go of the wheel causing the car to screech as it turned as he turned back to yell at Usagi. Thinking quickly and seeing another coming towards them, Ikuko quickly grabbed the wheel turning it in time for a car to zoom past them honking loudly. Harusuke, Shingo, and Usagi could only hold on for dear life as the car veered almost going out of control.

"Usagi, have you been secretly been dating someone behind my back?!" demanded Kenji in a shrill voice. "And you didn't even bother to tell me or your mother about it?!"

"No, Dad! You've got it all wrong!" screamed Usagi. "That's not what's going on here! I promise!"

"You sure?" Kenji asked in a threatening Papa bear voice.

"She's right, Dad! Nothing's going on! I should know because I've been watching her!" Harusuke yelled. "Now please for the love of all things holy, calm down!"

"You really should keep your eyes on the road, dear!" Ikuko shrieked.

Kenji then calmed down and turned back to the road grabbing the wheel. "Well, that's a relief," he said laughing. "For a minute there, I sure was nervous."

As he continued to laugh, everyone else in the car couldn't help but feel unnerved by Kenji's reaction.

"Oh man... if he reacted like that, I hate to find out what would happen when he finds out about Mamoru," thought Harusuke. "Dad's so scary, he might give a monster from the Dark Kingdom a run for their money."

* * *

Soon enough, they arrived at the lake where the hot springs resort was located. It was a beautiful shade of blue with tall trees surrounding it, and a great view of the large mountains which was powered with white snow. The sun shone brightly and the air was filled with the sweet scent of it and the sound of birds chirping.

"Wow! This place is so beautiful!" Harusuke spoke with amazement.

"I'll say," agreed Harusuke. "It's so peaceful too! This would be the perfect place for a romantic Rendevous!"

"That's because there's nothing here," said Shingo.

"Actually, Shingo, there's quite a lot more to than this. This place holds some beautiful memories," said Kenji looking nostalgic. "This lake was actually the place your Mom and I met, many years ago."

"Oh, dear, stop it," Ikuko spoke not blushing red. "That's ancient history."

Shingo turned away not feeling interested in the least. Usagi couldn't help but stare towards the lake not listening to the conversation. Because of Kenji talking about how he and Ikuko met, she began to think about Mamoru and that made her start to feel a little sad. Then at that moment, a quiet and familiar melody began to play in Usagi's pocket. She knew what that was.

 _"That's Mamoru's music box."_

Sure enough, as Usagi took it out to look at it, the music had turned on all on its own playing its sweet melancholy sound. As the music continued to play, Usagi began to miss Mamoru, even more, causing her to feel even sadder.

 _"Mamoru..."_

Ikuko then came up to Usagi. She could see that Usagi looked a little bit sad. "Usagi, its time to go," she said. "Is something the matter, sweetheart?"

Usagi then gave her mother a reassuring smile. "No. Don't worry. It's nothing," she said as she followed after her family.

As the Tsukino's left, they didn't know that something was sleeping underneath the water at the bottom of the lake. Something demonic and releasing an evil power that made the wind whistle as it blew through the trees and made the water ripple.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom around that very same time, Endymion and Kunzite stood before Queen Beryl once again. Kunzite was showing a projection of the lake giving Queen Beryl an urgent report about the evil power emanating from it.

"Kunzite, is this the lake where you detected the abnormal energy reading?" asked Queen Beryl.

"Yes, my queen," replied Kunzite. "The energy is very similar to that of our monsters. It's slightly different, but it is still very powerful."

"I see," said Queen Beryl. She then turned to the Prince of Earth. "Endymion, I want you to go there immediately and check it out."

"Yes. My queen," acknowledged Endymion as he turned on his heel and disappeared.

Kunzite could see that something was amiss with Endymion, so decided to address the issue with Queen Beryl.

"My queen, Endymion's been acting strangely the past few days," he said. "You don't suppose that he's beginning to realize that his memory has been erased?"

"Unlikely. Endymion is completely under our control, I seriously doubt that he has any suspicions about his past," said Queen Beryl. "However, we should be cautious. Kunzite, I want you to follow him and observe, then report back to me."

"Yes, my queen," said Kunzite.

Just then, Zoisite appeared.

"I have returned, Queen Beryl," he said.

"Zoisite, where have you been?" wondered Kunzite. "I haven't seen you in quite some time."

"He was doing a mission for me," said Queen Beryl. "Speaking of which, how goes it, Zoisite? Did you have any luck?"

Zoisite shook his head. "I'm sorry, my queen, but I have yet to find it. But fear not, I'm searching high and low for it. Once I have located it, you will be the first to know."

"See that you do," said Queen Beryl. "And make it soon."

Kunzite now was feeling a bit puzzled. "My queen, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you having Zoisite look for?"

"That's something you don't need to know, Kunzite," said Queen Beryl. "For the moment at least. For now, concentrate on your mission at hand and watch over Endymion. Zoisite, you will continue the search. If you find anything, be sure to let me know."

Kunzite and Zoisite bowed in response. Kunzite didn't dare press the matter any further, but he was still feeling a bit curious as to what Queen Beryl was having Zoisite do.

"Maybe I should talk to Zoisite and see if he can tell me anything," he thought. "Perhaps then, I can get some answers."

* * *

At the hot springs resort, the Tsukino family were now all relaxing in the hot springs. Usagi, Harusuke, Ikuko, and Kenji were all already in the water while Shingo stood on the edge blushing up to his ears with embarrassment.

"Wow! This is incredible!" she grinned. "What a view!"

"Not too shabby for a rustic hot springs inn, eh Usagi?" chuckled Kenji.

"I'll say. The water feels so nice, it's even better than the bath back at home," said Harusuke. "I could stay in here forever."

At that moment, Ikuko took notice of Shingo standing out of the bath. "What's wrong, Shingo? Come over here and join us."

"Yeah! Trust us, you'll like it!" encouraged Usagi. "It really feels great, believe me!"

"No way!" Shingo spoke still feeling shy. "It's a co-ed bath! It's embarrassing!"

"What's there to be embarrassed about, son? There's no one else here but your family," said Kenji.

"Yeah. It's honestly not that big a deal," said Harusuke. "So you're getting embarrassed for no reason at all."

"Now, hurry up and come in before you catch a cold," said Ikuko.

Shingo was still feeling shy and unsure and refused to go into the water. But then, Usagi stealthily snuck up behind Shingo and gave him a playful shove making Shingo fall into the water with a mighty splash. Usagi then jumped back into the water and laughed as Shingo resurfaced.

"Ha ha! Got you!" she laughed.

Shingo now no longer shy decided to get back at Usagi. "Oh yeah?! That's what you think!"

And before Usagi could react, Shingo grabbed Usagi's towel and ripped it off of her body causing her to immediately duck in the water up to her chin.

"Shingo! Give me back my towel right now!" she yelled.

"Make me!" Shingo teased.

"Stop fooling around you two!" scolded Ikuko.

"Oh, let them have fun," soothed Kenji. "It's not every day they get to play together like this."

"Is that what you call it?" chuckled Harusuke. "I call it a sibling squabble as usual." He then got up. "I better go break them up."

Usagi continued to chase Shingo while making sure to cover herself until finally, Shingo slowed down as he took in the amazing sight of the lake.

"Wow! This view's amazing!" he gasped. "I can see the whole lake and the valley!"

Then something caught Shingo's eye close by the shore causing him to look downwards. Seizing his chance while he was distracted, Harusuke snuck up behind Shingo and grabbed Usagi's towel and gave it back to her.

"Thanks, Bro," Usagi said as she wrapped her towel around herself. "Looks like you let your guard down, Shingo!"

But Shingo didn't care as he pointed to towards the edge of the lake. "There's someone on shore!" he said. "Look down there!"

Usagi and Harusuke looked where Shingo was pointing trying to see what who he saw. Then their eyes widened with shock and Usagi's heart almost leaped out of her chest.

There standing on the shore gazing out into the lake wearing nothing but a strange black suit was Mamoru or rather Endymion.

 _"It can't_ be!" thought Usagi. _"It's Mamoru!"_

 _"What's he doing here?!"_ thought Harusuke. _"And why is he here?"_

Endymion continued to gaze towards the lake appearing to be searching for something, then he turned to his right and started walking along the shoreline. Not wanting him to get away, Usagi immediately called out to him

"Please, wait!" she cried. "Don't go!"

But Endymion didn't hear her as he continued walking. Usagi immediately took off running as fast as her feet could carry her. Knowing what his sister was up to, Harusuke then followed close behind her in hot pursuit.

"Usagi, wait up!" he cried.

Shingo watched as his eldest sister and brother dash away now feeling very confused by their sudden change of behavior as was Kenji and Ikuko.

"What's the matter with those two?" wondered Shingo. "Usagi I understand, but Harusuke too? They're both acting way weird."

* * *

Usagi and Harusuke hurriedly got dressed and ran out of the inn and into the forest. They kept on running until Usagi could see a silhouette in the clearing ahead of them. Thinking that it was Mamoru, Usagi ran even faster.

"Mamoru!" she called. "Wait!"

"Usagi! Slow down a bit!" Harusuke panted. "You're going a bit too fast!"

Soon enough, they arrived at the clearing. However, instead of it being Endymion, the silhouette turned out to be a statue of two people one of which was a woman and the other a man holding each other in their arms while gazing into the sky above.

Usagi felt disappointed as well as saddened. "It's not him..." she said a quiet voice.

"Maybe he's still in the area," Harusuke said looking around. "He couldn't have gone far."

At that moment, there was a familiar melodic sound which was coming from inside Usagi's yukata. Usagi dug into it and pulled out her locket which was once again playing music all on its own.

"It's playing again..." she murmured.

"Has it always done that before?" wondered Harusuke. "I mean is it broken or something?"

Usagi didn't answer nor did she reply. Then suddenly, they heard a small snap of a twig from behind them causing the two to immediately jump. They turned around and they were surprised to see that Endymion had suddenly appeared before them. Harusuke was immediately on guard while Usagi felt so happy to see him, she felt like crying.

Endymion then looked at Usagi's locket as he took in its sweet melody. "That melody. Why is it resonating inside my soul?" he wondered. "Why does it stir my heart so much?"

Harusuke was ready to step in thinking that Mamoru was intending to cause trouble, but Usagi took a step towards him.

"Please, Mamoru! It's me, Usagi and my brother, Harusuke!" the ordango blonde immediately cried her eyes brimming with tears. "Do you... know us or... me at all?"

"Usagi! Don't go telling him that!" Harusuke spoke in a hushed whisper.

Endymion then looked at the two quizzically raising a brow. "Mamoru? Usagi? I don't know such names," he said. "Those names mean nothing to me."

"How... could you not know?" Usagi whimpered now feeling heartbroken. "Mamoru, it's me! Don't you recognize me?"

Usagi then reached out toward Endymion hoping to try harder to get through to him and Harusuke was about to stop her when they heard a familiar voice.

"Usagi! Harusuke!"

Usagi and Harusuke immediately snapped their heads to the right and they saw Ikuko walking towards them a few feet away.

"This is bad," thought Harusuke. "If Mom sees Mamoru, there's gonna be all kinds of trouble. I better try and think of an excuse or something!"

But he had no need to that for no sooner than he and Usagi turned back towards Endymion, they were surprised to see that Mamoru had mysteriously vanished. They looked around to see where he went, but he was nowhere to be seen.

 _"He's gone,"_ thought Harusuke. _"But... where'd he go?"_

Usagi could only look to the distance now feeling sadder than ever. Ikuko then came up to the two.

"So this is where you two were," she said. "What's the matter? Why'd did you two run off so suddenly?"

"Oh! We were just... uh... " Harusuke began to say but Usagi cut in.

"Sorry about that, Mom. It was nothing," she said while putting on a brave smile.

Ikuko then took notice of the statue the couple behind them. As soon as she saw it, her eyes brightened. "Oh! There's the Legend of the Lovers. Is that what you two were looking at?"

"Legend?" puzzled Usagi.

"What do you mean, Mom?" asked Harusuke.

"It's an ancient tale about this lake," explained Ikuko. "A long, long time ago, a young man fell in love with an angel who descended from the heavens. But another woman also loved the young man was angry that he didn't return her feelings. Consumed by her jealousy and hate, the woman turned into a monster and began attacking the villagers. The angel and the young used then used the power of their love to seal the monster away in this lake, but having used up all their strength, the two lovers died and ascended to heaven. It's a story of their love for each other."

Usagi and Harusuke couldn't help but stare at the lake in amazement after Ikuko finished her tale. Then Usagi let out a small sneeze breaking the silence.

"Come on, you two, we should head back," said Ikuko. "If we stay out any longer, otherwise one of you might end up with a cold."

"OK, Mom!" said Usagi as she embraced her in a tender hug.

Ikuko couldn't help but smile as she stroked Usagi's hair. "Oh, Usagi, you're such a baby," she giggled.

Harusuke then grinned. "Well, she does cry like one, so it's only natural that she acts like one," he teased.

The three then started walking back to the inn. As they walked, Ikuko then spoke up again.

"Usagi, listen. Promise me something," she said. "If you ever do fall in love with a boy and make him your boyfriend, bring him over and introduce him to Dad and me, okay?"

Usagi blushed bright pink in embarrassment and she was still feeling a bit saddened over what has been happening, but she managed to smile and say bravely; "I will, Mom. I promise I'll do that... one day... but it might be a while."

"That goes for you too, Harusuke," said Ikuko. "You might end up with a special someone yourself too. Just make sure that she's a really special girl."

Harusuke then blushed. "Um... yeah. Sure, Mom."

As they continued on walking, Harusuke couldn't help but stop and look back at the statue. He was still thinking about Mamoru suddenly appearing.

"I wonder what he's doing here and what's up with him," he thought. "Something about him seemed strange, especially since that he himself didn't know either of us. Then again if he knew who we were, he would have attacked us knowing our true identities. Which means that he really doesn't remember anything other him being called Endymion. But whatever the case, I can't let my guard down. If Endymion's here, then that means that he's most likely up to no good. I only wish I'd knew what he's got planned."

Then he heard Ikuko.

"Harusuke? Are you coming?" she called. "Come along now."

"Coming!" Harusuke called back.

Harusuke then followed Ikuko and Usagi as they headed back to the inn.

* * *

Endymion then stepped out from behind a tree. He had been hiding there the whole time and had heard everything that Ikuko had said about the legend of the two lovers including the part of the monster sealed within the lake.

"A monster sealed away in the lake," he murmured as he walked towards the shore. "I wonder if that could be the source of the unusual energy?"

Endymion then summoned his power making a force of energy envelop his body. He sent his energy towards the middle of the lake and concentrated focusing directly where the monster was sealed.

"Hear me, bitter soul sealed in this lake!" he commanded. "I command you to return to life!" He raised up his arms and let his power flare as the water in the lake rippled wildly. "Arise, ancient spirit!"

At that moment, a giant pillar of light erupted from the lake shooting up towards the sky. Within that pillar of light, a strange shadow was in the middle of it. At first, it appeared to be human-like, but then the true face of the creature came bursting out from the light.

It had the upper body of a woman, had green skin, piercing yellow eyes, fin-like ears, and long following magenta hair with pink bangs. Her lower body was like snake's that had blue scales, a pale yellow underbelly, and had a spike-edged tail that was colored green with a long short sail that matched running all the way to her back.

As soon as it emerged, the creature immediately went on the attack gunning straight towards Endymion her sharp claws extended.

"GIVE HIM BACK!" she shrieked.

Endymion jumped out of the way in time for the creature to hit the ground where he stood, her hand buried deep in the ground. The lake monster growled as she turned to attack again. During that time, Kunzite appeared looking very amused.

"Well, now. It would seem that you've uncovered the source of the mysterious energy," he said. "However, thanks to your endless curiosity, you've reawakened a grudge from the ancient past. I wonder what you'll do now?"

The lake monster let out another hiss as she shot towards Endymion again raising her hand to strike and Endymion prepared to defend himself, but then suddenly, it stopped. The lake monster looked at Endymion closely until she realized that he wasn't her enemy. She then flew up high just above the treetops much to Mamoru's surprise. She looked around scanning the area as if she was searching for something or someone.

Then she spotted what she was looking for. A few yards away from was the Tsukino family. Usagi and the others had just met back up and were now enjoying their time the night air and scenery. The monster took one look at Usagi and she became overwhelmed with fury. The reason being was because to it, Endymion bore a striking resemblance to the young man that it loved, and Usagi bore a striking resemblance to the girl that stole her love away from her and she wanted more than anything to kill her. The monster let out a predatory wail as she flew away towards Usagi and the others.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" yelled Mamoru horrified. "Come back here!"

The lake monster didn't listen as she continued on her hunt to sate her jealousy.

"GIVE HIM BACK!"

* * *

Usagi suddenly looked back thinking that she heard something, but the only sounds she could hear was the wind whistling through the trees. She was still feeling a bit miserable about Endymion, so much so that her eyes began to fill up with tears again.

 _"Mamoru... you're near, yet... you're so..."_

Harusuke and the rest of the family saw how sad Usagi was and became a bit worried.

"Usagi, is something the matter?" asked Kenji.

Usagi immediately put on a brave smile as she gazed up towards the sky. "Oh! It's nothing," she said trying to be reassuring. "I was just admiring how beautiful the moon is. It's a perfect night, tonight."

Everyone else turned up and sure enough, the moon was high above in the starry sky shining with its yellow-white glow.

"Now that you mention it, it is beautiful," agreed Kenji.

"Yeah. It's so pretty, it just makes me wanna cry," said Usagi. She then wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to her family. "I'm gonna go soak in the hot springs and watch the moon a while before dinner," she said. "Please excuse me!"

She then went on her leaving the rest of the family puzzled,

"She's such a mystery, it's almost confusing," said Kenji. "I mean there are times when she seems like a different person."

"Yeah, but that's what makes the female is such a mystery," said Ikuko. "Maybe Usagi's going through something."

Harusuke could only watch as Usagi continued to run. He not only felt sorry for his sister, but he wanted more than anything to help her. Sadly, he honestly didn't know how to. Then he turned back towards his family.

"I'm gonna head for the springs too," he said. "Gonna... soak up and relax some more."

He then took off after Usagi leaving Kenji, Ikuko, and Shingo behind.

"Oh dear. Harusuke too? Just what is going on with those two?" wondered Ikuko.

"I don't know," shrugged Shingo. "But one thing's for sure. They're both acting like a bunch of wackos."

Usagi continued to run trying her best to keep her tears in, but the tears squeezed out of her eyes and they blurred her vision. Then she heard Harusuke.

"Usagi! Hold up a second!" he called.

Usagi then did stop having her head turned towards the ground as Harusuke caught up to her stopping just behind her. Harusuke then placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Sis, listen. I know you're feeling sad right now and I know that you're hurting, but it'll be OK," he said. "We'll get Mamoru back and we'll make Queen Beryl and her goons pay for what they did to him. That's a promise."

Usagi then looked back towards Harusuke. "How can you be sure?" she asked. "You heard him yourself, he said he doesn't remember me."

Harusuke then scratched head thinking it over. "Well, I just know," he said at last. "Sure he doesn't remember you or me, but somewhere inside, he does remember you. You heard him when he said the music was stirring his heart. That proves that Mamoru is somewhere in there. We just can't give up on saving him. Sure things may seem bad now, but I promise as your brother, we'll find a way to save him. No matter what."

Usagi then faced Harusuke and after a few seconds, she embraced him in a tight hug.

"Thanks, Harusuke. You're right," she said. "I can't give up! I won't give up, even if he has no memory of me! Because if I'll cry, he'll probably laugh at me."

Harusuke smiled. "That or he'll call you Meatball Head," he teased.

Usagi pouted a little bit cross, but then she smiled and couldn't help but giggle.

But suddenly, the two were rudely interrupted.

"GIVE HIM BACK!"

A loud shriek caused the two siblings to jump with fright and surprise.

"What the heck was that?!" exclaimed Usagi.

"I don't know, but didn't it sound like someone asking for something?" wondered Harusuke.

Then they felt a presence coming from right behind them. The two turned only to find themselves staring face to face with the Lake Monster.

"No way!" cried Usagi with fright. "What is that thing?!"

"It's a monster!" said Harusuke.

He then immediately pressed his communicator to try and contact the other guardians, but at that moment, the two siblings heard a pair of voices.

"Usagi! What is that thing?!"

"It's some kind of horrible creature!"

"No! It's some kind of ghost!"

Usagi and Harusuke turned to their right and to their horror, they saw Ikuko, Kenji, and Shingo standing only a few feet away from them.

"What are you guys doing here?!" yelled Usagi.

The monster then saw them and shot straight towards them not allowing anyone to interfere with her vengeance. She took a breath and unleashed a strange purple mist from her mouth aiming for the three bystanders. Luckily, Usagi and Harusuke rushed to their family and knocked them down to the ground making the monster's attack hit the trees. When it did, the leaves and the branched immediately began to wilt and die.

"Look at that!" exclaimed Ikuko.

"It's some kind of pond scum poison!" cried Kenji.

Knowing that their family was in danger, Usagi and Harusuke stood bravely in the way of the monster refusing to back down.

"Hey, you! What the heck is your problem!" demanded Usagi crossly.

"You're totally ruining our family trip!" yelled Harusuke. "So why don't you make like a tree and leave and quit messing with our family?!"

"Usagi! Harusuke! Don't confront it!" Ikuko cried. "That's not helping!"

Then Kenji stepped bravely forward holding a large stick in his hands. "That's right! Let your dad handle this one!"

"Dad, are you insane!? A giant twig isn't gonna stop that thing!" Harusuke yelled. "Get out of the way now!"

But Kenji didn't listen. He was scared out of his wits that much was certain, but there was no way that he was going to leave his family behind. The lake monster glared at Kenji seeing him as an enemy. It shot forward and knocked the stick away with a swipe of her claw and while grabbing his throat pinned up to the tree squeezing the life out of him. Usagi and Harusuke were horrified and knew that they had to transform despite the risk of their family seeing them. They were just about to become Sailor Moon and Solaris when something zipped straight by the lake monster's face causing her to let go of Kenji. Beside her was a single black rose. Everyone looked behind the lake monster and there stood Tuxedo Mask.

"Oh man! Another wacko's appeared!" exclaimed Shingo. "Just look at that tacky outfit he's wearing!"

"Shingo, don't call him that!" Usagi scolded. "He's a friend... I think."

"Never mind that! Grab Dad and let's get out of here!" yelled Harusuke.

Everyone then went over to Kenji and carried him to safety while Tuxedo Mask squared off against the lake monster.

"Back off you creature!" he said. "I'm not about to let you hurt innocent people!"

The lake monster hissed anger as it gave a mighty whip of her tail. Tuxedo Mask jumped out of the way dodging the attack, but the monster's overwhelming power destroyed the tree in seconds. Usagi and Harusuke could only look back and watch as Tuxedo Mask fought the beast.

"We have to go help Tuxedo Mask," Usagi spoke in a whispering voice. "There's no way that he can take on that monster all by himself!"

"But can't just leave our family either!" whispered back Harusuke. "Not to mention that we can't transform out in the open like this!"

Then while Tuxedo Mask was in midair, the lake monster saw her and gave her a mighty whip of her tail knocking Tuxedo Mask to the ground dazed and stunned. The lake monster now seeing Tuxedo Mask down lunged towards him going for the kill but at that moment...

"Hold it right there!"

A collective of four voices shouting in unison was heard causing the monster to immediately stop and four familiar heroes appeared from behind the monster.

"Sailor Venus!"

"Sailor Jupiter!"

"Sailor Mars!

"Sailor Mercury!"

"We are the Sailor Guardians and we have arrived!"

Shingo's face lit up with excitement upon seeing them. "Alright! It's the Pretty Guardians who fight for love and for justice!"

 _"Hey! That's my catchphrase!"_ thought Usagi.

 _"Thank goodness! The other came just in time!"_ thought Harusuke.

The lake monster angry that more enemies had appeared then attacked the guardians, but then Sailor Mercury unleashed her signature attack.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

She unleashed a flurry of bubbles which in turn created a thick fog blanketing the area blinding the beast. Usagi and Harusuke now saw their chance.

"Come on everyone! Now's our chance!" called Usagi. "Let's get out of here while we still can!"

"Head straight back to the inn!" said Harusuke. "The Guardians can handle it from here!"

"Right!" agreed Kenji. "Everyone stay together and don't look back!"

The Tsukinos then took off running, but now seeing that they had an opportunity, Usagi and Harusuke quickly hid behind some trees and waited until their family members were out of sight.

 _"Please be careful guys,"_ Usagi thought. _"And stay safe."_

Then she turned to Harusuke who looked at her back. The two then gave each other a firm nod and then the two transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

The lake monster was still trying to find her way through the fog growing more and more infuriated, but then the sound of two claps was heard followed by a pair of voices coming from above.

"Hey, monster! Over here!"

The lake monster turned around looking up and she saw Sailor Moon and Solaris standing above her.

"See here! You can't just run amok here whatever you want!" said Solaris. "This place is for tourists who want to rekindle the flames of their love from the past or spending time with their family!"

"We won't forgive you for threatening innocent tourists and ruining the Tsukino Family's vacation!" said Sailor Moon. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you"

"And in the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!" added Solaris.

The two heroes then jumped out of the tree in front of their friends. Sailor Moon then noticed Tuxedo Mask and smiled at him.

"Tuxedo Mask! You protected Usagi. That proves that you're still a good person," she said. "The same good person that I love so much."

The lake monster then went on the attack swinging her mighty spiked tail. Sailor Moon immediately jumped out of the way just in time as its tail buried into the ground. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus then attacked.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Sailor Venus fired a beam of light while Sailor Jupiter unleashed a wave of lightning. The two attacks combined together creating a powerful attack hitting directly at the lake monster destroying it in an instant.

"Yes! We got her!" cheered Sailor Jupiter.

But she was wrong. For right then, as quickly as she was destroyed, the lake monster regenerated returning back to its normal shape.

"That's impossible!" gasped Sailor Jupiter.

"I don't understand, why didn't our attacks work on her?!" wondered Sailor Venus.

"Let us have a go!" said Sailor Moon. "Solaris!"

"Right!" nodded the Sun Guardian.

Solaris then summoned forth a ball of golden light while Sailor Moon took off her tiara transforming it into a white glowing disk. The two took aim and then released their attacks.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

The two attacks merged together creating a large disk of golden and white light. The combined attacks hit their mark and the monster was once again destroyed in an explosion of light and sparkles. But just like with Sailor Jupiter and Venus' attack, the lake monster regenerated returning to normal completely unharmed.

"No way! She regenerated again!" said Solaris.

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" complained Sailor Moon. "Just what kind of monster is she?!"

Sailor Mars stared at the monster. Then she made a sign with her hands as she used her shrine maiden senses. That was when she realized what was going on.

"That's not a monster. At least, not an ordinary one," she said. "She's an evil yokai born from years of suppressed jealousy."

"You are correct, Sailor Mars," said Tuxedo Mask who had now recovered. "In fact, I'm the one to blame for the awakening of this ancient yokai. Therefore, you must stay out of this."

Sailor Mars then smiled. "That may be so, but Yokai are my area of expertise," she said as she pulled out an ofuda. "So leave this one to me!"

She then concentrated her spiritual power focusing it all on the ofuda in her hand and took aim.

"Cleanse and dispel this yokai with the flames of purification!" she called out. "EVIL SPIRIT! BE EXORCISED!"

She fired her ofuda making it stick right on top of the lake monster's forehead paralyzing her. She then followed up with her signature attack.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

She shot forth a powerful fireball that not only hit but also formed a ring of flames surrounding it. The lake monster screeched in agony as the flames licked her skin.

"Oh wow... Nice work, Sailor Mars," spoke an impressed Sailor Moon.

"Finish her off, Sailor Moon!" said Sailor Venus.

Sailor Moon snapped out of her amazement and took out her Moon Stick and using the power of the Silver Crystal, unleashed a flurry of sparkles and dust.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

The lake monster was enveloped by the sparkles and dust and in a brilliant flash of light, it was gone. In its place, a beautiful young woman remained. She wore a beautiful multi-colored kimono, had long black hair, and eyes that were like a pair of jades. As she ascended to the sky above, she looked back and smiled gratefully at the guardians silently thanking them.

"Wow... she's so beautiful," murmured Sailor Moon.

"She's going to heaven, released at last from the eons of tortore brought on by her jealousy," explained Sailor Mars.

The woman then saw Tuxedo Mask who seemed just as happy as the guardians that she was healed. As soon as she saw him and because of him bearing a resemblance to the man loved, her eyes began to fill with joy as she waved to him. Tuxedo Mask responded by a small salute for goodbye. Then the woman ascended to the sky above her grudge now gone. Sailor Moon then saw Tuxedo Mask and was about to speak, but Tuxedo Mask cut her off.

"I was going to say that you interfered needlessly, but I'll let it go this time," he said coldly. "Farewell!"

"Wait! Don't go!" Sailor Moon said.

But it was no use. Tuxedo Mask disappeared into the night. At the very same time, Kunzite peered out from above the treetops. He had seen everything.

"Well, Endymion. You are an odd fellow," he said to himself.

* * *

Further away into the forest closeby at the inn, Kenji, Ikuko, and Shingo were all searching for Usagi and Harusuke having to have noticed the two mysteriously disappear.

"Harusuke! Usagi! Where are you?!" called out Kenji.

"Please answer us!" Ikuko shouted. "Usagi! Harusuke!"

Even Shingo was getting worried. "I hope the monster didn't get them," he sniffed. "If I had known this was going to happen, I would have let Usagi play her game and I wouldn't have been so much trouble for Harusuke."

"OK then let me borrow it!" said a familiar female voice.

"And try not to fight with Usagi about it," said a male voice.

Shingo immediately turned around and saw Usagi and Harusuke running towards them.

"Usagi! Harusuke!" cried Shingo joyfully.

Ikuko and Kenji saw them too and they immediately rushed over to them. Ikuko wrapped her arms around both them feeling relieved that her son and daughter were alive and well.

"You both had us so worried!" she sobbed happily.

"Sorry, Mom," apologized Usagi.

"The Guardians were able to defeat the monster and they led us back to you," explained Harusuke. "From there, I made sure to protect Usagi from whatever else came at us on our way back."

"Atta boy," said Kenji patting Harusuke's back. "That's my Harusuke! Brave just like his old man!"

As the celebration continued, Usagi couldn't help but think how lucky she was to have a great family like the one she had.

 _"Dad risked his life to protect us..._ _Mom thinks about us every minute..._ _Shingo can always be such a pain, but I still love him... and Harusuke is an older brother I can count on whenever I need help with monsters and in life,"_ she thought to herself. _"I_ _t's great to have a family."_

She then looked at Harusuke who looked back at her. Harusuke then smiled seeming to be thinking the exact same thing Usagi did. The ordango blonde couldn't help but smile back as they all headed back to the inn.

* * *

At the hot springs, Usagi and all of her friends were all bathing and enjoying themselves.

"Ah. This feels so good," sighed Ami with content.

"You said it," agreed Rei.

Usagi didn't say anything as she continued to stared up at the moon once again feeling a bit sad. Makoto noticed this and went over to her.

"Come on, Usagi. You gotta chin up," she soothed. "Everything will work out."

"I know, Mako," Usagi said a smile tugging at her lips. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. In fact, when I think about it, I have these wonderful friends and family that care about me." Then she suddenly realized something. "Speaking of which, I've been wondering. What brought all of you guys out here in the first place?"

"Well... we heard about it from, Luna," Ami spoke shyly.

"And of course..." began Rei.

"...not one of us wanted you and your brother..." went on Minako.

"...to have all the fun, Usagi!" the four of them finished.

The four girls immediately pounced on Usagi dunking her head in the water. The girls laughed and joked as they teased Usagi of which was laughing herself. Then they heard a familiar voice.

"Hey! You girls mind keeping it down?! Some of us are trying to relax in peace over here!"

Everyone immediately stopped as they looked around wondering where the voice came from. Then Usagi saw Harusuke who was far away from them at the other end of the spring with his feet dipped in and his head turned.

"Hey! It's Harusuke!" she said. "What are you doing all the way over there?"

"What's it look like I'm doing?!" Harusuke snapped. "I'm bathing. Now stay over there!"

Usagi and the other girls were surprised.

"What's the matter with you, Harusuke?" asked Minako. "You seem a bit tense."

"Tense? Who, me? I... don't know what you're talking about," Harusuke spoke nervously.

"Then why don't you come over here and bathe with us?" wondered Usagi. "If you don't get in the water, you're gonna catch a cold."

"Usagi! I don't think that's a good idea!" Rei snapped blushing a bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harusuke spoke quickly. "Just stay over there, please."

Now the girls were puzzled. They certainly didn't expect Harusuke to act so strangely. Then Usagi understood making a sly grin appear on her features.

"Now I get it what's going on here," she said. "Are you embarrassed because you're bathing with us girls, Harusuke?"

Harusuke blushed going red as a cherry. "Well, so what if I am?" he mumbled.

"But Harusuke, "It's honestly not that big a deal, so you're getting embarrassed for no reason at all" Isn't that what you said to Shingo?" Usagi teased.

"That's because we were with our family!" Harusuke cried. "Bathing with other girls is a completely different story!"

"But the bath is co-ed, isn't it? And we're not just other people, we're your friends," said Makoto. "Besides, it's not like you're gonna be oogling us like some pervert."

"But if you do, I'll beat the tar out of you," said Rei shaking a fist.

"And to add to that, we all have towels on," added Ami. "So it should be OK... I think."

Harusuke let out a humph refusing to move. Then Usagi smirked mischievously as she whispered something to the other girls.

Harusuke continued to sit where he was still dipping his feet in the water. Suddenly, he sensed someone coming towards him from the back and thinking that it was Usagi, he immediately scooted to the right causing whoever was behind him to miss and fall into the water.

"Ha! Nice try, but you're gonna have to do better than that, Usagi!" smirked Harusuke.

But as she resurfaced, Harusuke was surprised to see that it wasn't Usagi at all. It was Minako.

"Sorry, Harusuke!" she grinned.

Before Harusuke could react, Usagi appeared right behind him and gave him a shove making him fall into the spring with a splash.

Harusuke resurfaced and spat out some of the water that got into his mouth. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" he cried.

Usagi couldn't help but laugh. "Got ya!" she said.

Harusuke was now cross and was about to yell, but then he was suddenly splashed at all sides by the others. As he kept on getting splashed, Usagi joined the fray coming to her brother's side.

"Don't worry, Harusuke! I got your back!" she said in a heroic voice. "Together, the Tsukino siblings shall defeat our enemies!"

Usagi was obviously playing around, but Harusuke couldn't help but smile and join in on the fun.

"Yes, dear sister! Let's show them the power of the Tsukino family!" Harusuke spoke in a deep heroic voice.

"Bring it on!" Rei said. "Your sibling power is no match for our four-way assault!

The group then continued their splash fight enjoying themselves and having fun.


	42. Chapter 41

In the wild African desert far away, Reika Nishimura was hard at work doing research on some fossils she had discovered. The air felt heavy and the hot sun shone brightly, but Reika didn't mind it.

Then suddenly, a small pebble fell down as a shadow cast over her causing Reika to look up in surprise. There standing on top just above her was Endymion.

"Wh-who are you?!" she demanded nervously.

"I've been looking for you, Miss Nishimura," the prince spoke with an evil chuckle. "Or should I call you, Reikokeida, one of the Seven Great Monsters?"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" wondered Reika.

Endymion didn't answer her as he held out his hand summoning forth the Dark Crystal activating its powers. "Do not resist!" he commanded. "Join us once again as a servant of the Dark Kingdom!"

The Dark Crystal began to glow in a bright yellow light emitting the same frequency that made Reika turn into her monster form like before. However, instead of turning her into a monster, the beam of light enveloped Reika paralyzing her and began pulling her towards Endymion. Reika tried to resist as well as cry out for help, but she couldn't do either as she was pulled closer and closer Endymion like a piece of metal and a magnet. Then in an instant, Reika sucked inside of the Dark Crystal disappearing from view.

Endymion then closed his hand shutting off the light smirking with triumph. Reika would now be the fourth of the former Rainbow Crystal carriers that he captured. Along with Reika he also had Crane Game Joe, the priest, and the cat Rhett Butler trapped inside along with her.

"Four down, three more to go," he said to himself as he disappeared into the air to hunt for the other carriers.

* * *

It was snowing in the town of Juuban. Ami was at her place studying as she normally did almost every day. Just then, the telephone began to ring. Ami then answered it.

"Hello? This is Ami speaking," she said.

A familiar voice answered. "Hey Ami, is that you? It's me, Ryo Urawa."

Ami was delighted. "Oh, hi Ryo!" she spoke happily. "It's good to hear from you! How have you been?"

"I'm doing fine at least for the moment," replied Ryo. "Say, Ami, are you anywhere near a TV right now?"

Ami then looked at her TV which was just in front of her by the door. "Yes, I've got one right in front of me," she replied.

"Turn it on right now!" said Ryo.

Ami did so and when she did, the screen immediately was on the news where a picture of another familiar face of a Rainbow Crystal carrier with larges letters that said: FAMOUS ILLUSTRATOR GONE MISSING. It was none other than Yumemi Yumeno who was formerly known as Binah.

Ami was surprised as Ryo continued over the phone.

"As you already know, that woman is Yumemi Yumeno a former Rainbow Crystal carrier of the Seven Great Monsters," he said. "But now she along with four others have gone missing."

"W-Wait a minute, Ryo," said Ami. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the next target could be me or your friend Rei's grandfather," Ryo spoke grimly. "I know because I used whatever precognitive powers I have left to figure it out. I know it sounds crazy..."

"Where are you right now?" asked Ami now concerned. "If you're here in town, I can come and protect you."

"You can't! You need to stay away from me, so I won't put you in any danger," said Ryo. "If you want to protect someone, you need to focus on Rei's grandfather instead. I understand that you're worried about me, but I can handle things on my own. I'm not sure what the Dark Kingdom's got planned, but you must stop them at all cost or terrible things will happen! I'll see you later! Bye!"

"Ryo, wait! Hold on!" cried Ami.

But it was too late. The line was cut off and Ami could only hear the dial tone of her phone.

* * *

In the middle of town, Ryo stood outside of the phone booth having to have just finished talking with Ami. He was cold and a little frightened, but he was determined to protect Ami more than anything.

 _"It's better this way,"_ he thought to himself. "I wish I had Ami and the other Guardians' help. But I can't become so dependant on them anymore. I need to be able to take care of myself."

He then went on his way pulling up his collar to hide his face. At that very same time, Makoto happened to be walking past him. When she did, she stopped in a double take and looked behind her.

"Wait... wasn't that..."

Then suddenly, her communicator began to beep in her jacket. Makoto immediately answered it.

"This is Makoto."

Luna's face then appeared on the screen. "Mako, something's come up!" she said urgently. "Meet us at the Hikawa Shrine immediately!"

"Okay! I'm on my way!" said Makoto.

She took one last look at where she thought he saw Ryo, then she took off running to the Hikawa Shrine as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite once again stood before Queen Beryl having to have just found out what Endymion was doing per her instruction.

"Queen Beryl, I must admit I am quite curious as to what Endymion is doing," he said. "Why is he trying to retransform the humans into the Seven Great Monsters now?"

"Well, as you know each one of them was purified by the Moon Stick and returned to their human forms," explained Queen Beryl. "However, by using our Dark Energy and the power of the Dark Crystal, we can turn them back into monsters again."

"But then why go through all that trouble?" asked Kunzite. "Sailor Moon and the guardians defeated them once before and who's to say that they won't do it again?

"Ha. That is correct, but there's something that you don't know," Queen Beryl spoke brimming with confidence. "Once the seven are all together, they will combine as one to become the largest and most powerful monster ever to be seen in the entire world. And once that happens, we will finally be able to put an end to the Sailor Guardians, once and for all."

"Something that I've been striving to do!" protested Kunzite. "So why would you assign such an important task to Endymion and not to me?"

"Sounds like you have a problem with that, Kunzite," Queen Beryl said her eyes gleaming. "Are you questioning my decision?"

Kunzite relented. "Well... no, Ma'am. I don't. But-"

"Then hold off on your judgment and let's watch and see how Endymion does," cut off Queen Beryl. "Is that understood?"

"Y-Yes, Ma'am," said Kunzite.

Then at that moment, Zoisite appeared.

"I have returned, Queen Beryl," he said.

"Z-Zoisite," gasped Kunzite.

"Ah. Zoisite. Good to have you back," said Queen Beryl. "How goes the search?"

"I still haven't been able to find anything," he said. "But don't worry. I haven't given up on searching."

"Fear not, Zoisite," Queen Beryl spoke smiling wickedly. "Endymion succeeds in gathering up the Seven Great Monsters, there probably won't be any need to search for it anymore. Until then, make sure you keep searching."

"Yes, my queen," agreed Zoisite.

Kunzite at first was planning to ask what Zoisite has been up to, but he knew that Queen Beryl would just tell him not to worry about it, so he decided to speak to Zoisite about it when they were alone.

As the two left the throne room, Kunzite saw his chance and spoke to Zoisite as the two were now alone.

"Zoisite, you've been gone quite a lot lately," he said. "I hardly ever see you anymore and that has me a bit worried. Just what exactly has Queen Beryl have you searching for?"

Zoisite looked at Kunzite a bit despondent before speaking. "I'm sorry, Kunzite. I would tell you, believe me, but I'm not sure if I should. Queen Beryl specifically told to not to tell anyone about this."

"But you can tell me, Zoisite," Kunzite spoke stroking his cheek tenderly. "I'm just worried about your safety. You were lucky back when you were almost killed by Queen Beryl. I don't want anything like that to happen to you again. Or do you not trust me?"

Zoisite looked deep into Kunzite's eyes and caressed his hand. Then he pulled away from him much to Kunzite's surprise.

"I'm sorry, Kunzite, but I can't tell you," he said. "Part of me does want to tell you, but... I can't. I trust you... but there's no way I can afford to disobey Queen Beryl's orders again. If I do, I'll surely die the next time. But I promise you, when the time comes, I will tell you everything. Just please understand."

Kunzite stared at Zoisite searching deeply into his eyes if he was telling the truth. Then he let out a small sigh as he turned around.

"Very well then," he said. "I'll let it slide this time, but if I found out that what Queen Beryl has you doing is putting you in danger, I won't hesitate to come to help you."

Zoisite then smiled. "Thank you, Kunzite."

* * *

At the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi and the gang all met up and were now sitting in Rei's room discussing the situation about Ryo and the other former carriers disappearances.

"So tell me, Ami. Is Ryo's precognitive power really that accurate?" asked Minako.

"Yes, it's extremely accurate," replied Ami.

"And if Ryo says something bad's gonna happen, you can be sure that it's gonna happen," said Harusuke grimly.

"If that's true then you can be sure that the Dark Kingdom's planning something awful," said Artemis. "Why else would they go through all the trouble to gather the Seven Great Monsters?"

Makoto then stood up. "In that case, let's go then, Ami!" she said.

"What do you mean, Makoto?" wondered Ami.

"Isn't it obvious? We have to go look for Ryo and give him protection!" said Makoto.

"But we don't know where to look for Ryo or even where to start looking for him," Ami said. "He could be anywhere."

"I saw him earlier in town, so I know that he's in this neighborhood," said Makoto. "We just have to look around and eventually we'll run into him."

"In that case, you better let me come too," said Harusuke. "Meanwhile, Rei, Minako, and Usagi will stay here at the shrine and keep an eye on Rei's grandpa since he's a former monster too."

And with that, the three left the room to search for Ryo. At that moment, Usagi burst into tears letting out a sobbing wail causing everyone in the room to jump from being startled.

"Wh-What's the matter, Usagi?!" asked Luna.

She along with everyone else thought that there was something wrong, but as it turned out, Usagi was crying because of a manga that she was reading. She had reached a part of the story when it took a sad turn and she couldn't help but cry.

"I feel so sorry for the hero of this manga!" she wailed.

"Hey! You should ask permission before you read my manga!" Rei spoke crossly.

"What's the big deal?" Usagi spoke snootily. "You weren't reading it."

"Well, now I can't because you were crying all over it!" Rei snapped as she pounced on Usagi wanting her manga back.

As the two once more began to fight, Minako, Luna, and Artemis couldn't help but shake her heads and sigh.

"Looks like they're at it again," muttered Luna.

"And this won't be the last time either," groaned Artemis.

* * *

Back in town, Ryo was still trying his best to stay out of sight so he wouldn't be seen as he waited to walk through a busy intersection. The light went from the word stop to a glowing picture of a person walking signaling that it was safe to cross. Ryo hurriedly walked across the street his heart pounding in his chest. But then, someone stood in front of him just as he made it to the other side.

He was wearing nothing, but a black tracksuit with blue highlights also wearing a pair of sunglasses, but Ryo knew who it was. It was Endymion.

"Ryo Urawa, I presume?" he asked with a dark smile.

Ryo gulped. "I-It's you! Endymion of the Dark Kingdom!"

"That's correct. Very impressive," said Endymion. "I see you used your precognitive skills to prepare for my arrival. So I take it that you know what's next. What the immediate future holds for you?"

"Yes. I do," Ryo spoke nervously. "I've been there before. You plan on drawing me into the Dark Crystal."

"Very good," said Endymion as he put a hand on his shoulder. "Now don't resist. If you come with me, I promise that we'll get this over with quickly."

"I'm sorry... but I can't accommodate you," said Ryo plucking up courage. "You see, someone once told me that the future is something that I can create by myself."

"And what does that mean?" asked Endymion suspiciously.

"It means that I'm not going to give up!" Ryo spoke defiantly. He then took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs. "HELP! MURDERER! HELP ME!"

Before Endymion had a chance to react, he was immediately surrounded by several people who believed Ryo's cry of help. Endymion tried to explain that it wasn't true, but he then caught sight of Ryo who was running as fast as his feet could carry him. Endymion not wanting to let him get away, pushed his way past the crowd and chased after him in hot pursuit.

* * *

Not too far away, Ami, Makoto, and Harusuke were walking around town searching for Ryo. So far, there was no sign of him.

"Geez, I don't see Ryo anywhere," Harusuke said. "If he's hiding from Endymion, he's sure doing a good job. But I'm sure that we'll find him if we just keep looking. Right, Ami?"

Ami at first didn't respond for a few seconds. Then she spoke up in a slightly timid voice.

"Um... you guys, maybe we should go back. I feel sorry for Ryo, but there's really not much we can do at this point. It's probably too late."

Harusuke and Makoto looked at bluenette surprised by her words.

"What do you mean you feel sorry for him?!" Makoto spoke incredulously. "I've always thought that Ryo was your boyfriend, Ami!"

Ami's cheeks then flushed pink in embarrassment. "B-Boyfriend?! No way, he's... just a friend of mine," she said nervously.

Harusuke raised a brow. "You sure about that? Your embarrassment's showing, you know," he pointed out.

"I-It's because of the cold," Ami spoke hastily. "I'm not embarrassed at all."

"I'm not really sure about that, Ami," said Makoto. "It looks and sounds to me that you're just in denial."

"Well... uh..."

"Ami, I hope you haven't forgotten that Ryo's in love you," Makoto said. "I mean the guy becomes a mess whenever he's around you!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that, but we have an important mission that takes priority over everything else," said Ami as she looked into a store window. "So I can't allow myself to return Ryo's feelings for me."

"That'll leave you nothing but regret for the rest of your life!" Makoto burst out. "Even we guardians have a right to fall in love or at least go on a date with someone that we like. And what you're doing right now is nothing short of running away! That's why you want to go back because it's an excuse to keep yourself from getting attached to him. You're afraid to fall in love and can't be honest with yourself."

Harusuke stared at Makoto. He couldn't believe what Makoto had just said. He had never seen or heard anyone sound so passionate when it came to love other than his sister Usagi. Sure, he had seen Makoto be boy crazy, but he couldn't help but be moved by Makoto's words.

At that moment, he immediately remembered back to when Ami was controlled by a monster and kissed his cheek and then he remembered back to when he and Ami caught the flowers from Ms. Akiyama's wedding. This made him puzzled.

 _"Why am I thinking about those things now all of a sudden?"_ he thought. _"How strange."_

Then he saw something in the reflection of the window. A certain someone that had run right past them. Harusuke's eyes widened for that someone turned out to be Ryo. Ami noticed this too and the two immediately took off running.

"H-Hey! Where are you two going?!" cried Makoto. "I'm not finished!"

"We just saw Ryo!" said Ami.

"You did?! Where?!" asked Makoto.

"He was heading down this direction!" said Harusuke pointing down the street. "And from the looks of things, it looks like he's being chased!"

"Then let's go!" said Makoto.

* * *

Ryo had run into a dark alley desperate to get away from Endymion. He may have given him the slip for the moment, but it was only a matter of time before he was found. Then as he reached the end of the alley, three figures stood before him blocking his way. Upon recognizing them, Ryo was relieved to see Sailor Mercury and Jupiter and Solaris.

"Ami... I mean Sailor Mercury!" he gasped.

"Don't forget about us or anything," Solaris spoke. "We're here too."

"How have you been Ryo?" asked Sailor Mercury. "Are you alright?"

"You can rest easy, we're here," added Sailor Jupiter. "You're safe now."

Then suddenly, a laugh could be heard echoing throughout the alley.

"How reassuring to now that he has you three for bodyguards."

Everyone immediately was on guard as a familiar face stepped out of the darkness.

"Mamoru!" Sailor Mercury and Jupiter gasped.

Endymion scowled in confusion. "Mamoru? Someone else recently called me by that name," he said. "But you got the wrong man. My name is Endymion!"

Sailor Jupiter then turned back towards her allies and Ryo. "Solaris, Sailor Mercury, I'll handle this," she said. "You two take Ryo away from here."

"But Sailor Jupiter, there's no way you can take on Endymion on your own!" protested Solaris.

"Yeah! We're fighting with you!" said Sailor Mercury.

"What are you two talking about? Protecting Ryo is our top priority," Sailor Jupiter spoke firmly. "Take Ryo and get out here! Now!"

Solaris and Sailor Mercury were still a bit reluctant to leave their friend, but they knew that she was right and so they left leaving Jupiter and Endymion by themselves. The Sailor Guardian of thunder then took a stance and prepared to fight.

"Mamoru... no, Endymion! I really don't want to fight you," she said grimly. "But since I must, I won't hold back! That much I can promise you!"

"That's fine by me," smirked Endymion. "But are you sure that you can handle me all by yourself?"

"I'll give it everything I've got!" shouted Sailor Jupiter as the antenna in her tiara extended sparking with power."JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

She then unleashed a powerful blast of lightning only to have Endymion simply step out of the way dodging the attack.

"I'm so scared," the evil prince said sarcastically. "Is that really all you got?"

"Far from it!" Sailor Jupiter yelled as she attacked with a flurry of punches and chops.

She attacked punch after punch, chop after chop, but Endymion dodged every single attack with ease simply by tilting his head to the right and the left. Sailor Jupiter soon ran out of steam completely out of breath.

"What's the matter? Have you worn yourself out already?" Endymion asked snootily.

"I'm... not done... quite yet," panted Sailor Jupiter.

"I admire your fighting spirit, but I don't have time to play games with you all day," said Endymion as he took a fighting stance of his own. "Allow me to show you what a real attack looks like."

He then shot towards Sailor Jupiter and attacked with a flurry of punches and chops of his own in a speed that was superior to Sailor Jupiter's. The Guardian of Jupiter was forced to go on the defensive walking backward until she backed into a trash can causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. She immediately got back up only to find herself cornered to the wall with Endymion closing in on her like a lion with its prey.

Endymion then shot forward clenching his fist letting out a loud cry as he swung aiming for Sailor Jupiter's face. She couldn't help but let out a frightened scream as she shut her eyes waiting for the punch to hit her, but to her surprise, the punch never came. Sailor Jupiter then opened an eye to see that Endymion's face was just inches away from touching hers. The dark prince humphed in triumph as he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Just as I thought. You're way out of your league," Endymion chuckled. "Look me up when you've gotten a bit stronger. Perhaps then I'll play with you."

And with that Endymion disappeared into the darkness leaving Sailor Jupiter seething with anger her pride bruised.

"Damn you..." she cursed under her breath.

* * *

Meanwhile, Solaris, Sailor Mercury, and Ryo were running as fast as their feet could carry them. Sailor Mercury had just contacted the others through her computer hoping that they would be able to help them.

"This is Sailor Mercury!" she said. "Solaris and I have Ryo with us, so he's safe!"

"Nice job, Sailor Mercury!" said Luna on the computer. "And you too, Solaris!"

"Don't thank us just yet!" Solaris panted. "Sailor Jupiter's fighting Mamoru all by herself to buy us some time to get away. But it's only a matter of time before he catches up with us."

"But will Sailor Jupiter be okay fighting him by herself?" asked Minako.

"We're not sure, but we need Sailor Moon right away!" said Sailor Mercury. "The Moon Stick might be our only hope to return Mamoru to the way he was before!"

"Don't worry! We'll head to your location right now!" said Luna. "Come on, Usagi! Let's go!"

"OK... let's go then Luna," Usagi spoke in a dizzy tone. "Just be sure to point me in the right direction cause I don't know where I'm going."

Ami then shut her computer. "Alright! Sailor Moon is on her way," she said. "We just need to hold on until they get here!"

"Hopefully, it'll be soon," said Solaris. "I'm not sure how long Sailor Jupiter can stall Mamoru. He could be pursuing us already! We need to find a place to hide!"

Ryo then stopped. "Wait! Hold on you two," he said. "I think I know a place."

Solaris and Sailor Mercury stopped.

"Where?" asked Sailor Mercury.

Ryo then pointed to down the street. In the distance, they could see the amusement park known as Juuban Land which was completely dark due to it being closed. The three then immediately ran towards the park not giving it a second thought. They soon made it inside of the park slipping past the gates. It was very dark and quiet as the three walked around.

"Man... it's kinda creepy around here at night," said Solaris. "Although, this was a good place to hide. Nice thinking, Ryo."

"Ryo, why did you want to come in here, anyway?" asked Sailor Mercury. "I mean what was the reason anyway?"

Ryo walked a little bit ahead as he gazed up at the Ferris wheel.

"Sorry about this. It's just... that I've always dreamed of coming here with you, Sailor Mercury," he said. "Going to an amusement park I mean. Now... my dream has been fulfilled and I have no regrets." He paused impressively. "From here on, I think it would be best if we went our separate ways."

"Ryo, we can't!" Sailor Mercury protested. "There's no telling when the Dark Kingdom will be coming after you again!"

Ryo then faced Sailor Mercury. His eyes were brimming with tears as he seemed to be struggling to put on a brave face.

"I'm prepared to give up my life to fight them!" he spoke defiantly. "I want you to be free of me, Sailor Mercury, to fulfill your own mission! Besides, I was never human to begin with. But if giving my life can save the world then I've accomplished something."

Sailor Mercury stared at Ryo. Then after a few seconds of silence, she smiled kindly as she walked up to Ryo.

"You know, you and I are two of a kind, always running away from our problems," she spoke quietly. "That's what a friend of mine told me. She said that I was in denial and that I should just be more honest with myself. And while sacrificing yourself is certainly noble. But be honest, wouldn't you rather keep on living as a human instead? Haven't you forgotten that people would be sad if you die?"

Ryo stared at Sailor Mercury completely speechless and Solaris stood by not saying a word as Sailor Mercury continued.

"I think it's time that we both stop running away," she said. "No matter what comes our way, let's tackle it head-on!"

Ryo was silent. Then a slight smile worked its way to his lips as he nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You're right!"

As the two continued to share this moment together, Solaris couldn't help but clear his throat feeling a bit embarrassed as he awkwardly began to walk away.

"I... uh... see that you two are having a moment," he said. "I'll... just stand over here... Don't wanna be a third wheel and all."

"S-Solaris?! How long were you standing there?!" gasped Ryo.

"I've been standing here the whole time," grumbled Harusuke. "I know that the two of you are lovebirds, but come on." He then walked up to the two. "Anyway, if you two are planning to go in fighting for your futures, you can count on me being there for you. I mean you gotta have a best man for a wedding right?"

Sailor Mercury and Ryo looked at Solaris both blushing in embarrassment Then the two couldn't help but laugh. Solaris then laughed too. But then the moment was quickly cut short. The lights of the Ferris wheel suddenly turned on as it also began to turn. Then a familiar sinister voice was heard.

"What a cute little moment," it said. "Truly admirable thoughts, Guardians, but they won't save you!"

The three looked up towards the Ferris wheel and to their horror, there standing on the balcony was Endymion. He took a giant leap and landed just in front of them as Sailor Mercury and Solaris stood bravely in between him and Ryo.

"Damn. Looks like he found us," said Solaris.

But Sailor Mercury wasn't about to back down. "Mamoru! I'm not going to hesitate to fight you anymore!" The Guardian of Mercury proclaimed. "So prepare yourself!"

"I look forward to it, Sailor Mercury," Endymion said. "Truth be told, I was planning to wait until the other guardians were drawn to the light of this Ferris wheel, but it seems that you and Solaris don't need them to fight me."

"You got that right!" Solaris spoke bravely. "So get ready for a merciless whooping! SUNSHINE METEOR!"

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!

Solaris and Sailor Mercury then went on the attack unleashing their special attacks. However, this would not work on Endymion. He suddenly reappeared in front of them catching them both by surprise. Then he jumped up and shot straight towards Ryo.

"Sorry, but before I take care of you two, there's some unfinished to take care of," he said.

He then activated the Dark Crystal's power shining its light on Ryo ensnaring the boy with its power and taking him inside it. Sailor Mercury and Solaris gasped in horror as Endymion smirked with triumph.

"No! Ryo!" cried Solaris.

Sailor Mercury was horrified, but her face quickly changed into an angry snarl. "How could you... You monster!" she growled. "Endymion, I don't care if the Dark Kingdom's forced you to do this! I'll make you pay for what you did! Douse yourself in water, and repent!"

Endymion wasn't intimidated nor did he care. "If you want to save your boyfriend, you'll have to destroy the Dark Crystal," he said as he held out the item in question. "Of course, that will0 mean that you'll have to defeat me first to get your hands on it. So let's fight. But just so you know because I respect you, I won't hold back."

And with a wave of his cape, Endymion transformed into his alter ego, Tuxedo Mask. Solaris and Sailor Mercury stood ready to fight.

 _"I know that neither me nor Solaris stands a chance against him,"_ she thought. _"But we have to try! Ryo's counting on us!"_ She then turned to her ally, the Sun Guardian. "Solaris, I want you to stay out of this!"

"But Sailor Mercury, there's no way you can take him on your own!" protested Solaris. "Why would you-"

"Just trust me!" said Sailor Mercury. "Let me handle it!"

Solaris had no idea what Sailor Mercury had planned, but he decided to put his faith in her and stay out of it as she told him. Sailor Mercury then ran forward shooting right past Tuxedo Mask before turning around unleashing another spray of bubbles.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Tuxedo Mask then took out his cane and twirled it around and around popping all the bubbles from Mercury's attack.

"That again? Is that all you got?" he sighed with boredom.

But then to his surprise, the Dark Crystal was suddenly snatched away from his hand. He snapped his head around to find Sailor Mercury was now holding the Dark Crystal in her possession.

"Alright! Way to go, Sailor Mercury!" cheered Solaris.

"Why you deceptive little brat!" Tuxedo Mask snarled.

"Consider that payback for earlier!" Sailor Mercury shot back. "Now I have a mission that I need to get done as well!"

She then brought the Dark Crystal over her head and threw it towards the ground with all her strength. The Dark Crystal shattered into a million pieces as six different colored lights shot out from it. Each one of the lights reformed revealing Ryo and all the other former Great Monsters, unconscious but alive. At that moment, Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, and Luna arrived on the scene.

"Girls! You're here!" Sailor Mercury said with relief.

Sailor Moon then looked at all the unconscious bodies on the ground. "Whoa! What just happened here?!" asked Sailor Moon.

"You just missed Sailor Mercury single-handedly stop the Dark Kingdom's plans all by herself!" said Solaris proudly.

"Wow! That probably explained why you're looking a lot more confident now, Sailor Mercury," smiled Sailor Jupiter. "Way to go!"

"I owe it all to you, Sailor Jupiter. Your words really helped me out," Sailor Mercury smiled. Then she turned to her leader. "Sailor Moon, you've got to return Tuxedo Mask back to normal!"

"Not if I get rid of you four first!" Tuxedo Mask barked.

He then shot towards the three not only livid for having his plan fail, but he wasn't gonna allow the guardians to heal him. But the guardians were ready for him.

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!:

Sailor Jupiter and Mercury both unleashed their signature attacks, the two of which combined into one powerful stream of bubbles laced with lightning. Tuxedo Mask howled in agony as the combined attack hit him.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

Seizing his chance, Solaris fired a beam of light which wrapped out Tuxedo Mask preventing him from moving as he continued to recoil from the previous attack.

"Sailor Moon! Now's your chance!" cried Luna. "Hurry and used the Moon Stick Quickly!"

"I know!" Sailor Moon spoke. Then she turned to Tuxedo Mask. "From now on, if you're gonna recycle, only recycle cans instead of people who are living peaceful lives! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

She then took out her Moon Stick and then activated its signature power.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

The Moon Stick unleashed a powerful blast of dust and sparkles making Tuxedo Mask bathe in them. The masked caped man tried to resist, but then he began to see memories float into his mind of who he once was. His memories with Usagi, his forced dates with Rei, him hanging out with Harusuke, and most of all, his memories of fighting with the guardians. Tuxedo Mask was beginning to slip as he began to lose himself to the Moon Healing Escalation.

"It looks like it's working to a degree, but he still needs a little more!" said Luna. "Increase the power, Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon did so and after a few seconds more of Moon Healing Escalation, Tuxedo Mask couldn't resist anymore. In a blinding flash of light, he returned to his normal persona as Mamoru Chiba.

"Way to go, Sailor Moon!" cheered Luna.

"You did it! You brought the real Mamoru back!" said Sailor Jupiter happily.

"Thank goodness..." Sailor Mercury sighed with relief.

Sailor Moon could only answer with an exhausted sigh as she sank to her knees.

"You did great, Sailor Moon!" Solaris spoke proudly. "Now we can take Mamoru home and not worry about fighting him anymore!"

He then ran over to Mamoru about to help him to his feet, when but then suddenly, he heard a voice.

"I don't think so."

At that moment, there was a powerful force of wind that blew straight at the guardians and Luna. Then a humanoid shadowed figure appeared before them standing between Solaris and Mamoru. Before Solaris could react, the figure raised his hand and unleashed a powerful force of energy sending Solaris flying until he slammed right into the bars where the Ferris Wheel stood.

"Oh no! Solaris!" cried Sailor Mercury.

Solaris was stunned and dazed as he groaned in agony. Then the figure picked up Mamoru's unconscious body and disappeared from view taking Mamoru's body with him.

"What... the heck was that?!" Solaris groaned standing shakily on his feet.

"He... he's gone!" gasped Sailor Jupiter.

"It has to be the Dark Kingdom," said Ami. "They must have known Mamoru would get free, so they must have sent someone to save him."

"Oh no... " Sailor Moon wailed.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Mamoru was once again lied asleep as he bathed in dark energy with Queen Beryl watched over him.

"As I feared, Endymion hasn't lost his past memories after all we've done to ensure it," she said to herself. "In any case, you have my thanks for retrieving him. I trust that you're able to move your body without any problems, correct?"

At that moment, the shadowed figure from before appeared and kneeled before Queen Beryl.

"Yes, my queen," it replied.

"Very good," Queen Beryl spoke. "I suppose that we have more work to do. We need to infuse him with the energy of the Great Ruler and this time, we will turn him to a loyal servant to the Dark Kingdom forever! Until then, I'm counting on you to help while Endymion is being healed. There should be one of you more coming, but I'm sure that shouldn't take too much longer. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Queen Beryl," the shadow spoke obediently.

The shadow then looked up as his eyes which were a color of blue gleamed evilly in the darkness.

* * *

The next day, Juuban Park was now open which was filled with lots of people who were having fun either playing games and riding the rides. Ami and Ryo were riding the Ferris Wheel enjoying the ride in honor of their first date while Usagi and the others watched on from below.

"We can't let this happen!" complained Usagi. "If Ami's side-tracked from her important mission because of her interest in Ryo, who's gonna keep us together?"

"Isn't that supposed to be your job, Usagi?" asked Minako.

"You're only saying that because you're jealous of them," snickered Rei slyly.

"Shut up, Rei!" growled Usagi. "You're jealous too!"

Rei and Usagi glared at each other about to fight when Makoto stepped in stopping them.

"Now, now, you two, let's be happy for them and leave them be," she said. "Isn't that right, Harusuke?"

Harusuke didn't answer. He continued to stare up the Ferris Wheel watching Ami and Ryo enjoying themselves. He then remembered back to what Makoto said before about love.

 _"Even we guardians have a chance for love, eh?"_ he thought to himself.

"Harusuke? Harusuke. Hello? Earth calling Harusuke? Come on, Harusuke."

Harusuke snapped back to reality shaking his head and turned to the others who were all staring at him.

"What's up, Harusuke? You looked spaced out for a moment there," said Luna.

"It's nothing, Luna. I was just thinking," Harusuke said. "Don't mind me."

"Thinking while staring up at Ami and Ryo? Seems pretty fishy if you ask me," said Usagi. "Are you sure you're not being jealous of Ami and Ryo too?"

Harusuke then looked away. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not jealous," he said. "I just don't wanna be the 3rd or in this case the 7th wheel on their date. Which is why I'm gonna go home and do some homework. You guys have fun."

And with that, he walked away leaving everyone a bit puzzled as Ami and Ryo continued their date.


	43. Chapter 42

It was nightfall in Juuban. Everyone in town was fast asleep, except for a certain group of teens and their cat companions who were searching for anything that could locate the Dark Kingdom. Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Luna were inside of the Game Center searching for the entrance via a computer which was the Sailor V game. Ami typed on the computer searching all over the map, but she wasn't able to find anything.

"There's around there either," she sighed with disappointment. "That just leaves..."

But before she could finish her sentence, the doors of the Game Center opened and Harusuke, Luna, and a very tired and exhausted Usagi came in.

"Sorry we're a little late," apologized Luna.

"Someone decided to pig out until she burned up our allowance," Harusuke grumbled.

"Man... I'm exhausted," groaned Usagi.

"So how did it go?" asked Ami. "Did you find anything?"

"I'm afraid we weren't able to find anything," said Luna sadly. "Not a single one of the dumpling places we checked had anything to do with the Dark Kingdom much less an entrance."

"Too bad. We haven't had much luck either," said Ami. "And yet somehow, the Dark Kingdom continues to keep sending monsters one after another. There has to be an entrance somewhere."

"What about you, Rei?" asked Harusuke. "Any luck from where you looked?"

Rei shook her head. "Nothing. No hits at all."

"We haven't been able to find anything that leads to their lair either," sighed Makoto.

"I guess that leaves Minako and Artemis," said Luna. "Hopefully, they'll be able to find somethi-"

"I'm so tired!" groaned Usagi interrupting her.

Luna immediately whipped her head towards Usagi looking cross. "Usagi! Everyone's tired, but they're trying their best to help out, so suck it up already!" she snapped.

"But I'm also starving!" Usagi whined. "When do we get to eat?!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Harusuke snapped. "You just ate a whole meal at the dumpling shop!"

"The three plates of sweet dumplings and two bowls of anmitsu jelly were tasty," said Usagi. "But that was just a snack! I'm hungry again!"

"For crying out loud! You're stomach's like a freaking black hole!" Harusuke groaned facepalming. "Seriously! Where the heck do you put it all?!"

Then Minako and Artemis arrived.

"Hey, you guys! We're back!" greeted Minako.

"Sure is lively in here," said Artemis.

"Never mind that," said Rei. "How'd it go with you guys?"

"Not so great," said Minako. "We checked out every bathhouse in Tokyo, but one of them panned out."

"Well, thanks for trying, Minako," said Ami.

"In that case, I guess we'd better call it a night," said Makoto.

"Sounds good," agreed Reo. "I sure could use some sleep right about now."

"I think we all could," said Harusuke as he stretched. "Even though it seems like we're goofing off rather than doing Guardian business."

Everyone was just about to leave when suddenly, the computer began to emit a blaring sound like a warning causing everyone to jump. The map on the screen was immediately replaced with video footage of a bright and familiar object in outer space. It was big, shining bright orange, and burned with as its flames rippled like its surface. Not only that, but there were also black spots on this object that moved and spread along its surface. Everyone knew what this was.

"No way! It can't be!" gasped Luna.

"Is that the sun?!" gasped Harusuke.

"This has happened before," said Artemis. "It's just as I feared."

"What do you mean before?" asked Usagi who was now concerned as everyone was.

"Those sunspots are moving in the exact same way they did a long time ago," explained Artemis grimly. "Back when the Moon Kingdom was destroyed!"

"WHAT?!" all the teen exclaimed with shock.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom inside of Metallia's room, the guardians weren't the only ones who noticed the recent activity of the sunspots. Queen Beryl, Metallia, Kunzite, and Zoisite, were watching them too as Mamoru continued to sleep peacefully in his bed.

"Once those sunspots cover the entire sun," spoke Queen Metallia. "I will finally awaken from my eternal sleep."

"And that time is rapidly approaching," said Kunzite.

"So Queen Metallia is finally going to awaken soon?" asked Zoisite.

"Yes," said Queen Beryl. "When that happens, all that's left is to retrieve the Silver Crystal, then, at last, the world will be ours."

"Speaking of which, I have some good news, my queen," said Kunzite. "We will be able to obtain the Silver Crystal shortly."

Queen Beryl, as well as Zoisite, looked at Kunzite a bit surprised.

"What do you mean, Kunzite?" asked Zoisite

"I have found someone who knows Sailor V's human identity," said Kunzite.

"You have?" Queen Beryl spoke raising a brow in interest. "Go on."

"She is a police officer in England who works with Interpol," explained Kunzite. "What's even better is that this woman once thought of Sailor V as if she were her little sister."

"Well done! That's my Kunzite!" Zoisite spoke with glee. "That is good news!"

Even Queen Beryl was impressed. "How very fascinating," she said. "Find a way to use Sailor V's connection with the Guardians to destroy them all. As for you Zoisite, I want you to keep up the search. If you find anything, I want you to report to me immediately."

"Yes, Queen Beryl," said Kunzite and Zoisite.

Then suddenly, the cocoon above them began to glow emitting a strange ringing sound.

"What's going on here?!" demanded Queen Beryl. "What's that noise?!"

At that moment, the gem that was above Queen Metallia's cocoon began to glow as it shot out a bright purple light of negative energy which took the form of two hands. The hands enveloped Mamoru as they were sucked into his body disappearing.

"I can feel it! This man possesses the same energy wavelength as I do!" Queen Metallia spoke with glee. "Endymion is worthy enough to become my successor!"

She then began to inject even more dark energy into Mamoru's making him groan and writhe in agony as he fell deeper and deeper under her spell.

* * *

Usagi woke up with start having to have just had another nightmare about Mamoru causing Luna to wake up as well.

"What the matter, Usagi?" the black cat asked. "Did you have another nightmare again?"

"Yes... It was Tuxedo Mask again..." Usagi spoke sadly.

Luna then jumped onto Usagi's bed and nuzzled against her soothingly. "It's OK, Usagi. I understand what you're going through, but if all you do is worry, you'll just end up making yourself sick," she said kindly. "You need to make sure you're eating and sleeping enough."

Usagi nodded as she took out a basket of manju that she had been keeping with her. "Well, at least I'm pretty sure that I'm eating enough," she said as she munched on it.

Luna's eyebrow then twitched in irritation. "Guess I was worried for nothing," she grumbled.

Usagi then got out of bed and went over to her window opening it and she gazed up at the night sky. "I will say this, seeing the moonlight sure makes these dumplings taste even better!" she giggled. "Now I'm happy!"

She was just about to take another bite of manju when suddenly, something jumped through her window and collided square in her face causing her to fall flat on her back while Artemis landed on Usagi's bed unharmed.

"Oops! Sorry, Usagi!" apologized Artemis.

Usagi couldn't answer. You see when she and Artemis collided, she accidentally swallowed the manju whole causing it to get caught in her throat. Usagi choked as she tried to swallow, but she couldn't.

"Water!" she croaked. "Somebody get me some water!"

"So Artemis, what's going on?" asked Luna.

"It's trouble, Luna! Big trouble!" said Artemis. "It's Minako! She's disappeared!"

At that moment, Harusuke entered the room who had just woke up due to all the noise.

"Hey... what's going on here?" he mumbled groggily. "Don't you know what time it is?"

Then he saw Usagi choking on the floor. He immediately left the room as Luna and Artemis went on discussing the problem.

"Maybe she went out to try to find the entryway to the Dark Kingdom?" suggested Luna.

"If she did, we would have gone together," Artemis said shaking his head.

"Well... do you have any idea where she could have gone?" asked Luna.

"Just one. She recently got a phone call from a woman named Katrina," said Artemis. "Maybe that phone had something to do with her disappearance."

Then Harusuke returned to the room with a big glass of water. He walked over to Usagi who was still choking on the manju and handed the cup over to her. Usagi eagerly took the cup and gulped down the water enough for her to also swallow the manju.

"Whew! For a moment there, I finally got it down!" Usagi spoke gratefully. "For a minute, I thought I was going to die!"

Luna, Artemis, and Harusuke could only sigh exasperatedly.

"What an idiot..." groaned Luna.

"That's Usagi for you," sighed Harusuke.

* * *

In another part of town, inside of a hotel room, Minako sat with another woman of which was Katrina. She was a few years older than she was, had chestnut brown hair that went to her shoulder, had bright blue eyes, and wore a green shirt with brown pants, a green and brown twinset on top with black pumps, and had pink earrings on her ears.

As she stared out the window, Minako silently sat in a chair not saying a single word appearing to be sad. Until at last, Katrina broke the silence as she walked over to Minako.

"Minako... or should I say Sailor V," she spoke quietly. "I was so happily surprised when I found out that you were still alive. Why didn't you call me and let me know that you were okay?"

Minako silently turned away still on saying a word. Katrina then placed a kind hand on top of hers.

"I hear that you're still active as Sailor V," she went on. "Isn't that right?"

"Y-Yes. It is," Minako finally spoke.

"Well, I want to help you," Katrina said. "You're a member of the Guardians, right? I'd sure like to meet them."

Minako went silent again. Then she spoke in a quiet but firm voice trying to keep her wits.

"Katrina? How's Allan doing?" she asked.

"Oh, he's doing fine," Katrina said as she then took out her wallet and opened it. Inside, was a picture of herself with a young man at the beach. "This was a picture of us when we took a trip to the beach recently. He misses you too by the way."

Minako glanced over at the photo and then up to Katrina. She took notice of a small golden locket necklace that was wrapped around her neck.

"Katrina... You're still wearing that necklace I gave you a while back," she said.

"Why of course, I always treasure it," smiled Katrina. "It was your special birthday present to me after all. Anyway, I really want to help you and I'd like to meet the guardians as well."

Minako paused for a few seconds appearing to be sadder than before. So much so that her eyes began to brim with tears.

"Katrina, you're an outstanding Interpol agent and also the big sister that I've never had," she said. "I know that meeting the Guardians is something you'd enjoy, but I don't want to expose you to that kind of danger!" She then stood up. "I'm so glad that I got to see you, but I have to go! Goodbye, Katarina!"

She then dashed out of the room.

"Minako! Wait!" Katrina called. "Don't go!"

But it was no use. Minako was gone. At that moment, Kunzite appeared. Katrina upon seeing him immediately bowed before her master.

"Master Kunzite, I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't able to get any information from her."

"It doesn't appear that pushing her any further will work," Kunzite hummed. "If that's the case, become the monster Papillon and attack that girl!"

He raised his hand and using his abilities, he implanted some power into Katarina and her body began to warp and change. Her skin became a sickly yellow, she now wore a green fuzzy leotard with some blue padding on the under breast and her abdomen, green gloves that almost went up to her shoulders, green thigh-high boots, and had a large pair of orange butterfly-like wings that sprouted from her head.

When the transformation was finished, Papillon spread her giant wings and burst out of the room on the hunt for Minako, so she could obey her master's will.

* * *

At the docks, Minako stood all by herself lost in her own sadness thinking about Allan. She was holding a picture of herself and Allan back when she was Sailor V. The more she stared at it, the sadder she became. Her heart ached with pain and sorrow as she hugged the photo close to her chest and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Then she noticed something. A small green butterfly appearing to be made of light fluttered past her face which made her puzzled.

"A butterfly in winter?" she puzzled. "How can that be?"

Then the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end for she had sensed danger. Minako immediately jumped out of the way in time for a large green sickle to pierce the ground where she once stood. The sickle turned out to be Papillon who transformed her hand to try and kill Minako.

"Damn it, looks like I missed!" Papillon cursed. "You have died once before, but it would have been much better if you stayed dead!"

"A monster?!" gasped Minako as she immediately pulled out her transformation pen. "VENUS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Minako._

 _ _The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as streams of yellow stars begin to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the stream of stars forms a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground forming a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were orange and her bow being bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she strikes her signature pose.__

* * *

Paillon couldn't believe her eyes. "Impossible! Minako Aino was Sailor Venus the whole time?!"

Sailor Venus taking advantage of the monster's shock went on the attack unleashing her special attack.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

She fired a powerful blast of light from her finger hoping to end it with a single shot, but Papillon immediately defended herself by flapping her wings making strange green dust appear. The dust took the forms of green butterflies made of light like the one Venus saw before and surrounded Papillon making a kind of barrier shielding her from the attack.

"That won't work!" the monster smirked. "I know everything about you, Sailor Venus, from your powers as well as your fighting style to your weaknesses! Now have a taste of mine!"

The butterflies that surrounded her then shot towards Sailor Venus encircling her. Like a snake, the butterflies ensnared her lifting her up off the ground and preventing her from moving making her scream in agony and pain. She tried to break free, but she couldn't. Then looked at Papillon who was cackling in triumph, she saw something familiar about her. Around her neck was a familiar golden locket necklace. That was when Minako realized who Papillon really was.

 _"N-No way...! That necklace!"_ Sailor Venus thought. _"That's... Katarina's! But... why?!"_

"Pl-please Katarina! Don't... do this!" begged Sailor Venus through gritted teeth. "Snap out of it!"

Papillon didn't listen as she brought her hands closer together causing the butterflies to squeeze Sailor Venus even tighter making her scream even louder in pain.

"Now, tell me the identities of the other guardians!" commanded Papillon. "Otherwise, I'll kill you right here and now!"

Then just when it seemed that Sailor Venus was done for, Harusuke, Usagi, Luna, and Artemis arrived on the scene.

"Sailor Venus!" cried Artemis.

"Hold on! We're here to save you!" yelled Harusuke.

"Oh man! That monster's really strong!" squeaked Usagi. "What'll we do?!"

Luna then looked toward the bay and saw an open speedboat. "Over there! We'll use that speedboat to escape!"

"Luna?! Are you insane?!" cried Usagi. "Neither Harusuke and I don't even know how to drive a boat!"

"Then turn yourself into a real sailor!" Luna said. "Or did you forget as usual?"

Harusuke then understood. "That's it! The Disguise Pen!" he said. "Usagi can turn itself into sailor and gain the skills to drive the boat!"

Usagi not wasting any time immediately took out the Disguise Pen and activated its power.

"MOON POWER! Turn me into a cute seafaring sailor!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Usagi's clothes changed into a white and blue sailor's uniform with a hat to match on top of her head. At the very same time, Luna and Artemis pounced at Papillon clawing and biting at her. Papillon tried to shake them off, but in her haste, she stumbled backward until he fell right over the edge of the bay falling into the water with a splash. Luckily, the two cats jumped off her just before she hit the water.

Now no longer controlling them, the butterflies that trapped Sailor Venus immediately disappeared freeing her as she fell towards the ground. Harusuke then ran forward and just before Sailor Venus hit the ground, he managed to catch her in his arms just in time.

"Now's our chance!" called Artemis. "Let's get out of here before she recovers!"

Harusuke while carrying Sailor Venus, Luna, and Artemis then ran over to the boat as Usagi started the engine. Soon, they were speeding along the water hoping to get away from Papillon as soon as possible. Harusuke then looked over Sailor Venus making sure that she was unharmed.

"Sailor Venus, are you alright?" asked Harusuke.

"I'm fine. Thanks," replied Sailor Venus. "But... how did you all figure out where to find me?"

"Well, we searched every hotel's database for a guest named Katarina," said Artemis.

"That's how we found out she was staying at the Harbor View Hill Hotel," finished Luna.

"Once we found that out, we rushed straight over," added Harusuke. "And it's a good thing we did."

"So what do we do now?" asked Usagi as she drove the boats. "We have to get- WAH!"

As Usagi looked back, she then saw a horrible sight behind her causing everyone else to look back too. Several feet away, Papillon who had managed to recover was following close behind them in hot pursuit.

"Oh crap! She found us!" cried Luna. "Usagi! You might wanna put the medal to medal on this one!"

"Right! I'm gonna give this boat everything it's got!" Usagi cried

She slammed her foot on the pedal and with a roar of its engine, the boat sped up going faster and faster as Papillon shrank from few getting further and further away from them.

"Looks like we managed to get away," Harusuke spoke with relief.

"Nice job, Usagi," said Sailor Venus. "I owe you and Harusuke one."

"No problem!" Usagi said with a wink. "You can count on me!"

Then Usagi and Harusuke looked at Sailor Venus. She was now once again looking very sad much to their worry.

Then Luna spoke up. "Hey, Usagi! Get us over to that abandoned ship that's anchored over there!" she called pointing to the right. "We can hide out over there!"

Usagi looked to where Luna was pointing and saw the ship and with a turn of the wheel, directed the speedboat toward the abandoned liner.

They soon arrived at the liner and climbed onboard. Knowing that Papillon would soon find them, they quickly headed down the hall until they came to a large room. It appeared to be a dining hall in appearance with a large bar on the other side.

"Well, it certainly looks like there's no one on board," said Usagi quietly.

"I wonder why this place looks so abandoned?" wondered Harusuke.

"Never mind that now," said Artemis. "We need to stay alert. That monster probably knows that we escaped to this ship by now."

"Speaking of the monster, you called it Katarina, didn't you Sailor Venus?" wondered Luna. "What's your connection to this person?"

Sailor Venus was unresponsive not saying a word.

"H-Hey. Take it easy, Luna," Usagi scolded. "Maybe she doesn't really want to talk about it."

"No... It's okay..." Sailor Venus spoke quietly. "You were all going to find out eventually, so... I might as well tell you everything."

She took a deep breath and then began her story as Usagi and the others all sat at the bar and listened.

"It happened around six months ago. I found myself in London, following up on information that there was a Dark Kingdom monster somewhere in England. That's when I met a young man named Alan, and... I fell in love.

But... one day, I somehow found myself at a crime scene. A bulgar was making his getaway from a policewoman on the job. The bulgar soon took a little girl hostage, but, the man turned out the monster I was searching for and soon disposed of it and saved the little girl. That was when I met Katarina and we became the best of friends. She gave me good advice, helped me with my studies, and we even saw the sights together always having fun. I loved her like a big sister and she always cared and looked after me like I was her little sister. Of course, I introduced her to Alan and the three of us were having fun too.

Then one day, something happened. Katarina and I had tracked down a criminal in an old warehouse and were planning to arrest him, but then I was surprised by a grenade. The warehouse was completely destroyed. Luckily, I managed to get away just in time, but... I saw Allan and Katarina. Katarina was in grief because she thought I was killed in the blast and told Allan what happened. The two then embraced each other lovingly and that was when I realized... that Allan and Katarina were more than just friends. I had no idea that they were in love. That was when I decided to leave and disappeared from their lives. I figured that remaining dead to them would probably be best for their happiness."

"So that's why you returned to Japan," Luna spoke quietly.

"You wanted to forget the sad memories by devoting yourself to fighting evil," Artemis spoke in a stunned voice.

"Sailor Venus... we... had no idea," spoke Harusuke apologetically.

"That's... so unfair!" Usagi wept tears trickling down her face. "That's so sad..."

Sailor Venus looked away not saying anything more. Harusuke could only stare at Sailor Venus completely stunned and feeling sorry for her too.

Then suddenly, the lights of the dining room suddenly turned on completely destroying the sad mood. At that moment, Papillon walked in having to have heard everything.

"So were those tears of yours, tears of joy brought on by the thought of killing you?" she sneered. "Don't worry. I'll make sure this becomes the site of your graves!"

Usagi glared at Papillon her eyes burning with anger. "You shut up! I'm in a really bad mood right now, so you'd better think twice about messing with me!"

"That goes for me too!" Harusuke spoke who was just as cross. "If you play with fire, you're gonna get burned!"

The two then immediately transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a faceplate covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"So you two are Solaris and Sailor Moon?!" Papillon said. "I should've guessed."

"At this point, we don't care if you know who we are," said Sailor Moon. "I am the Pretty Guardian for fights for love and justice, I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who fights for love and justice!" Solaris spoke. "I am Solaris!"

"In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"In the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Just what the hell are you two blabbering about?!" Papillon groaned. "Your heroic speeches are nothing but nonsense!"

The monster then warped her hand making it into a sharp scythe and pounced at the three guardians. Everyone immediately got out of the way dodging the incoming attack. Papillon then rebounded and shot towards the guardians again with her scythe poised. Normally, Sailor Moon would be scared screaming her head off, but not today. She stood bravely before Papillon ready to fight.

"I absolutely refuse to run away!" she proclaimed. "I won't let you get away with trying to break the heart of a young girl that's in love!" She then took off her tiara transforming it into an energy disc and fired. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Papillon tried to get out of the way of Sailor Moon's attack, but it was too late. The attack his her square in the stomach sending her flying and crashing into the tables. At the same time, the necklace that she had around her neck fell off and landed right in front of Sailor Venus.

"Holy crap, Sailor Moon's more fired up than usual!" Solaris gasped. "I've never seen her this angry before!"

Sailor Moon ignored Solaris and she stomped her way towards a stunned Papillon getting ready to use her attack again. At that moment, Solaris rushed on over and stopped her.

"Sailor Moon, wait! What are you doing?!" demanded Solaris.

"What do you think? I'm gonna destroy that monster!" replied Sailor Moon.

"Hold on a minute, Sailor Moon! You can't" protested Solaris. "That may be a monster, but that monster's still a human!"

"I don't care, Solaris!" Sailor Moon spoke angrily. "This monster made Minako suffer and I intend to make her pay for it!"

"I understand that you feel bad for Sailor Venus, but this isn't gonna make things better!" interjected Solaris. "If you killed her now, you'd only regret it! Think about how Sailor Venus would feel!"

As the two siblings continued to argue, Sailor Venus picked up the locket on the floor which had also been opened. She then looked at the photo inside and what she saw her eyes fill with tears. It was a picture of herself as Minako, Allan, and Katarina all smiling happily. She then looked over towards Sailor Moon and Solaris who were still fighting.

"Please stop, Sailor Moon!" she cried. "Please don't hurt her!"

This made Sailor Moon and Solaris stop fighting as Sailor Venus continued to stare at the picture in the necklace.

"It's my fault! I'm the real reason she was turned into a monster," she went on tearfully. "Katarina knew that I was a Guadian and that's why the Dark Kingdom used her to do their bidding. She's not to blame for all this!"

"But you loved her like a big sister and then she betrayed you!" protested Sailor Moon.

"I don't care..." Sailor Venus wept as the tears began to stream down her face. "Please... Save her... For me..."

Now Sailor Moon was crying too. "How could you be so nice to her?!" she snapped. "She stole the man you loved!"

"No... Allan chose her," Sailor Venus sniffed. "Katarina was the person that she fell in love with. Please... help her..."

Sailor Moon stared at Sailor Venus not believing what she was hearing. Then Solaris then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, Sailor Moon. Help Katarina for Sailor Venus's sake," he spoke in a quiet and kind voice. "Don't let your anger cloud your judgment for doing the right thing. It's what a real princess would do."

Sailor Moon squeezed her hands and she looked to the floor biting her lip. At that moment, Papillon managed to get back on her feet and was preparing to strike again. Solaris immediately stood in front of Sailor Moon and Venus and fired a beam of light at her.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

Papillon was immediately ensnared by Solaris' attack struggling as she tried to escape. Sailor Moon finally made her decision as she took out her Moon Stick activating it.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

In a powerful blast of sparkles and light, Sailor Moon scored a direct hit returning Papillon back to Katarina. Overjoyed that her friend was back to normal, Sailor Venus immediately rushed over to her wrapping her arms around her in a hug as she regained consciousness.

"Katarina! You're back!" Sailor Venus cried with relief. "I'm so glad!"

Katarina realizing that it was Minako then returned her embrace and began to shed tears of relief and joy. "Minako... I'm so sorry..." she sobbed. "I had no idea about your feelings for him. I thought you were still just a child. Please forgive me."

Sailor Venus responded by hugging her tighter as she cried tears of joy as well as sorrow.

* * *

Later on, Minako stood alone by the pier with Usagi and the others watching her from afar.

"So what happened with Minako?" wondered Rei.

"She looks so sad," said Ami.

"You think that we should go over to try and cheer her up or something?" asked Makoto.

"I... think that it would be best if we left her alone for now," said Usagi. "Besides, Minako is a lot more grown-up than any of us."

Everyone all stared at Usagi surprised and confused by her words.

Minako continued to stand by the pier staring into the ocean as the morning sun started to rise from the horizon. She then took out the photo of herself and Allan. At that moment, Harusuke walked up standing right beside her.

"You sure about this, Minako?" he asked quietly.

"This is how it should be," she said to herself. "After all, he chose Katarina. As long as they're both happy, that's all that matters."

She then took one last look at the photo in the hands as the wind whipped around the two. The wind blew the photo out of her hands and carried it up and away out of sight. Harusuke then looked at Minako.

"I won't ask if you're feeling okay, Minako," he said. "But I will say... that I was moved by what you did. It takes a real woman to let go of the person she loves the most like that. You should be proud."

Minako gave a sad smile in response as she looked towards the sky as morning wind continued to blow.


	44. Chapter 43

It was a dark and moonlight night outside of Tokyo. Everything was still and not a single sound could be heard.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken with the quick pitter-patter of running feet as six shadows dashed about in the night. One of the shadows was Sailor Moon who was running as fast as she could while the other five shadows who were the other guardians pursued her. Eventually, they all reached an open area and seizing their chance, the other guardians leaped into the air and landed in front of them not only cutting her off but also had her surrounded.

"We got you now, Sailor Moon," Solaris called out. "Surrender now and we'll make this as painless as possible."

"No way!" Sailor Moon spoke defiantly. "I will never surrender!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Sailor Jupiter spoke coolly.

"Then we've got no other choice," spoke Sailor Venus as she took a stance.

"This is it then," Sailor Mercury said who seemed to be somewhat resentful. "Goodbye, stupid girl."

Sailor Mars then stepped forward and began charging her power into her fingertips. "Sailor Moon, prepare yourself!" she spoke. "In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you! MARS FIRE SOUL!"

She then unleashed a powerful fireball at Sailor Moon's feet. She meant to target only Sailor Moon but ended up putting so much power into her attack, that it not only hit Sailor Moon, but it also hit the other guardians as well. All of the guardians yelped and hopped around trying to avoid the flames licking at their feet.

 _"Whoops. I... guess I overdid it a little,"_ Sailor Mars thought embarrassed.

As this turn of events continued, someone was watching the guardians from the shadows behind a tree unknown to anyone. She eyed the guardians carefully for about a few seconds or so, then it disappeared into the night.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, the orb that was on top of Queen Beryl's scepter began to glow wildly with power as it sparked and shimmered radiating with energy. Queen Beryl shouldn't help but shield her eyes as did Kunzite and Zoisite. A few seconds later, the orb calmed down, the glow fading away.

"That was another unusual burst of energy," spoke Queen Beryl.

"In these past few days, there have been several energy reactions similar to what we just saw," said Kunzite. "I suspect that it might have something to do with the Silver Crystal."

"How so?" wondered Queen Beryl.

"We should have an answer right now, my queen," said Zoisite as he turned around. "Oniwabandana? Are you there?"

At that moment, a monster came rising from the floor of the throne room until it's full appearance could be seen. The monster basically looked like a ninja, female, had long brown-gray hair in a long ponytail with a red headband holding up her bangs, wore a black kunoichi dress that exposed her green skin with dark brown-red armor on her arms and legs with knee-high shoes to go with it. She also had a red kerchief tied around her left leg just above the knee.

"Yes, sir. Oniwabandana, at your service," the monster spoke bowing.

"Have you figured out what the cause of the energy readings are?" asked Kunzite.

"Yes, I have, Ban Ban," replied Oniwabandana as she took out to photographs from her outfit. "Take a look for yourselves."

She then threw the two photographs. One went to Kunzite and the other went to Queen Beryl and with Zoisite looking over with Kunzite, they all looked at the photographs At first there was nothing to see, but then Oniwabandana made a camera gesture with her hands and winked. At that moment, both of the pictures were shown and to Beryl's, Kunzite's, and Zoisite's surprise, each of the photographs revealed a picture of Sailor Moon fighting with the other guardians.

"The source of the unusual energy turned out to be from the guardians," explained Oniwabandana. "In fact, it's happening because Sailor Moon apparently had a fall out with the other guardians and have been fighting each other ever since. Ban Ban."

"Could it be true? Sailor Moon and the other guardians at odds with each other?" pondered Queen Beryl doubtfully. "How very peculiar. There's a possibility that this could be some kind of trap. Kunzite. Zoisite. What do you two make of this?"

Kunzite took a few seconds pondering as he looked at the photo.

"I'd like some additional proof," he said at last. "I would normally say that this could work into our favor, but something about this seems strange."

"I agree. This seems way too suspicious," agreed Zoisite. "I'm all for taking down the guardians while they're at their worst, but this seems way too easy."

"Very well," said Queen Beryl. "Continue watching them, but make sure you stay on guard."

Kunzite then turned to his new recruit. "Oniwabandana, go back and continue your investigation. Make sure you keep a sharp eye on them."

"Consider it done," acknowledged Oniwabandana as she disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

The next night, the town of Juuban was quiet as it should be, but then the silence of the night was broken by the sound of shattering glass over at Osa-P Jewellers which was also the residence of Naru and her mother. Oniwabandana had just punched through one of the displays of jewelry grabbing a fistful with her hand. Then the lights came on and Oniwabandana heard a voice.

"Who's there?!"

The ninja snapped her head to the right and was surprised to see Naru and her mother standing there both carrying kitchen utensils for weapons. Upon seeing her, Naru and her mother began to lose their nerve as they squealed with fright. Oniwabandana now knowing that the two weren't a threat, immediately fired multiple mini kunais at them. Luckily, they all missed pinning Naru and her mother to the wall by their clothing, but Naru's mother was so frightened, she immediately fainted falling unconscious.

"Sorry, but I'll be taking these jewels," Oniwabanda spoke cackling. "And I can't have any witnesses, so..."

She then took out another kunai and was just about to throw it at Naru, when a voice was heard.

"Stop right there!"

Oniwabandana immediately stopped turning around to see that a certain sailor guardian was now standing before her much to Naru's relief.

"It's Sailor Moon!" she cried joyfully.

"That's right! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice," she proclaimed. "And now, in the name of the Moon-!"

But Sailor Moon was rudely interrupted as someone gave her a sharp kick to her behind making her fall flat on her face with a thump. Oniwabandana and Naru were surprised to see that the kick came from none other than Sailor Mars of which had also arrived along with the other Guardians. Sailor Moon got up her nose red from hitting the floor and glared crossly at Sailor Mars.

"What'd you do that for?!" she demanded.

"Stop acting like you're the only cool one here," Sailor Mars said.

"Well, your kick ruined my pretty face by flattening it!" Sailor Moon snapped.

"Well, it is better than before," Sailor Mars smirked snootily. "In fact, I'd say it's a big improvement."

Sailor Moon's face went red with fury. "What did you say?!" she growled.

"What are you even doing here?" asked Sailor Jupiter rudely. "Last time I checked, no one invited you."

"Yeah. In fact, I was the one who heard about this crime first," said Sailor Mercury.

"So do us all a favor and butt out," added Sailor Venus.

"I'm willing to bet that you eavesdropped on us just to steal our thunder," went on Sailor Mars. "Well, you can forget it, so leave."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of thief!" Sailor Moon snapped now angrier than ever.

"Just shut up, will you!"

"You shut up! You're standing in my way!"

"You got in my way first!"

"You're the one that's being lame!"

"Me?! Lame?! What about you?!"

As Sailor Moon and the other guardians all continued to bicker and argue, Naru could only watch deeply shocked and dumbfounded.

"What the heck is going on here?!" she spoke incredulously.

Solaris then suddenly appeared next to her. "Isn't it obvious? Sailor Moon and the other guardians are fighting. Just as they always did."

Naru looked at Solaris. "Well, shouldn't you go try and break them up or something?!"

Solaris shook his head. "Are you nut? No way, Jose. I ain't gonna get involved in that hot mess," he said. "If it's one thing I learned, a man should never get involved in a catfight. Especially if those cats can scratch and claw you."

While this was going on, Oniwabandana saw this as an opportunity and quickly hid behind a pillar and while no one else was looking, switched into her human form which was a young woman with a long brown colored ponytail that wore a red long-sleeved button-down with a brown vest, blue bellbottom pants with a yellow star on each of the thigh, and white platform shoes, and also had a large camera that hung around her neck.

She then ran out from her hiding place and began several pictures of the Guardians causing everyone to stop arguing immediately. The camera was flashing so brightly, that everyone had to shield their eyes.

"Hey! Quit that!" complained Sailor Moon.

"Just what we need, paparazzi!" grumbled Sailor Mars.

"Guardians fighting each other at the scene of the crime! This is gonna be a huge scoop!" the woman cried gleefully.

"And who the heck are you?" demanded Solaris.

"I'm a freelance writer for the Weekly Dokkiri," the woman said with a wink as she continued taking pictures.

"Hey, I've heard of that!" Sailor Venus spoke with a hint of disgust. "That's the sleazy photo magazine that prints just about anything, even sleazy stories that aren't are completely untrue, isn't that right?"

"Pretty much," smiled the woman brightly as she then took out a tape recorder pressing the record button. "So what's the cause of this fight between you guys? Care to comment?"

"Well... uh... no! We were just... horsing around!" Sailor Moon spoke nervously. "We get along just fine! There's no way that Guardians like us would really fight with each other. We're a happy team of heroes! Right, guys?"

Sailor Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus turned away from Sailor Moon with a huff in response. Sailor Moon then looked at Solaris who was still standing next to Naru.

"Solaris! Help me out here!" she begged.

"Sorry, but I'm staying out of this one," Solaris spoke waving his hand. "Besides, I don't do journalists."

Sailor Moon was at a loss for words as the woman continued pressing for answers for her interview.

"I knew it! There is something wrong between you guys!" she spoke eagerly as she held her tape holder close to them. "Let me guess, you're tired of dealing with Sailor Moon messing up all the time. Or maybe it's a boy issue. Does it have anything to do with Solaris?"

At that moment, the other guardians had enough as did Solaris.

"That's it. I'm done," said Solaris as he walked out.

"Me too. This is stupid," agreed Sailor Venus.

"I'm going home," said Sailor Jupiter.

"H-hey! Wait a minute! Come back!" called the woman as she gave chase. "You can tell me!"

Sailor Moon now found herself all alone dumbfounded and confused. "What was that all about?" she wondered. Then she saw Naru who was still pinned to the wall suddenly remembered. "Wait a second! The monster!" She then looked around whipping her head back and forth trying to see where Oniwabandana went. "Where'd that monster go, anyway?!"

"I think she kinda got away while you were all busy fighting," said Naru.

Sailor Moon's body then slumped, her head hung with disappointment. "I-Is that so...?" she spoke sheepishly.

"Yeah," said Naru. "So... you mind getting me and my Mom out of this now?"

Sailor Moon immediately snapped out of her depression and blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh yeah! Sorry about that!" she apologized. "I'll get you out!"

As she did so, she didn't know that she was being watched by the disguised Oniwabandana right outside of the door. However, she wasn't the only one being watched. At that same time, Artemis and Luna were keeping a close eye on her as they carefully observed her from the rooftops.

* * *

The next day as they walked to school, Naru was explaining to Usagi and Harusuke everything that had happened the other night.

"...and then the thief was able to get away," she finished. "It was so crazy."

"Sounds like you had one heck of a night, Naru," said Harusuke. "You were lucky that you didn't get hurt."

"Yeah, but you know what the weirdest part was?" wondered Naru.

"What?" asked Usagi.

"It seemed that Sailor Moon were having a fight," said Naru.

"N-No way! You're kidding," Usagi spoke trying to feign surprise. "I-I don't know about the other guardians, but Sailor Moon is cute and sweet. She's not the type of person who would fight or argue."

Then suddenly, the same woman from the other night popped out from out of nowhere thrusting her tape recorder right in front of Usagi's face catching everyone by surprise.

"Say, tell me more about who you were just talking about!" she said eagerly.

 _"Oh no! It's her again!"_ Usagi thought.

 _"Oh, great! That's all we need!"_ Harusuke thought.

"Allow me to introduce myself," said the woman as she handed the teens her information card. "My name is Nana Asahina, a freelance writer. Pleased to meet you. Now then, you three seem to know quite a lot about Sailor Moon which leads me to believe that you're all close. Isn't that right?"

"Well... I guess you could say that," Usagi said nervously.

"Careful, Usagi," warned Harusuke.

"Ah! I see! So, Sailor Moon wouldn't fight or argue. What exactly makes you say that?" Nana continued.

Usagi and Harusuke could only look at Naru begging her for help. Nana then started pressing Naru for answers.

"Ah! That's right! Based on my sources, you've been saved by Sailor Moon lots of times, isn't that right? In fact, you were there last night, so you must have been able to talk with her, right? Was she saying anything bad about the other guardians?"

"OK. That's enough!" snapped Harusuke now clearly fed up. "We don't know anything about what's going on with Sailor Moon and the Guardians, so why don't you take a hike and get lost?! We're in a rush here! Come on, girls. Let's go."

And with that, Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru raced away leaving Nana behind.

"Just give me a call when you can, okay?!" Nana called back.

"Geez! Now there's a woman who doesn't know when to quit!" Usagi panted as she ran.

"No kidding!" agreed Harusuke. "She's so persistent, she's like a rash that won't go away!"

As soon as they left, Nana went on her way. Then she saw something that went by on top of a wall next to her from the corner of her eye, but when she looked, she didn't see anything. Not really thinking much of it, she continued on. At that moment, Artemis and Luna came out from the corner of the wall still keeping a close eye on Nana making sure that she didn't see them.

* * *

Later that night at the Hikawa Shrine, Sailor Moon and the guardians were at it again. This time, all of the other guardians were attacking Sailor Moon at once. Sailor Jupiter came in with a mighty kick, but Sailor Moon managed to block it by crossing her arms. Sailor Venus attacked by swinging a tree branch right at Sailor Moon's head of which she dodged by ducking. Sailor Mercury attacked next, but unlike the other two, she attacked Sailor Moon in one of the worst ways possible. Math.

"What is the square root of two?!" she cried out.

Sailor Moon stared dumbly at her not being able to answer. At that moment, Solaris came at her from above, a giant ball of light hovering from his hand.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

He then punched the ball of light making it shoot toward Sailor Moon. However, the Moon Guardian was able to dodge by jumping backward. At that moment and seizing her chance, Sailor Mars appeared right behind Sailor Moon and gave her a swift kick on her bum causing her to fall onto the hard ground flat on her face like the night before.

"Ouch! That hurt Mars!" Sailor Moon wailed. "You kicked me for real that time!"

"Well, of course, I did. That's kinda the whole point," Sailor Mars spoke. "If I don't get serious, then what's the point of all this training?"

"But, there was definitely hate in that kick! I know what I felt!" Sailor Moon pouted grumpily as she stood back up. Then she glared suspiciously. "Wait a minute... Don't tell me that you're..."

"Wh-what are you looking at me like that for?! This whole plan of us having a bit fallout with you was your idea!" objected Sailor Mars. "So don't go playing the blame game and stop acting like a wimp!"

"I'm not being a wimp!" Usagi snapped back. "It's absolutely necessary up to us to rescue Tuxedo Mask from the clutches of the Dark Kingdom!"

"That's exactly why we have to make it look convincing that we're really fighting to whoever's watching us," said Sailor Mars.

"But now, my butt's really hurting now," complained Sailor Moon holding her bum in agony. "I think you kicked it, so hard that there's a crack in it."

"Did... did you just say that to make a joke or an innuendo?" asked Solaris incredulously.

Sailor Mars then stomped over to Sailor Moon ignoring Solaris' question. "Enough! Listen, unless it really looks like we mean it, they're sure as heck not gonna invite an enemy like you to their hangout! Got it?!"

"I know, I know," groaned Sailor Moon. "That was the plan."

"Mars is right on this one, Sailor Moon," said Luna. "This plan of yours is really dangerous, Sailor Moon, so you gotta do some serious acting if you're gonna get the Dark Kingdom to buy it."

"All right! I get it already!" sighed Sailor Moon.

* * *

The very next morning, everyone met up at the Hikawa Shrine to discuss the recent events.

"Say Artemis, did you happen to find out anything about that reporter who showed up the other day at the jewelry store?" asked Minako.

"Yeah. There's something pretty suspicious about her," said Artemis.

He then showed the teens a tabloid bookmarked at a particular page. Sure enough, as Minako opened it, there was an article about them with a picture of them in big letters; SAILOR MOON DISBANDING? TEAM QUARRELING!

"Aha! I knew it!" Usagi gasped.

"Check this out!" said Minako as she along with everyone else read through the article. "She already wrote the story!"

"Well, she certainly didn't waste any time," said Harusuke. "You gotta hand it to her, she works pretty fast."

"Oh man! I look so stupid in that photo!" complained Usagi. "I'm making such a funny face!"

"That's how you always look Usagi," Rei said snootily. "So they're really nothing for you to worry about."

Usagi immediately glared at Rei her face burning with fury. "What did you say?!" she growled threateningly.

"Cut it out, you two," sighed Minako.

"Anyway, this freelance reporter just appeared out of nowhere and she's already successful and popular," went on Artemis. "She's had big scoops on every political and entertainment story out there. It's like she already knows where to go before it even happens."

"You think that she's been turned into a monster?" wondered Minako.

"Yes. It's very much likely," nodded Artemis.

"Yeah! That fact that a monster is contacting us is good!" said Usagi excitedly. "That means my awesome plan of mine is working!"

"It could also be a coincidence," pointed out Ami.

Usagi enthusiasm immediately deflated. "Ami... come on... at least try to sound happy."

"But she is right, Usagi. There is a possibility that it could be a coincidence," said Harusuke. "In fact, it's possible that the Dark Kingdom could already know about this little plan of ours. Which is why we need to make sure that this plan works otherwise we'll miss our chance to save Mamoru."

"Then I say we get this show on the road," said Makoto.

"But Usagi, your plan's awfully risky," Luna spoke worriedly. "Are you sure that you wanna go through with this?"

"Oh, come on, Luna. It'll be fine," Makoto reassured. "I mean why worry? She knows we got her back. Right, Usagi?"

"Uh... yeah. Sure," Usagi said doubtfully.

"Are you really sure?" Rei asked sensing her doubt. "Because I don't mind going in your place."

Usagi's eyes immediately narrowed as she gave Rei an accusing glare. "Why would you ask me that?" she asked suspiciously. "I go and get myself beat up training for this and now you want to take over as the leader?"

Rei stared at Usagi dumbfounded and speechless while everyone else groaned exasperatedly.

"Usagi, you're totally overthinking this," Harusuke spoke shaking his head. "You and Rei may have your differences, but she would never be as mean as that."

"Well, if Rei wasn't so hard on me, this'd be a lot easier," Usagi grumped.

"Then just stop messing up all the time," Rei spoke hotly.

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

The two gazed grimly at each other and immediately made Akanbe faces taunting each other while everyone else could only watch sweatdropping in exasperation.

"Now, it's turned into a real fight for real," groaned Ami.

"Well, at least they got into their respective acting roles," Harusuke muttered.

Everyone sighed in agreement.

* * *

A little bit later, Usagi and Luna were walking over to Nana's place with Usagi carrying a pink letter. Soon enough, they arrived at the location thanks to the card that Nana gave them and Usagi and Luna couldn't believe their eyes. Before them, was an enormous house that had the appearance of a mansion that was colored white, gold, and red.

"Wow! This apartment is amazing!" gasped Usagi with wonder. "I envy her! I sure wish I could get a place as nice as this!"

"This isn't the time to be admiring her, Usagi!" Luna spoke sternly. "Don't forget that she could be a monster!"

Usagi then snapped out of her amazement as she looked back at the main gate. Behind the gate, all the other guardians were hiding just outside of it every one of them giving Usagi the peace sign for good luck. Usagi could only laugh awkwardly as she walked up to the door ringing the doorbell. The door opened and she was immediately greeted by Nana.

"Oh! Welcome!" Nana smiled. "How may I help you?"

Usagi then gave her a pink envelope. "Um... Sailor Moon dropped by and she asked me to give this to you," she spoke trying not to sound nervous.

Nana took the pink envelope and opened it reading the letter inside of it.

"I have decided that I don't want to be the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice anymore," she read aloud. "I don't want to fight alongside teammates who don't respect me or treat me fairly. I'd also like to give you a shocking confession as well. Meet me at the Juuban Cemetery tonight at eleven pm."

When she finished reading, she was surprised but she also felt very elated for this big scoop. "Thank you so much for the letter," she said. "But why did she have you deliver this?"

Usagi gulped. "I-I don't know!" she squeaked nervously. "I guess... people have always told me that I have a trustworthy face for delivering letters!"

"Seriously? What kind of answer is that?!" Luna groaned in her head. "That is a total lie if I ever heard one!"

"Well, thanks to you, I have got myself another great scoop," smiled Nana. "I owe you one."

"I'm... glad that I could help you out," Usagi smiled nervously.

Unknown to Usagi's eyes gleamed in delight. _"Master Kunzite's going to want to know about this,"_ she thought.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite and Zoisite were waiting for Oniwabandana to report back with news. At that moment, Oniwabandana appeared before them.

"Oniwabandana, you've come back," said Kunzite. "How are things proceeding?

Oniwabandana then pulled out the note that Usagi had given her and threw it to Kunzite. Kunzite then skimmed over the note and a slight smirk worked its way to his features.

"What does it say, Kunzite?" wondered Zoisite.

"Sailor Moon has had a change of heart it seems," said Kunzite. "Apparently, she's broken away from her little group."

"Are you serious?!" gasped Zoisite.

"Yes. Which is why, I think it's about time for us to make our appearance," Kunzite spoke as he burned the letter in his hand.

* * *

Nightfall came and the clock had begun to strike eleven in the Juuban cemetery. Sailor Moon stood all alone feeling nervous and scared but determined to see this plan through. As the clock continued to ring, Sailor Moon waited and she waited for Nana to arrive. Then on the sixth toll of the bell, Oniwabandana appeared while Sailor Moon wasn't looking. No sooner than she appeared, she quickly transformed into her human appearance as Sailor Moon turned around sensing her.

"N-Nana! You startled me!" she spoke feeling startled.

"Thank you for your letter, Sailor Moon," Nana said winking. "So, is it true that you want to leave the Guardians forever?"

"That's right! I don't even want to look at them anymore!" Sailor Moon said.

"Really?" spoke Nana. "You're sure about that?"

"Yes. Really," Sailor Moon nodded. "I'm definitely sure!"

"Very good. In that case..."

Nana made a few quick signs with her hands. Then as she floated up into the air, she spun around and around until she finally stopped now transformed into her Oniwabandana form. At that very same time, Kunzite and Zoisite then appeared standing on top of the clock much to Sailor Moon's surprise.

"Kunzite?! Zoisite?! Meeting you wasn't part of the agreement!" Sailor Moon spoke indignantly. "I thought I was here for an interview!"

Oniwabandana nearly fell over in surprise. "That's not happening, you fool!" she snapped. "The interview is off!"

"So, we've recently heard about you breaking up with the other guardians," said Kunzite. "You know, if you join us, you'd be able to see Endymion any time you want."

Sailor Moon flinched upon hearing that, but she didn't give in to that temptation. "Don't be ridiculous!" she spoke defiantly. "I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice and I don't plan on stopping!"

"Well, that's truly a shame. For you that is," said Zoisite feigning pity. "Right now, Endymion can't even move and isn't going to any time soon."

Sailor Moon was now worried. "Wh-What?! Is he sick?! Tell me!"

"Who knows? One thing's for sure, seeing you would help him get well," smirked Zoisite. "In fact, he would be delighted to see you again."

"And we know that while asking you to join our side is an impossible request," went on Kunzite. "But wouldn't you like to see Endymion again?"

"Y-You'll... you'll take me to him?" asked Sailor Moon tentatively.

Kunzite and Zoisite then jumped off the clock and landed just in front of Sailor Moon.

"Of course, but only on one condition," Zoisite spoke raising a finger. "You can't just get something out of nothing you know."

"And what condition is that?" asked Sailor Moon.

Kunzite then held out his hand. "Hand over the Silver Crystal," he said. "Need I remind you that if you pass up this chance, you'll never see Endymion alive again."

Sailor Moon now was feeling desperate. She wanted more than anything to see Endymion once more, but she wasn't exactly thrilled of handing over the Silver Crystal over. This was certainly an unforeseen part of her plan that she didn't expect.

 _"What should I do?! Tuxedo Mask must be ill from what Kunzite said,"_ she thought. _"But how do we know that they're telling the truth?! What if Tuxedo Mask's in danger?!"_

"Well, what's your answer? Ban ban?" demanded Oniwabandana.

"Are you going to hand it over or not?" asked Kunzite.

Sailor Moon after taking a few seconds of thinking then made her decision.

"All right. I'll give it to you," she said in resignation. "But first, I want to make sure that Tuxedo Mask is okay!"

Kunzite and Zoisite smirked with triumph and the two were just about to open a portal to the Dark Kingdom when a whisper reached Oniwabandana's ear.

"All right. Looks like they fell or it."

This did not go unnoticed by the ninja and she looked behind her. A few feet away hiding in the bushes and trees were the other guardians.

"Master Kunzite. Master Zoisite," she whispered. "Look behind us."

Kunzite and Zoisite did and saw the guardians as well much to their surprise.

"Damn it! So it was a trap!" cursed Zoisite. "I should've known those guardians had a trick up their sleeve."

Sailor Moon unaware that her plan had been exposed bravely took a step. "All right, then. I'm ready," she said bravely. "Let's get going. If I ever see Sailor Mars or the others again, it'll be too soon!"

"I must say, I like your hate-filled resolve," Kunzite spoke.

And with a wave of his hand exerting his power, Kunzite made a dark black portal appear just behind Sailor Moon causing the girl to jump in surprise.

"That is the entryway to the Dark Kingdom," said Kunzite. "If you step through there, you'll be taken directly to Endymion."

Sailor Moon was glad her plan was going well, but now she felt terrified as she stared into the dark void that seemed endless.

"Man... That sure is one creepy entrance," she squeaked.

"What's wrong? Having second thoughts?" mocked Zoisite. "There's no shame in turning back."

"I'm going, okay?!" Sailor Moon snapped. "Geez, you're so mean, you're just like Sailor Mars!" She then took a deep breath and plucked up her courage. "Hold on, Tuxedo Mask. I'm coming for you."

She was just about to step into the portal when suddenly, Oniwabandana grabbed her bandana and made it extend wrapping it around Sailor Moon's neck much to the other Guardian's horror.

"Now, hand over the Crystal! Ban ban!" Oniwabandana demanded.

"No! I won't do it!" Sailor Moon spoke with gritted teeth. "Not until I see Tuxedo Mask!"

"Sorry, but it's a little too late for that!" Oniwabandana said as she tightened bandana around Sailor Moon's neck. "I guess you'll die right here! And once you die, we'll take the Silver Crystal from you! Ban ban!"

"No, you don't because the Silver Crystal... isn't even here!" Sailor Moon choked out.

"Like that even matters to us," said Kunzite snootily. "Once you're dead, there will be anyone else left who can use the Silver Crystal."

"It's useless. Looks like you just dug your own grave," Zoisite cackled.

Sailor Moon desperately tried to break free from the bandana around her neck, but it held her firmly as it started to choke and suffocate her. All the guardians could do was sit in their hiding place and watch unsure of what to do.

"She's in trouble!" Sailor Mercury spoke urgently.

"We have to help her!" Sailor Jupiter said as she started to get up and rush in.

"Wait! We can't!" Sailor Mars spoke raising her hand. "If we rescue her now, this whole plan will have been for nothing!"

"Just hold on, everyone!" Sailor Venus said. "Hold back!"

As Sailor Moon continued to be strangled, she saw Kunzite and Zoisite glance towards where the other guardians were hiding. She then understood what they were up to.

 _"They're trying to use me as a test to see if Sailor Mars and the others will come to my rescue!"_ she thought. _"Please everyone, don't give in! Don't try to save me!"_

Sailor Moon's complexion was now starting to look pale as she was starting to grow weak. If something wasn't done and soon, she wouldn't last much longer. Finally, Sailor Jupiter shot up to her feet.

"I'm going!" she said.

"Me too!" said Sailor Mercury.

"So will I!" said Sailor Venus.

They were just about to step out from their hiding place when Sailor Mars cut them off.

"No! Not yet!" she insisted. "We have to stay put!"

"But she really needs our help right now!" Sailor Jupiter snapped. "Move out of the way!"

She then tried shoving Sailor Mars out of the way, but Sailor Mars refused to move. Sailor Jupiter then glared resentfully at Sailor Mars.

"So, is that it, Sailor Mars?! Do you really hate Sailor Moon?!" she snapped bitterly. "Do you hate her so much that you would allow her to die just to be the leader?!"

"Jupiter! Don't say that!" Sailor Mercury gasped.

Then Sailor Mars then took out a very familiar item. The Moon Stick. Everyone gasped with shock from the sight of it.

"The Moon Stick?! But... why do you have it?!" asked Sailor Venus.

"Because Sailor Moon gave it to me!" Sailor Mars snapped her voice cracking. "I wouldn't hold on to something this important for someone I didn't care about!"

"Now you see? Sailor Mars feels the same way you do, Jupiter," Sailor Venus said.

Sailor Jupiter now felt terrible. "Yeah... I'm sorry, but... we can't just sit here!" she said. "I don't want to stand here while my best friend is dying! And I'm sure that Solaris would feel the same-"

Then as Sailor Jupiter turned toward Solaris, she stopped and her eyes went wide with shock. Everyone else turned towards Solaris and were shocked as well. The Guardian of the Sun who had been keeping quiet the whole time was now radiating with a slight amber light shaking and trembling with rage. His fists were clenched so tightly that he almost drew blood from underneath his gloves, he had a slight vein bulging on the top of his forehead that pulsed and throbbed, and his eyes were wide and glaring at the scene unfolding before him.

"Oh man! He looks like he's about to blow!" Sailor Venus gulped nervously.

"S-Solaris! You have to calm down!" spoke Sailor Mars. "Please! Control yourself!"

But there was worse to come. Zoisite startled to walk toward Sailor Moon making a sword made out of crystal materialize in his hand.

"I grow impatient of this," he spoke with a sadistic smile. "Perhaps you'll die quicker with a sword stabbed into your back. If you don't mind, Kunzite."

"Not at all," said Kunzite. "Do what you like."

As soon as he saw the sword, Solaris suddenly remembered back to when Mamoru was stabbed by Zoisite. He could remember the blood, the anguished look on his face, and the sadistic smirk on Zoisite's face. This was enough to send him over the edge. Something snapped inside of him. Before anyone had a chance to react, Solaris shot out from the bushes and headed straight for Zoisite.

"Solaris! Wait!" cried Sailor Mars.

But Solaris didn't hear nor did he care.

"ZOISITE!" he bellowed.

And before Zoisite had a chance to react, Solaris clenched his fist and gave Zoisite a wicked and powerful punch right into his jaw sending Zoisite flying and slamming straight into the clock tower's wall.

"No! Zoisite!" cried Kunzite.

Everyone else stared at Solaris dumbfounded and completely shocked. Even Oniwabandana was frozen with shock. Seeing their chance, the other guardians arrived on the scene just behind him.

"Sailor Mars!"

"Sailor Mercury!"

"Sailor Jupiter!"

"Sailor Venus!"

"The sailor guardians are here and the jig is up!"

Kunzite now taking notice of the other guardians retained his composure and looked back that the guardians with a confident smirk.

"You fools, did you honestly think, we didn't see through this stupid scheme of yours?" he asked haughtily. "We noticed a long time ago."

The guardians all stared dumbly at Kunzite feeling a bit sheepish, but Sailor Mars quickly snapped out of it.

"It doesn't matter! Just let Sailor Moon go you monster!" Sailor Mars snapped as she put her fingers together. "MARS FIRE SOUL!"

She fired a massive fireball at Oniwabandana burning her and also the bandana that she was using to strangle Sailor Moon setting her free. Kunzite then seeing his chance quickly rushed over to Zoisite checking to see if he wasn't hurt. Other than being unconscious, he was now sporting a spectacular bruise on his cheek with a little blood trickling down his mouth.

"Zoisite! Are you alright?! Say something!" begged Kunzite as he gently shook him trying to wake him up.

But he had no time to worry about Zoisite as Solaris then shot towards him with a bigger and brighter ball of light clenched with his fist still overwhelmed with rage.

"KUNZITE! YOU'RE GONNA PAY!" he roared.

He then launched the ball of light with a hard punch, but Kunzite while managing to lift up Zoisite in his arms jumped into the air dodging the blow making a huge explosion shook the area forcing Kunzite to erect a barrier to shield himself and Zoisite.

 _"What the hell going on here?!"_ Kunzite thought to himself. _"Somehow Solaris' power just skyrocketed! How did he get so strong?! Did he get like this just from sheer rage alone?!"_

He then looked at Solaris who still had a livid expression on his face. Then he saw his eyes. They were now glowing in the same color as before. Bright silver.

"Those eyes again!" he gasped. "Just like when he thought Queen Beryl!"

Solaris then saw Kunzite from above and he brought his hands together concentrating all of his power in them.

"I SUMMON FORTH THE POWER OF THE STARS! LEND ME YOUR POWER!" he commanded as a white orb formed in his hands. When he charged enough power, he took aim and fired a powerful beam of white light. "STARLIGHT ATTACK!"

Kunzite braced himself as the powerful attack barreling right into his own barrier using every ounce of strength he had to keep it up. The guardians, as well as Oniwabandana, could only stare watching the battle bewildered and stunned.

Then Oniwabandana now realizing that the guardians were distracted took out her sword and dashed at Sailor Moon aiming it for her neck.

"Time for you to die, Sailor Moon!" she yelled.

Sailor Moon now seeing Oniwabandana coming at her let out a shriek of fright as she ducked just as the blade narrowly missed her cutting a few strands of her hair off. Oniwabandana swiped and swung attacking again and again and again as Sailor Moon ducked and dodged it.

Sailor Mars saw that Sailor Moon was in trouble, so she then threw the Moon Stick toward her.

"Sailor Moon, catch!" she yelled.

Sailor Moon looked back and saw the Moon Stick flying at her as Oniwabandana swung her blade. Luckily, Sailor Moon was able to catch the Moon Stick and blocked the blade just in the nick of time causing the end of the blade to snap completely off.

"You're finished now, Monster!" said Sailor Mars as she the other guardians stood with her. "Give it up!"

But Oniwabandana wasn't one to give up so easily. She made a hand sign with her fingers and just like a ninja, she created four identical copies of herself much to the surprise of the guardians. The five Oniwabandanas each took out metal stars and prepared to throw them at the Guardians.

"We will turn you into mincemeat, Ban ban!" the five of them said.

"Not gonna happen!" cried Sailor Mercury. "MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

She unleashed her signature attack unleashing a blast of bubbles which made fog cover the entire area confusing the five. Then seizing her chance, Sailor Mars went on the attack unleashing a powerful fireball.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

The fireball blasted the ground at the five Oniwabandanas feet causing them to frantically jump and hop around trying not to get burned. The four copies of Oniwabandana disappeared leaving the real one yelping in pain. Sailor Moon then saw her chance and using her Moon Stick unleashed a powerful blast of light, dust, and sparkles at her.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Oniwabandana was gone and the real Nana Asahina now remained dazed and confused.

Back with the battle of Solaris and Kunzite, Solaris was still blasting Kunzite with his Starlight Attack not wanting to give Kunzite the chance of escaping and Kunzite was beginning to grow weaker. The Guardians then turned their attention towards the battle.

"Solaris! You can do it!" yelled Sailor Jupiter.

"Yeah! Blast those jerks out of the sky!" cheered Sailor Venus. "You got them on the ropes!"

 _"Damn it! I won't last at this rate!"_ Kunzite thought gritting his teeth. _"If Solaris keeps this up, we won't be able to get out of this unscathed!"_

"Give it up, Kunzite!" yelled Solaris. "I ain't gonna stop until you and Zoisite are blasted into dust! I'll make you pay for betraying the Moon with your life!"

Sailor Moon then looked at Solaris seeing his angry expression for the first time. Then she looked at his silver-colored eyes. Upon seeing them, she began to feel a sense of deja vu. She had seen this someone before, but she couldn't remember where or when.

Solaris then put more power into his attack making Kunzite's barrier begin to waver. Then just as he was about to break through the barrier, a mysterious shadow shot out from the darkness past the guardians and unleashed a force of power at Solaris.

Sensing the attack, Solaris immediately stopped his assault and jumped out of the way dodging the blow.

"What was that?!" gasped Sailor Mercury.

"Another enemy?!" wondered Sailor Mars.

Solaris then looked at the shadowed figure and growled in anger. "You dare get in my way, you foul cur?!" he snapped. "Fine then! I shall smite you as well, foul creature!"

"What the heck? Why is he talking like that?" wondered Sailor Jupiter.

Sailor Mars then made a sign with her hands using her shrine maiden senses. Then she gasped. "Something's wrong!" she said. "Solaris isn't himself!"

"What do you mean by that, Mars?" asked Sailor Venus.

"It's like something's possessing him," said Sailor Mars. "I can't feel any evil, but it's nothing good either. It's like something has awakened inside of him in response to in anger just like before when Queen Beryl attacked us."

Solaris then charged at the mysterious figure attacking it with a flurry of fists and kicks, but the shadow dodged and blocked each and every blow.

"Sorry, but I have no time to waster on you," the figure said as it released a blast of force.

Solaris skidded backward trying to stand his ground from the force. When he was able to stop himself, he looked up to see that the shadow was helping Kunzite lift the unconscious Zoisite up to his feet.

"Sorry, Solaris, but don't worry, we'll settle the score another day. You can be sure you will pay for what you did to my Zoisite!" said Kunzite. "As for the rest of you guardians, next time you want to trick me, you might want to try practicing your acting a bit more."

"You're running away?! Get back here, you bastards!" Solaris roared.

But it was too late. Kunzite, Zoisite, as well as the mysterious shadow disappeared without a trace. At that moment, Solaris felt a little weak as he fell to his knees, the silver color vanishing from his eyes. In addition, Sailor Mars could no longer sense the presence she felt from him.

"What the... It's gone," murmured Sailor Mars. "Where did it go?"

Sailor Moon immediately rushed over to him. "Solaris! Are you okay?!" she cried worriedly.

Solaris shook his head getting the confusion out of his head. "What... what happened? Where am I?"

"You went completely bonkers when that monster was strangling Sailor Moon," explained Sailor Jupiter.

"Not to mention you hit Zoisite so hard, you sent him straight to the clock tower," said Sailor Venus. "You even almost took out Kunzite and Zoisite at the same time!"

"I-I did?" Solaris spoke a bit confused. "I... I don't remember any of that. I remember Zoisite taking out that crystal sword of his and then... I blacked out."

"Well, in any case, we did it," smiled Sailor Mercury. "Sure the plan was a failure, but we managed to save Nana at least."

Sailor Moon then suddenly remembered. "Hey! Speaking of which, why did you guys have to come out anyway?!" she demanded. "I could've handled this whole thing on my own!"

"Well, we had to because you were crying like a baby," Sailor Mars huffed snootily.

"Just when was I crying like a baby?!" Sailor Moon snapped crossly.

"Today at eleven-sixteen pm and twenty-eight seconds," Sailor Mars said simply.

"This is what's called being mean!" Sailor Moon yelled her face red with fury. "You can't even be nice when you're trying to save my life!"

Sailor Mars responded by making an akanbe face and Sailor Moon made an akanbe face right back. The two continued taunting each other while the other guardians could only groan sweatdropping.

"And there they go again," sighed Sailor Jupiter. "They never quit."

"Yeah, but I wish they would," agreed Sailor Venus.

"You know, I've heard the saying the more two people fight, the closer they are, but this is ridiculous," groaned Solaris pinching his nose.

Then Nana Asahina suddenly appeared between the arguing Sailors her pen and notepad at the ready.

"Hey, you two! So there's a rumor that the Guardians are splitting up!" she spoke as she furiously wrote in her notepad. "Is there any truth to that?!"

"Oh, give it a rest already!" groaned Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars.

Looks like a reporter never rests when it came to getting a big scoop, even if they were just a monster a few moments ago.


	45. Chapter 44

**_Here is another original chapter! It might be a bit predictable and a bit longer than usual to write, but I hope you like it, Sailor Moon fans!_**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

 _He was running in the darkness._

 _He desperately ran as fast as his feet could carry him._

 _"I have to save her! I have to save her before it's too late!"_

 _He ran and ran until a horrible sight awaited his eyes. The entire Silver Millenium was in flames and in complete disarray. To make things even worse, he could see the lifeless bodies of his friends, the guardians laid everywhere.  
_

 _"No... No... I'm too late!"_

 _"That's right," said a sinister voice. "And it's all your fault."_

 _He turned around and he could see the ghostly face of Queen Beryl towering over him with a demented smile cackling loudly. He stepped backward reeling with terror. Then he heard another voice._

 _"You failed me... you promised me that you would protect them."_

 _The boy's heart froze with horror upon recognizing the voice. Then from the flames of destructing that burned throughout the area, something rose from them that towered over the boy. It was a young woman who had a familiar ordango hairstyle only it was colored white. As soon as he saw this face, the boy's eyes began to overflow with tears of sorrow as he sank to his knees holding his face in his hands._

 _"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" the boy wept. "Forgive me!"_

 _"How can I forgive someone who broke a promise to their queen?!" the woman spoke coldly. "You failed as a guardian and you failed as my knight!"_

 _The queen's words felt like a thousand swords that stabbed through the boy's body as fell even further into despair as he let out a wail of anguish and sorrow. Then suddenly, a bright shining light suddenly began to shine from above causing the boy to immediately look up. As it shone, the flames of destruction seemed to melt away disappearing from existence. The light slowly came down towards the boy filling him with a comforting warmth._

 _"What... what is that? This light... it feels... so soothing and nostalgic," the boy murmured._

 _Then the light slowly began to change shape. It became longer and thinner and also appeared to have a strange handle. Filling curious and filled with a sense of being drawn to it, the boy reached out to try and touch it. His hand inched closer and closer to the light and just when he was about to grasp it, the light suddenly grew brighter causing the boy to shield his eyes. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the light was too much as everything went white._

* * *

Harusuke's eyes snapped open as he sat up from his bed waking up from another nightmare.

"Damn it. Not again," he said to himself.

He noticed that his cheeks were wet and his eyes were a bit itchy. He rubbed his eyes relieving the itch and looked at his hand. He could see small little drops of water that were his tears on it.

"What... the hell is going on?" he wondered. "Why do I keep having these dreams? And... why I do I feel so sad every time I have them?"

Just then, Harusuke heard a familiar voice.

"Harusuke! Come down and eat breakfast and get ready for school!"

It was his mother, Ikuko. Harusuke then got out of bed.

"I'm coming, Mom!" he called back. "Be down in a second!"

 _"Well... here goes another normal day. Or at least I hope today will be normal,"_ he thought to himself. _"Hopefully, something interestingly good will happen today."_

* * *

Back in the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite was holding his swollen cheek in agony as he and Kunzite stood before Queen Beryl once again.

"Damn it all, that hurts!" he hissed in pain. "I can't believe that Solaris was able to do that much damage to me!"

"Don't worry, Zoisite. I'll personally see to it that Solaris will pay for hurting your face," soothed Kunzite.

"Forgive me, Kunzite, but that Solaris has punched my beautiful face for the last time!" Zoisite growled his eyes burning in anger. "On the next mission we go on, I want Solaris all to myself! I want his head on a spike!"

"Please, Zoisite. You'll get your chance," Kunzite said calmly. "But you need to calm down first."

Zoisite could only growl in anger hungry for revenge.

"He's right, Zoisite. You need to calm down," spoke Queen Beryl. "Besides, it was partially your fault for letting your guard down. Then again, I've never seen Solaris display such strength. If you two hadn't been saved, he would have destroyed the two of you for sure." She then stood up. "Which why the time has come to bolster our forces. If we don't do something about this soon, we'll be overwhelmed by our enemy and we'll never get our hands on the Silver Crystal."

"Speaking of which, Queen Beryl, that reminds me," Kunzite said. "Who was that who saved us before? Since we're talking about bolstering our forces, why don't we recruiting that shadow to help us? We could use power like that."

"He is someone that you already know, Kunzite," said Queen Beryl. "In fact, you and Zoisite have seen him before plenty of times before although he was banished because of my foolishness."

"What do you mean, Queen Beryl?" puzzled Zoisite. "Who are you talking about?"

"I believe she's talking about me," said a voice.

Zoisite and Kunzite then turned around and saw the shadowed figure standing before them.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Kunzite and you as well Zoisite," the shadowed figure said smirking.

Zoisite and Kunzite at first couldn't see who the figure was. But then the figure stepped into the light and revealed his true face. It was a certain young man with short familiar cropped blonde hair with blue eyes and fair skin.

As soon as Zoisite and Kunzite saw him, their eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.

"Impossible! It can't be!" gasped Kunzite. "It's..."

"Jadeite!" finished Zoisite.

"That's right. Thanks to the power of Queen Metalia, I was able to find Jadeite and free him from his prison of Eternal Sleep," explained Beryl. "Granted it took quite a bit of energy and his memories were a bit jumbled to say the least, but Jadeite is indeed back and better than ever."

"Queen Beryl also kept me being brought back as a secret as well," chimed in Jadeite. "The reason being was to test out my body so that there wouldn't be any problems when she brought me back."

"But why on Earth would Queen Beryl bring you back?" Zoisite asked Jadeite. "It just doesn't make any sense!"

"I would have thought that it would be obvious, Zoisite," Queen Beryl spoke. "It has come to my attention that all of you have been working separately too much. Because of that, Sailor Moon and the other Guardians have been defeating you all one too many times. However, if all of you work together, not even the Guardians will be able to stop our plans. It's time for the rebirth of the Four Kings of Heaven."

"But Queen Beryl, how do you intend to do that?" asked Kunzite. "Even with Jadeite here, there's still only three of us. Nephrite's dead."

Queen Beryl then smiled darkly. "Yes. I am aware. However, I've figured out a way to hand that situation as well."

She paused impressively then she snapped her fingers and just behind the three, a large coffin suddenly appeared causing the three to turn around and look. The coffins door then slowly opened with a creak revealing the body inside. Zoisite and Kunzite peered inside and their eyes widened in shock once again. For inside of the coffin appearing to be sleeping peacefully was none other than the last of the Four Kings of Heaven, Nephrite.

"It's... Nephrite! But... how is he here?!" gasped Zoisite. "I saw him die that day!"

"This was thanks to the cloth you gave me the other day, Zoisite," explained Queen Beryl. "That one scrap of cloth still had some of Nephrite's blood as well as his DNA on it. Thanks to that, I was able to remake Nephrite's body."

"So that's the reason why you sent him on that mission the other day," Kunzite spoke incredulously. "You really do intend to bring back the Four Kings of Heaven."

"Correct. However, there's one thing that must be done first," said Queen Beryl. "As you can see, Nephrite is still very much a corpse. In order to bring him back, we need to infuse him with his own energy along with Queen Metalia's of which you all know where it went."

"Solaris," said Kunzite.

"That's right. Before Nephrite died, he gave all of his energy to Solaris enabling him to use his own powers," went on Queen Beryl. "Therefore, you all need to find Solaris in his civilian form and steal the energy from him, so we can resurrect Nephrite."

"But how do we go about drawing out, Solaris much less find him?" asked Kunzite. "It's not like he's an easy foe to find. Not to mention that unlike Sailor Moon and the other Guardians, he actually is proven to be quite the adversary."

"I think I might have a suggestion," spoke Jadeite. "If we intend to find Solaris and steal his energy, we should for him in his civilian form. After all, he has an unusual energy signature like us. Thankfully, I have a specific target in mind."

He then snapped his fingers and a projection appeared before them. It was a projection of a certain blonde young boy with blue eyes.

"All we have to do is hunt down this boy and then we can catch him off guard and have our chance to steal his energy and maybe even kill him," continued Jadeite.

"An excellent idea, Jadeite," Queen Beryl smirked clearly impressed.

"I have to agree, it is a good plan, but are you sure it will work Jadeite?" Kunzite questioned raising a brow. "With all due respect, you don't exactly have the greatest of track records when it comes to your schemes."

Jadeite looked at Kunzite with a neutral expression. "Fear not, Kunzite. I have confidence that I won't fail this time," he said. "I have failed Queen Beryl numerous of times, but this time, this plan will definitely not fail."

"Very well, then. Since you were the one who came up with this plan, I want you to take charge of it, Jadeite," said Queen Beryl. "Kunzite, Zoisite, the two of you will assist him. Make sure you all succeed."

Jadeite, Zoisite, and Kunzite all politely bowed. "We will, Queen Beryl."

* * *

Back in Juuban Middle School, Harusuke and Usagi were walking together to class. Due to the dream he had the other night, Harusuke felt very tired. He couldn't help but let out a huge yawn.

"What's the matter with you, Harusuke?" wondered Usagi. "I don't usually see you looking so tired. Didn't you get enough sleep?"

"Not really," yawned Harusuke. "Let's just say I had a bad dream and I couldn't get back to sleep after that."

"I can relate to that," Usagi said. "I've had my share of bad dreams."

Then they entered the classroom. The room was abuzz with students talking to one another seeming to be excited about something.

"Well, this place sure is noisy today," commented Harusuke.

"I know, right?" agreed Usagi. "I wonder what's up with everyone."

Then Naru came rushing up to them. "Hey, Usagi! Harusuke!"

"Hey there, Naru," Usagi greeted. "What's going on with everybody? Did something happen?"

"You didn't know? Starting today, we have a new transfer student in our class," said Naru excitedly.

Usagi and Harusuke were surprised. "A transfer student?" the two of them asked.

"That's kinda surprising," said Usagi. "Does anyone know who the transfer student is or what he or she looks like? I hope it's a guy!"

"No one really knows for sure," said Naru. "But rumor has it, that whoever it is, comes from another continent and is very foreign."

"Well, that doesn't really give us much to go on," said Harusuke. "Sounds kinda shady if you ask me."

"Oh, come on, Harusuke. You could be a little bit excited," said Usagi. "It could be some beautiful and attractive lady that you might end up falling in love with."

Harusuke laughed. "I don't know about that, Usagi. I'm not exactly interested in dating anyone. Then again, I've never been on a date or like anyone for that matter."

Naru and Usagi then gasped. "Are you serious?! You've never had a girl like you before?!" the two of them cried.

"Well, yeah. It's honestly not a big deal to me," shrugged Harusuke. "Is it really that shocking?"

"Yeah! I would have guessed that you had at least one girl like you or something!" said Usagi. "After all, you are my brother. You're one of the most good-looking guys I know."

"You're only saying that is because I'm your brother," smiled Harusuke. "But I appreciate it though, Sis."

"But haven't you ever wanted to date a girl at least once, Harusuke?" asked Naru. "I mean you got the looks as well as the smarts."

"That may be so, but it's not exactly my thing," said Harusuke. "I mean I've considered it, but there haven't been any girls who caught my eye as of late. I mean I've been busy with school and stuff."

"But that shouldn't stop you from falling in love!" Usagi pouted. "I say that you should find a girl and go for it while you're still young! In fact, if the transfer student is a girl, I say you should ask her out!"

"Come on, Usagi. I can't do that," Harusuke spoke shaking his head. "Usagi, come on. I can't just go and ask a complete stranger. It's just not done like that. Besides, I don't think any girl could be interested in a boy like me. I'm way too... ordinary."

Usagi and Naru were about to object, but then Ms. Haruna came into the room. Everyone immediately took their seats as Ms. Haruna stood on the podium.

"Good morning, class. As I'm sure you all are already aware, today we have a new student transferring into our class," she said. "So, I expect all of you to welcome our new student with open arms." She then turned towards the door of the classroom. "Alright then, you can come in now."

At that moment the door of the classroom opened and a young girl walked in. She was wearing the school uniform had fair skin, long blonde hair that went past her waist, a slim figure, and had beautiful green eyes.

Upon seeing her, everyone gasped in amazement and wonder. Even Harusuke and Usagi couldn't help but stare at the girl in bewilderment. They had to admit, she sure was pretty. The girl then stood beside Ms. Haruna and bowed politely as she spoke in an accent that appeared to be French.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Suzette and it's a pleasure to meet you," the girl said. "I may new and I have a lot of stuff that I don't know about, but I hope that we can become good friends."

Everyone in the class applauded and said their greetings marveling at the sight of her and how polite she was. However, what they didn't know was that Suzette was anything but the attractive girl that they thought she was. In truth, she was someone working for the Dark Kingdom on a mission to find the person who had the energy they were looking for. But no one knew about this just yet.

"So, are you really from France?"

"And are you seeing anyone right now?"

"Yeah. You wanna go out for some tea or something?"

Everyone in the class wanted to know about Suzette and pelted her with questions. Harusuke, Usagi, and Naru watched on with interest.

"Well, she got popular quick," said Usagi.

"I'll say," agreed Naru. "The entire class is swarming on her."

"It's not really a big deal," said Harusuke. "Just watch, they'll settle down soon enough."

"Alright then, introductions are now over," said Ms. Haruna sternly. "Now let's continue with the class now. Suzette, there's a free desk over by Ms. Tsukino, but try not to have her stupidity rub off on you."

"Hey! I resent that!" Usagi spoke indignantly.

Suzette then made her way towards her empty desk. When she took her seat, Ms. Haruna began the class. As she did, Suzette carefully looked at all the students that were in the classroom particularly at the boys trying to figure out which one was Solaris while sensing their energies. First, she looked at a boy with short black hair.

 _"No... his hair is the wrong color..."_

Then she looked at another boy that was a bit chunky with short dirty blonde hair.

 _"Not him either."_

She even looked at Umino.

 _"Definitely not. He is much too ugly looking. Honestly...how hard is it to find the boy I'm looking for?"_ Suzette complained in her thoughts. _"_ _Every single one of these fools are either too ugly looking or too idiotic."_

Then as Ms. Haruna went on with her lecture she looked over towards Suzette which caused the girl to jump. Luckily, her attention wasn't towards her.

"Ms. Tsukino, I trust that you're paying close attention?" she asked.

"U-Um... sure am, Ms. Haruna!" Usagi spoke nervously. "I'm paying attention."

"Then I'm sure that you won't mind solving this problem on the board for me," Ms. Haruna said with a slight smirk.

Usagi then gulped as she began to sweat. "Uh... do I have... to come up there and do it?" she squeaked meekly.

"Yes, you do," said Ms. Haruna. "Unless you're trying to tell me that you weren't paying attention at all."

Everyone looked at Usagi as the odango blonde sat there in her seat unsure of what to do. Then Usagi slowly stood up and reluctantly went over to the board. Suzette then let out a sigh of relief.

Usagi now was in front of the board. As she looked at that problem that was written on it, her head began to spin and her stomach felt queasy. Finally, after standing there for about a minute or so, Usagi hung her head in defeat.

"I can't do it..." she whined.

Everyone in the class sweatdropped exasperated.

"Just as I thought," sighed Ms. Haruna. "Detention for you." Then she turned to the class. "Does anyone else want to try?"

At that moment, Harusuke raised his hand. "I'll have a go at it, Ms. Haruna."

"Alright, Harusuke. Come on up," Ms. Haruna said. "Hopefully, Usagi can learn a thing or two from you."

Harusuke then came up to the board as Usagi sat down in her seat. When he got up there, he looked at the problem very carefully. Then he picked up the chalk and began to write on the board. When he finished, Ms. Haruna couldn't help but beam proudly.

"Yes! That is precisely correct," she said. "Well done, Mr. Tsukino."

She then applauded as did a few of the students. Usagi, however, looked away pouting sulkily.

"Whatever, I could have done that," she muttered.

Suzette then looked at Harusuke as he went back to his seat. She took a really good look at his face and happened to look into his blue eyes. As she stared at them, she couldn't help but sense something about him. Something that for some reason seemed familiar and made her interested in him. She watched as Harusuke went back to his seat. At that moment, she saw something glittering on his right hand. Upon inspection, she could see that it was his golden bracelet that was shining. A golden bracelet that she had seen before.

"Harusuke Tsukino, eh?" she murmured to herself. "Intriguing."

* * *

It was now after school and Harusuke was waiting by the lockers for Usagi due to her getting detention from Ms. Haruna. He couldn't help but feel a little bit bored.

"Good grief. I really wish that Usagi would stop slacking off in class," he said to himself. "Sometimes it makes me wonder how she lasted this long as the leader of the Guardians. Oh, well. I might as well get my shoes on and get ready for Usagi. She should be coming out pretty soon."

Then as Harusuke opened his locker, he found an unexpected surprise awaiting him. Sitting there on top of his shoes, was a small white envelope that said; To Harusuke Tsukino.

"What the... What's this?" wondered Harusuke as he picked up the envelope.

He then opened the envelope of which contained a note. He took out the note and read it. It read:

 _ **Meet me over at the street bridge. There's something important that I need to tell you.**_

Harusuke couldn't help but raise a brow filled with curiosity. At that moment, Usagi came along her detention finished. Not wanting her to see, he quickly hid the letter in his pocket.

"Geez... that felt like it took forever," she sighed. "Thank goodness it's over."

"Well, maybe if you paid attention in class, you wouldn't have gotten detention, Sis," Harusuke spoke. "I mean, honestly, can't you pay attention in class without getting distracted or falling asleep?"

"Well, it's not my fault!" complained Usagi. "Ms. Haruna's class is so boring."

Harusuke could only shake his head as the two went over to their lockers. "Good grief, Usagi. Sometimes I wonder how did you end up being the leader of the Guardians in the first place," he sighed. "Speaking of which, the girls are all gonna meet up at the shrine again, so you gotta make sure that you're there."

"I know, I know," said Usagi. "Sometimes you act just like Luna." Then she did a double take. "Wait a second, what about you?"

"I'll catch up with you later," said Harusuke. "I just need to go taking care of something."

"But wait, what kind of something?" wondered Usagi. "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing important," Harusuke reassured. "Just head for the shrine as planned. I'll see you later."

And before Usagi could ask anything more, Harusuke dashed off leaving her puzzled and confused.

* * *

Harusuke soon arrived at the street bridge as the evening sun shone over the sky. He looked around trying to see his sender was around the bridge. Then at that moment, he heard a voice coming from behind him."

"Excuse me. Are you Harusuke Tsukino?"

Harusuke turned around and he saw someone of whom he didn't expect to be standing before him. It was Suzette.

"Yeah. That's me," he replied taking out the note. "And you're Suzette that transfer student, right? Were you the one that sent me this letter?"

"Y-Yes. I did," said Suzette shyly. "You see... I needed to talk to you about something as soon as I could."

"Well... what is it?" wondered Harusuke."I mean is there something that I can help you with..."

Suzette then paused playing with her fingers as she looked at Harusuke feeling shyer. "So... um... are you seeing anybody right now as far as a relationship?"

"No. Not really," replied Harusuke. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... you see... it's like this," Suzette said. "I was wondering... if... you would like to go out with me?"

Harusuke flinched in surprise. "W-wait... go out with you?"

"Yes. You see... I've heard many great things about you, Mr. Tsukino," explained Suzette. "You're not only smart, but you're also very kind, gentle, and even a little handsome. Truth be told... when I first came into the classroom and saw you... I fell in love at first sight, so... I guess what I mean to say is..." She paused embarrassingly as she gathered her courage.

"I... I want you to go out with me and be my boyfriend!" she finally spoke.

Harusuke stared at Suzette completely bewildered and frozen in surprise.

* * *

Back at the shrine, Usagi and the others were all the shrine wondering why Harusuke hadn't shown up yet which made them a bit worried.

"It's been practically half an hour and Harusuke hasn't come back yet," said Makoto. "This isn't like him."

"Yeah. Where is he?" wondered Rei. "It's not like Harusuke to keep us waiting like this. Normally, it'd be Usagi."

"I just hope nothing bad's happened to him," said Ami. "Usagi, do you have any idea where he could be right now?"

Usagi shrugged while shaking her head. "I have no idea. All he told me was that he had something to do and that he'll catch up with us later," she explained. "I have no idea where he could be."

"Let's just hope some of your laziness hasn't rubbed off on him," said Luna. "The last thing we need is another Tsukino who's lazy, tardy, and somewhat of a chicken."

"Watch it, Luna!" snapped Usagi.

Then at that moment, Minako spotted Harusuke who had just made it to the top of the stairs. "Hey! There he is!"

Harusuke slowly walked over to his friends with a bewildered and confused look on his face.

"Where have you been, Harusuke?" asked Artemis. "We've been worried."

"S-Sorry guys," apologized Harusuke snapping out of his daze. "I... kinda got caught up with something."

"What kind of something?" asked Makoto. "Did something happen?"

"Well... sort of," said Harusuke. "It's... nothing bad, but I gotta say it was something... rather unexpected."

"Unexpected? How so?" asked Rei.

Harusuke was then silent. He was now looking towards the ground his cheeks going pink from embarrassment unable to say anything else.

"Come on, Harusuke. Tell us. What's going on?" asked Usagi who was now concerned.

Harusuke then took a deep breath and looked at his friends. "OK... the thing is... I... I... I just got... asked out... by a girl."

Everyone then stared at Harusuke in a long silence. Then Usagi spoke up breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry, Harusuke. I must not have heard you correctly," she said. "Could you... repeat what you said?"

"I said I... just got asked out by a girl," Harusuke repeated his blush deepening in color.

Once again, everyone was silent staring at Harusuke. Then suddenly, Usagi began to squeal in delight causing everyone to jump in surprise. Before he could react, Usagi immediately embraced him in a hug comically crying tears of joy.

"I can't believe it!" she wept. "My big brother is finally climbing on the stairs of adulthood!"

"W-What the heck are you talking about, Usagi?!" Harusuke stammered. "You're acting weird!"

"Luna's right. It's honestly not that big a deal that Harusuke got asked out, is it?" said Ami.

"Not when it's his first time~" Usagi spoke teasingly.

Harusuke became flustered. "Usagi! Shush!"

Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako, then all stared at Harusuke deeply surprised.

"Wait a second... you're kidding, right?" Rei spoke. "Are you meaning to tell us that you've never had a girlfriend before nor have you asked out a girl?"

Harusuke could only nod in response scratching his head. At that moment, the rest of the girls began to squeal in delight.

"That's so adorable!" gushed Minako. "Your first girlfriend!"

"Way to go, Harusuke," chuckled Makoto giving him an affectionate nudge. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"H-Hold on a second! She's not my girlfriend yet!" Harusuke spoke. "Well... I guess... she kinda is... but... well..."

"Why don't you tell us what happened, Harusuke?" asked Luna. "Start from the beginning."

Harusuke then took a deep breath and then he explained what had happened.

* * *

 _Harusuke was still standing there bewildered by Suzette's sudden confession._

 _"W-Wait... you want to... go out with me?" asked Harusuke. "I mean... I'm honored, but... are you sure?"_

 _Suzette nodded. "Yes. I'm sure," she said. "I know this may seem a bit random and out of the blue, but... I really like you, Mr. Tsukino and I was hoping that you go out with me this Saturday. That is... you already have a girlfriend..."_

 _"Well... it's not like I have one," said Harusuke. "I'm single and I'm free, I guess."_

 _"That's wonderful!" smiled Suzette. "Then does that mean that you'll go out with me?"_

 _Harusuke then pondered thinking about this. Now, this was first love, so he had no idea what he should do. He just met this girl and she was asking him out on a date. However, he couldn't just turn down the girl after she worked up the courage to ask him out. So...  
_

 _"Alright then. I'll go out with you... I suppose," he said dubiously. "If you don't mind having me."_

 _Suzette then blushed with glee. "Wonderful! It's a date then! Hope to see you then!"_

 _"Yeah. Sure," smiled Harusuke._

 _And with that, Suzette dashed away leaving Harusuke by himself. His heart was pounding and he couldn't help but still feel a bit bewildered._

* * *

"So it was that transfer student who asked you out?!" exclaimed Usagi. "And you're going out on a date with her this, Saturday?! That's awesome!"

"Well... it's not like I could turn her down after she went through the trouble to ask me out," Harusuke sighed. "Then again, I never had a girl confess to me or ask me out before."

"I don't know. Something about this seems suspicious to me," said Luna. "I mean some random girl shows up out of the blue as a transfer student and then confesses to Harusuke to go out with her? It seems too much of a coincidence if you ask me."

"I'm with Luna on this one," agreed Artemis. "It could be some kind of trap or something."

"Oh, come on, you guys. You worry too much," said Usagi. "This is a date we're talking about. It's not like it's some scheme of by the Dark Kingdom."

"That's precisely why she's worried," said Ami. "Besides, this isn't exactly the time to be thinking such things."

"Says the girl who had time for a date with Ryo, even though she said had no time for dates," muttered Rei cheekily.

Ami then blushed bright pink not saying anything more.

"Anyway, what are you gonna do for your date, Harusuke?" asked Makoto. "Take her to the movies? A walk through the park? A trip to the amusement park?"

"I... I have no idea," sighed Harusuke shrugging. "I mean... I have absolutely no idea what to do on a date. Heck, I don't even know what you're even supposed to do on a date."

"We can help you with that!" grinned Usagi and Minako. "We know just about everything about dates!"

"And I can help too!" chimed in Rei. "I've been on my fair share of dates with Mamoru and I can give you some experience and tips too!"

"Count me in too!" said Makoto. "I can show you what to do in certain situations and stuff."

"Now, hold on you guys. Let's not overwhelm, Harusuke," said Ami calmly. "Besides, I think I can give Harusuke some books on how to go about on a date."

"It's alright, Ami," smiled Harusuke. "Besides, I could use all the help I can get on this one. And what better way than to ask all of you girls for help."

The girls all squealed with excitement once again while Luna and Artemis could only sigh while sweatdropping.

"Just perfect. Now Harusuke's gotten swept up by all of their enthusiasm," sighed Artemis.

Luna didn't answer as she nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

Back with Suzette, she was walking along all by herself appearing cross.

"Good grief. Those humans are so annoying!" she said to herself. "I thought they'd never leave me alone. It's because of this lousy form. If I had known I would attract such unsightly humans, I would have never taken this damned form in the first place."

At that moment, he heard a familiar voice.

"But that form makes you look beautiful. You should be proud of it."

Suzette then turned around and she saw Jadeite standing before her. As soon as she saw him, she blushed bright pink with embarrassment.

"J-Jadeite!" she gasped.

"I really must say, Suzette, I honestly didn't think that you were capable of dressing up as a woman," smiled Jadeite. "If you weren't a man, I would have fallen in love with you on the spot."

"Shut up, Jadeite!" snapped Suzette. "Besides, this was part of your stupid plan in the first place!"

"Speaking of which, how is it coming? Did you find the person we're looking for?" asked Jadeite.

"So far, every single of them is either too average or weak," said Suzette. "Except for one boy I've seen. He appears to be different from the rest of the students I've seen. I have reason to believe that he is the one that we're looking for."

"And how do you know that?" wondered Jadeite.

"I can tell... because of this wound on my cheek," spoke Suzette as he rubbed it tenderly. "Ever since I laid my eyes upon him, I've cheek has been reminding me of who inflicted this pain on me. I know that boy I saw was him. He has to be Solaris!"

At this point, Suzette was seething with fury clenching her hands so tightly, she almost drew blood. But Jadeite placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm yourself. You'll get your chance for revenge," said Jadeite. "For now, you have to play it carefully. Remember, we can't afford to mess this up. You have to make sure you catch him off guard and when you do, take his energy."

"I know that already," said Suzette. "Don't worry. I will get my hands on that energy and crush that Solaris. And... I know just the way to do it."

She then began to cackle wickedly as her eyes glinted hungry from revenge.

* * *

A little while later, Harusuke was in his room lying on his bed feeling completely exhausted. Over the past couple of hours, Usagi and the other girls were filling him with nothing but information about dating and how to be a good boyfriend. There was a lot of things to take in, but Harusuke made sure to make a mental note of each thing. However, the whole thing made him feel exhausted.

"Oh man. That took longer than I expected," he said aloud. "I never would have guessed that there was more to dating than just a guy and girl hanging out with each other."

 _"But... on the other hand, this is the first time I've ever been on a date before,"_ he thought. _"It's making me nervous... but also excited. A girl actually likes me and she asked me out."_

He then got up and opened his closet flipping through his shirts until he stopped at a particular outfit which was a button-down with a t-shirt and pants.

 _"Usagi and the others even went as far as to help me out with this,"_ he continued thinking as he smiled. _"They even help me pick my outfit."_

He then held the outfit in front of him as he looked in the mirror. He couldn't help but chuckle as he admired himself in the mirror. Then...

"Harusuke, what are you doing?"

Harusuke was so startled by the voice that he almost jumped a few feet. He snapped his head around to find that Luna who had just jumped in from the window and was now on his bed.

"O-Oh! Luna! Don't you ever use the door?!" he exclaimed.

"Not really. I find the window a bit more convenient," said Luna simply. "Anyway, what were you doing? You were acting just like Usagi modeling in the mirror like that."

"Well... yeah. I guess I wanted to make sure that the outfit Usagi and the others picked looked good on me," he said. "I mean... you can't really blame me."

"Well, I'll say this much," said Luna. "I've never seen you look so happy before. But, are you sure that going on this date is a good idea? I mean you're going out with someone that you hardly even know."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, but that's why there are dates, Luna," said Harusuke. "Dates for finding out whether someone's suitable to be their partners or not. At least, that's what Usagi and Ami say."

"That's not the point, Harusuke," Luna spoke firmly. "I just don't like the idea of some random girl that showed up out of the blue and asked you on a date for no reason at all. It could be a trap."

"Come on, Luna. Don't you think you're overreacting?" Harusuke laughed. "I mean come on. I understand that you think this is something suspicious, but... it also couldn't be. I mean... I've never had a girl like me before much less ask me out on a date and... I wanna give this a shot. I mean... Usagi said so herself, even we guardians have a chance for love, so... I wanna take that chance. Is it so wrong that I wanna act like a normal boy for once?"

Luna's face softened. "Well... I suppose not," she said. "I'm just looking out for you that's all."

Harusuke stared at Luna and Luna stared back at him. After staring at each other for about half a minute, Luna sighed.

"Oh, all right then. Do what you like," she said grumpily. "But don't blame me if this is a plot by the Dark Kingdom."

Harusuke then smiled. "Thanks. And don't worry. If all else fails, I can always use my bracelet to contact Usagi and the others," he said. "Although I appreciate your concern."

Luna could only puff her cheeks in annoyance as Harusuke scratched behind her ears.

* * *

Saturday soon came. Harusuke was standing next to the fountain that was in the middle of town waiting for Suzette to come. He had made sure to arrive a bit early as a courtesy, but now it was nearly ten and Suzette hadn't arrived yet. Unknown to him, a certain black cat was watching over him in the shadows.

 _"Sorry Harusuke, but this whole thing has me having a bad feeling,"_ she thought to herself. _"Not until I find some proof about what's going on."_

"Alright! Nothing starts the morning like a delicious crêpe!"

"Geez Usagi, can you not eat it like an animal?!"

Luna then turned around and saw that Usagi along with everyone else was also there dressed in casual wear. The black cat couldn't help but let out an annoyed groan as she turned around.

"Excuse me, but why are all of you here, anyway?" she asked trying not to lose her temper.

"Isn't it obvious? To watch Harusuke of course," said Usagi. "After all, we gotta make sure that his date goes off without a hitch."

Minako nodded in agreement. "That's right. It is his first time," she said brightly. "So as his friends, we have to make sure that nothing goes wrong with his date, no matter what."

"I'm sorry, Luna. I tried to talk them out of it," sighed Artemis. "But as you can see, they didn't listen to me."

Luna could only groan facepawing herself.

Harusuke continued to stand by the fountain waiting for Suzette to arrive. Soon enough, he heard her voice calling out to him.

"Hey! Harusuke!"

Harusuke looked to his right and he saw Suzette as she came running up to him.

"Sorry if I was late. Were you waiting long?"

"Nope. I just got here not too long ago myself," replied Harusuke. "You... look great."

Suzette smiled. "Thank you very much," she said. "So... shall we get started on this date?"

"Yes. We shall," Harusuke said smiling back. "Let's get going."

The two then got started on their date. First, they went to the clothing store to shop for some clothes. Suzette would pick a shirt that would look good on Harusuke and he would try it on. Now, Harusuke wasn't much of a shopaholic, but he had a bit of fun trying on some new clothes and even bought a couple for himself. Next, they played the vending machine games. Harusuke put a bit of money inside of the machine and then using his skills managed to win a prize for Suzette which was a small teddy bear. Suzette gladly accepted the bear with delight and was very happy.

Eventually, they went over to a restaurant for lunch and even had a parfait together. As they ate inside, Usagi and the others watched outside from afar admiring the two.

"Well, so far so good," said Makoto.

"Those two look like they're having fun," said Rei.

"All thanks to our coaching," grinned Minako. "Right, Usagi?"

Usagi didn't answer. She just stared at Harusuke oblivious to everyone talking. Minako then waved a hand over Usagi's face trying to get her attention.

"Usagi? Hello? Earth calling Usagi," she said.

Usagi then snapped out of her daze. "Oh! Sorry, Minako! I guess I zoned out a bit."

"How come?" asked Ami.

"Well... it's just that I've never seen Harusuke look so happy," Usagi spoke turning back towards the two. "Normally, he's a hardworking brother that always tries to keep me in check and making sure that he stays on top of his grades. Not only that, but he's also a Guardian to boot and always rushes to protect me when I'm... or in fact any of us are in trouble. I guess what I'm trying to say is that... I've never seen him so happy and relaxed before. He looks like a completely normal teenage boy. I'm glad for him."

"Well, that's true," said Ami. "Now that you mention, I've never seen Harusuke like this before. I mean I remember back when we went to the beach, but it's like Harusuke's become a new person."

Everyone else couldn't help but agree. However, Luna was still feeling a bit suspicious. She knew that Harusuke wanted her not to worry so much, but she still felt like something was off.

Then, Harusuke and Suzette got up from their table and came through the front doors exiting the restaurant. Not wanting to be seen, Usagi and the others quickly took off running not wanting to be seen.

As Harusuke and Suzette exited the restaurant, Harusuke couldn't help but see a flash of hair from the corner of his eye in a familiar style belonging to his sister.

 _"Was that Usagi just now?"_ he thought. _"It couldn't be. Could it?"_

"Is something the matter, Mr. Tsukino?" asked Suzette.

Harusuke looked at Suzette and smiled as he shook his head. "No. It's nothing," he said. "I thought I saw something is all. Anyway, let's ditch the crowd so that we can have some time to ourselves."

"I agree," said Suzette. "And I think I know just the place. That is if you don't mind me leading."

Harusuke was a bit puzzled, but then he suddenly remembered back Usagi was helping him the other day.

* * *

 ** _Harusuke was in his room sitting on his bed. Usagi was rummaging through his closet picking an outfit for him to wear for his date.  
_**

 ** _"Usagi, are you sure about everything that you and others said was correct?" asked Harusuke. "Even though some of you have never been on a date before?"_**

 ** _"Sure I'm sure," grinned Usagi. "Trust me. Our knowledge of dating is rock solid. We've already got your date planned out and we've told you all we could. However, there's one particular and crucial part of the date that you have to do on your own and it's the best part of the date."_**

 ** _"And what's that?" asked Harusuke._**

 ** _Usagi paused dramatically. Then she turned around letting out a swooning sound as she blushed._**

 ** _"The first date kiss!"_**

 ** _Harusuke stared at Usagi. Then his face turned beet red with embarrassment. "K-K-Kiss!? You mean I have to kiss her?!"_**

 ** _"That's right! That's the most important part of the date!" said Usagi. "At the end of every date, there's always a kiss goodnight involved. Now normally, the kiss is mostly a peck on the cheek, but the real romantic kiss is on the lips. Now, you just can't go for a kiss willy nilly either. First, you wait for the girl to give you the okay, and that's when you make your move! Just pucker and smack. Simple as that."  
_**

 ** _"How... how do you know all that?!" Harusuke gulped._**

 ** _"Let's just say a maiden in love has her sources," Usagi said. "Sources of which helped me learn a lot."_**

 ** _"If only you'd paid attention in class like you do now," groaned Harusuke._**

* * *

Harusuke's heart began to thump in his chest as his cheeks flushed pink.

 _"Is this what's going on?!"_ he thought to himself. _"Is she trying to get me alone, so she could kiss me?"_ The thought alone made him gulp.

Then Suzette took Harusuke's hand causing him to instinctively flinch. "Shall we get going?"

"Y-Yeah! Lead the way," said Harusuke trying not to be nervous.

And with Suzette leading him by the hand, the two were on the move again.

At the very same time, Usagi and the others peered out from behind the corner to find that they completely lost track of Harusuke and Suzette.

"Darn it all! They gave us the slip!" Usagi cried out.

"And to make things worse, there are too many people around, I can't see them anywhere," said Minako.

"They couldn't have gone very far," said Artemis. "Let's split up and look for them."

"Right!" everyone said.

And so, Luna and Artemis went in one direction, Usagi, Rei, and Minako went in another direction, and Ami and Makoto went in a different direction.

* * *

Luna and Artemis were running below the crowd making sure that they wouldn't be stepped on. They looked all around, but they couldn't see Harusuke or Suzette anywhere.

"Where could those two have gone?!" wondered Luna a bit frantically. "We've got to find them!"

"Calm down, Luna. We will," said Artemis. "We just have to keep looking."

Then as the two kept on running through the crowd they happened to walk past two men. Luna suddenly stopped the fur on her back standing up on end as did Artemis's.

"Luna... do you feel that?!" asked Artemis.

"Yes! I do," said Luna. "Two intense evil auras. And I feel as though I felt this one before. Back at the abandoned cruise ship."

The two then turned around and looked back towards the two men and their eyes widened with shock recognizing the two immediately despite their civilian attire. One of them was Kunzite who had an antsy look on his features. And the other was Jadeite who was the exact opposite; calm and collected.

"Luna! Those guys are..." began Artemis.

"Artemis, quiet!" hushed Luna.

"Damn it all. This is so irritating," growled Kunzite. "What the hell is he doing fooling around like this?!"

"It's all a part of the plan, Kunzite," said Jadeite. "The reason for this is so that he can lower the boy's guard. That way, he can take him by surprise and then strike him. The teenage boy's heart is weak when it comes to women, so it'll easy for us to kill him. And to add to that, Zoisite's skills for deception as well as his thirst for revenge will make sure that he won't fail."

"But why did it have to be him?" asked Kunzite. "Why couldn't have just made a human our monster then use that to kill the boy?"

"Why are you so worried about it?" Jadeite countered. "Is it because you wanted Zoisite to dress that way for you? I assumed you loved him as a boy."

Kunzite glared. "Mind your tongue, Jadeite," he snapped. "I do love him as he is. I just don't want him to get himself killed."

"Calm down, Kunzite. I was just kidding," chuckled Jadeite. "In any case, Zoisite and the boy should be at the appointed place by now. Let's hurry and get over there before the Guardians come."

They then turned around a corner disappearing from view. Luna and Artemis were horrified

"This is terrible!" cried Artemis. "It was a trap by the Dark Kingdom!"

"And that means Harusuke's in danger!" Luna said. "We have to warn the other guardians immediately before it's too late!"

* * *

Eventually, Harusuke and Suzette came to an area that was far away from the bustling crowd. It was close to Juuban Park and the sun was setting as its rays reflected off the surface of the lake. Harusuke felt more nervous than ever.

 _"OK. Calm down, Harusuke. Just remember what Usagi told you,"_ he thought to himself. _"Remember her advice and you'll be fine. Man... that totally sounded weird. Actually taking advice from Usagi."  
_

"You know... I had a lot of fun today, Mr. Tsukino," said Suzette. "Thanks for taking me out on this date."

"It's... no problem," Harusuke smiled. "I... had fun myself."

The two of them then continued to walk in silence not saying another word. Then Suzette squeezed Harusuke's hand making the boy's heart leap with anxiety and excitement.

 _"This is it, Harusuke. This is where you make your move,"_ he thought. _"Just stay calm and go for it."_

"It's almost a pity that this has to end so soon," continued Suzette. "Say... Harusuke... Mind... if I give you something? It's something to commemorate this special occasion."

"O-Oh! Sure. Of course, you can," said Harusuke.

"Alright then. But first, you have to close your eyes," Suzette said. "It's... something that's... kinda embarrassing."

Harusuke gulped and did so shutting his eyes tightly bracing himself for whatever kiss Suzette was going to give him. He felt her hand trace his cheek causing him to blush in anticipation. Then suddenly, he felt something pierce the side of his hip making his eyes immediately snap open as he felt pain which caused him to scream in agony and surprise. As he fell to his knees from the shock, he could feel his hand grow wet and warm. He shakily looked up and he saw Suzette standing before him smiling darkly and cackling evilly while holding a crystal sword in her hand.

"S-Suzette... what's... what's... " he choked.

"What a pathetic fool. It's just as Jadeite said. Teenage boys like you would do anything when it comes to getting a female's attention," Suzette cackled. "However, I did have some fun on this little outing of ours. Considering how naïve and juvenile you are, I suppose it could have been worse."

Suzette then grabbed Harusuke by the neck and squeezed tightly making his eyes widen as he struggled to breathe. Then Suzette ripped off her outfit and revealed her true face underneath. Harusuke was shocked and horrified to see that Suzette was none other that Zoisite. He had a look of not only pure sadism but also had some slight anger as well.

 _"Z-Zoisite! No way!"_ Harusuke thought. _"He... he was Suzette the entire time!?"_

"Good evening, Harusuke Tsukino or rather Solaris," he spoke in a venomous tone. "Well technically, I don't know if you're truly him or not, but personally, I don't care. First, I'll take your energy and then I'll kill you. Prepare yourself."

He then jabbed a finger on Harusuke's head began to drain the energy from Harusuke's body. Harusuke wanted to scream, but he couldn't since Zoisite still had a firm hold on his throat. He could feel the energy slowly being drained from his body making him feel weaker and weaker as a large white orb representing his energy began to form in Zoisite's hand.

 _"I... I can't breathe... and... I'm starting... to black out..."_

The light in Harusuke's eyes slowly began to fade as he grew weaker and weaker. Soon, his arms went limp and his body refused to obey him. Having to have drained him dry, Zoisite finally let him go making Harusuke fall to the ground flat on his back. He gazed upon the energy of which he drained from him in his hand which pulsed with power.

"Amazing... This energy is so strong, it's almost overwhelming," he murmured. "If he had this much energy, this proves it. This boy..."

He then looked at the boy and the cackled evilly as he pointed his sword at him. He raised it above his head preparing to strike him. At this point, Harusuke's vision was losing focus and his body felt heavier.

 _"No... Not now... I can't die... Someone... anyone... help me... Someone help!"_

Harusuke's eyes then closed into unconsciousness as Zoisite swung his blade aiming for his throat.


	46. Chapter 45

Zoisite swung his crystal sword ready to deliver the final blow to an unconscious Harusuke, but then suddenly he heard a familiar voice yell out.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

A certain white disc came shooting from out of nowhere and knocked Zoisite's sword away just in time. At the very same time, Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians arrived on the scene and Zoisite quickly dispersed the ball of energy in his hand.

"Zoisite! Your evil scheme ends-"

Sailor Moon was about to say her speech, but then she along with everyone else saw Harusuke on the ground unconscious and bleeding. Everyone's faces were filled with horror upon seeing him.

"Oh my god!" gasped Sailor Mercury.

"Harusuke!" yelled Sailor Mars.

"I apologize ladies, but you're a bit too late," Zoisite spoke coolly as he faced them. "Since you're all here and you apparently know this boy, why don't you do me a favor and take him? I'm done with him anyway."

"You bastard! What'd you do to him?!" demanded Sailor Moon her face twisted in an angry snarl.

"Oh, nothing special. I just played with this human for a bit," smirked Zoisite. "I wanted to get some payback at Solaris for punching my cheek, but then I found out this boy and Solaris were one and the same. So, I lured him into a trap by disguising myself as a woman, so I could get my revenge. And boy did he fall for it."

All of the guardians glared at Zoisite now seething with fury. Sailor Moon especially could feel her blood beginning to boil as Zoisite laughed.

"So... you tricked him by pretending to be a girl and then just..." began Sailor Moon before she trailed off her fist shaking and trembling in anger.

"That's low, Zoisite! Even for you!" Sailor Mercury spoke angrily.

"Like I care what you think," scoffed Zoisite. "All's fair in love and war and this boy lost. But don't worry. The rest of you will be joining him soon enough."

At that moment, Sailor Mars and Jupiter went on the attack.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

A powerful fireball and a huge bolt of lightning shot out forcing Zoisite to defend himself by releasing a shield of petals to block the incoming attacks. Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury then attacked next.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

Sailor Venus fired her beam of light and Sailor Mercury fired a blast of bubbles, once again Zoisite managed to defend by blocking the incoming attacks. Taking advantage, Sailor Moon and the others quickly rushed over to Harusuke.

"Harusuke! Are you alright?! Please say something!" begged Sailor Moon as she cradled him in her arms.

"Open your eyes! Please wake up!" said Sailor Venus.

"That wound looks very bad!" cried Sailor Mercury. "We've got to get him treated right away!"

"It's no use. With that wound as well as his energy being drained, he's as good as dead," spoke Zoisite. "And I must say that it was worth putting up with that torture of a boy who's never known a girl like him. I mean you should have seen the look on his face when I stabbed him. Not only that but can you believe how unsophisticated he was? I mean I could tell just by looking at him and that's just putting it lightly! That date we went on was so boring, it's no wonder that I couldn't wait to kill him. It was so boring that I felt like I was about to fall asleep!"

He then cackled loudly, his laugh echoing throughout the park.

"Shut your mouth, Zoisite!" snapped Sailor Moon her eyes filling with angry tears. "I knew you and the Dark Kingdom were evil, but how could you do something like this?! You crushed this innocent boy's heart by pretending you were someone that loved him for a petty vendetta?! I don't care who you are! You're going to pay for this! I swear you will!"

"You don't scare me in the slightest, Sailor Moon," Zoisite scoffed. "But if you want to make me pay, then I dare you to come over here and try!"

Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus all stood bravely in front of Zoisite as the latter stood before them not intimidated in the slightest. A few tense seconds passed, then suddenly a golden light began to shine just behind the Sailor Guardians causing everyone to look back. They were surprised to see that the light was coming from Harusuke. He also began to levitate until he was floating upright.

"Wh-what's going on?!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"Harusuke..." murmured Sailor Mars.

At that moment, Harusuke began to change. First, his outfit changed completely becoming a white suit with gold trims on the sleeves and pants. He was also wearing armor that was a gold colored chest piece with long shoulder plates, gold metal gloves, gold metal boots, and a white cape that flapped in the wind as he floated. A bright symbol also appeared in the middle of the Harusuke's forehead which was a circle with a dot in the middle and as he opened his eyes, once again they were a bright silver color that would put even the brightest of moons to shame.

Everyone who saw this was frozen in shock and awe as his feet touched the ground.

"Wh-What is this?!" wondered Sailor Mercury.

"I don't know..." said Sailor Venus.

At that moment, Luna and Artemis' crescent moon marks began to glow as they suddenly remembered.

"I don't believe it..." murmured Luna. "It's really him."

"Prince Taiyou," Artemis finished.

All the guardians looked at Artemis and Luna.

"Did you just say prince?!" exclaimed Sailor Mars. "As in Harusuke?!"

"I don't believe it..." murmured Sailor Venus.

Sailor Moon could only stare at the man before her just as shocked and surprised.

When Zoisite saw him, he couldn't believe what he was seeing either. Not only that, but he felt the sneaking suspicion that he had seen this man somewhere before.

"That man... He's... Prince Taiyou?!" he wondered. "How... is this possible?! And why do I have the feeling... that I know him?"

Prince Taiyou then looked around surveying the area seeming to be a bit puzzled. "What is this trickery?" he wondered in a deeper voice. "This isn't the Moon Kingdom. Where am I?"

He then winced as he felt his wound ache in pain which caused him to feel it and then look at his hand. His metal glove was now stained with his red blood.

"This wound... who dares to inflict such a wound upon me?" he wondered.

Then his eyes fell upon Zoisite. Upon seeing him, his face twisted into an angry glare his silver eyes burning in hatred. He also began releasing a powerful aura making some bits of rock levitate in the air.

"Zoisite... you filthy cur," he spoke in a venomous tone. "You dare show your face before me again after what you did to us?! To your King?!"

Zoisite now felt confused as did everyone else.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Zoisite asked. "I have no idea what you mean."

"You know very well what I'm talking about!" snapped Prince Taiyou. "Why did you betray him for Queen Beryl?! He trusted you, your fellow brothers, and yet you chose to attack and destroy our homeland for the sake of a twisted woman like Queen Beryl?! What you and your peers have done is absolutely unforgivable!"

"Luna, do you have any idea what he's talking about?" asked Sailor Venus.

"I have no clue," said Sailor Jupiter. "I'm at a loss myself."

No one else didn't know either. Then Artemis realized something.

 _"_ Wait _a second... could he be talking about..."_ he thought to himself.

Prince Taiyou then reached to his side as if he was about to draw his sword, but he was quick to realize that he had no sword whatsoever.

"Damn it all! My blade is gone!" he spoke. "No matter. I'm more than capable of fighting you, Zoisite. Even without my blade, I'll still crush you like the cowardly cockroach you are! I may be disarmed, but I'm still more than a match for you!"

Now Zoisite felt a bit insulted. "Is that so, dear prince? Well then, I may not know who you are, but your confidence is indeed surprising. It seems that you can talk the talk, but let's see if you can walk the walk."

He then raised his hand and was about to unleash his signature flurry of petals, but before he had a chance to react, Prince Taiyou dashed forward in a speed that was unlike Harusuke's and then clocked Zoisite square in the face sending him backward. Zoisite recovered by backflipping until he was back on his feet and looked up at Prince Taiyou in shock.

 _"No way! I couldn't follow that attack!"_ he thought to himself. _"It was so fast!"_

"What's wrong, Zoisite? Have you lost your nerve?" asked Prince Taiyou somewhat mocking. "Or are you going to flee with your tail between your legs?"

"Don't start getting cocky just because you hit me," Zoisite said coldly as he wiped his cheek. "If it's a real fight that you want, then I'll be glad to give it to you! Zoi!"

He then fired a powerful blast of black energy from his hand at him, but Prince Taiyou jumped up dodging the blow. While he was in the air, Zoisite then fired a couple of arrows of crystal at him causing the Guardians to be alarmed.

"Hey! Look out!" yelled Artemis.

But Prince Taiyou was perfectly calm as he clenched his fist making it glow with a bright and golden light.

"GOLDEN LASSO!"

A beam of light shot out from his hand and began to bend and coil allowing him to control it like a whip. With a swing of his hand, the whip of light swatted and knocked away all of the crystals much to the surprise of Zoisite. Prince Taiyou then swung his whip again making it shoot towards Zoisite. Naturally, Zoisite blocked the attack with ease, but the whip of light split into two directions and wrapped around Zoisite binding him.

"That attack!" gasped Sailor Jupiter. "It's just like Solaris' Solar Binding!"

"Only Prince Taiyou's has a lot more control over it," said Sailor Mercury.

"Damn it!" cursed Zoisite as he struggled. "Let me go!"

"I'll let you go alright, villain!" Prince Taiyou smirked.

Prince Taiyou then gave the whip of light a mighty tug swinging Zoisite around and around in a circle until he swung it down towards the ground slamming Zoisite hard. Stunned as well as in his own crater, Zoisite was dazed wincing in pain. The Guardians, as well as Luna and Artemis, were stunned by this incredible display.

"Incredible..." spoke Sailor Mars with amazement.

"Even though that he's wound, he still has that much strength?" Sailor Venus gasped.

But Sailor Venus was wrong. Due to the wound on his hip, Prince Taiyou couldn't help but wince in pain as it oozed a little more blood, but he stood strong as he covered up his wound.

"On your feet, Zoisite!" he ordered as he dispersed his whip. "If you think I'm finished with you, you're sadly mistaken!"

Zoisite then got back on his feet still shaken from the blow, but he was now more angrily than ever.

"You little wretch! You think that you can take me in your wounded state?!" he snapped fiercely. "I'll kill you before I let you have the chance!"

"Have at you then!" Prince Taiyou shot back. "For even though I'm wounded, I will not rest until I get my revenge for not only deceiving me but for also turning your back on us! Prepare yourself!"

The two prepared to clash once again both of them glowing with powerful energies. Then suddenly, Zoisite and Jadeite arrived appearing just behind Zoisite.

"Zoisite, are you alright?" asked Kunzite.

"Kunzite! Jadeite! It's about time you two got here!" Zoisite complained.

"Seems like you're having a bit of trouble, Zoisite," Jadeite spoke aloof.

The Guardians were surprised to see the two, Sailor Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Luna especially upon seeing Jadeite.

"No way! Is that Jadeite?!" gasped Sailor Moon. "But... I thought we beat him back at the airport back then!"

"Yeah! That plane should have killed him!" said Sailor Mars. "There's no way that he could be alive!"

Prince Taiyou was just as surprised upon seeing Kunzite and Jadeite, but then his surprise was replaced by his returning anger. Kunzite and Jadeite then looked at the prince and their eyes widened in surprise.

"Who is that?!" asked Kunzite. "I feel like... I've seen him somewhere before.

"That's the boy who we were targeting, Kunzite," explained Zoisite. "It turns out that he's Prince Taiyou of the Moon Kingdom!"

"Prince Taiyou?!" Jadeite asked a look of surprise showing on his face. "The eldest son of the Royal Family?!"

"So, Kunzite and Jadeite. You've decided to show your faces too?!" he growled. "That's fine with me. I've been meaning to track you two down as well. Since you're both here, I might as well reap the reward that fate has brought me and take all three of you traitors down for good!"

"Sorry, Prince, but we have better things to do rather than play around with you," said Kunzite. "But don't worry, you can be sure that we'll be back."

"But Kunzite! We can take them!" protested Zoisite. "We have a chance to not only kill the prince but to take the Silver Crystal too!"

"Zoisite, will you use your head for once?!" snapped Jadeite. "Our mission has already been completed, so there's no reason for us to stick around anymore. Unless you want Queen Beryl to be furious."

Zoisite was silent. Then he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine," he said.

Kunzite with a wave of his hand opened a portal to the Dark Kingdom.

"They're retreating!" called out Sailor Moon.

"Get back here, you cowards!" Prince Taiyou roared as his hind began to glow again. "I won't let you escape! Not for what you did to Endymion!"

He then fired a blast from his hoping to prevent their escape, but he was too late. The three Kings of Heaven disappeared into the portal as it closed behind them as the beam of light aimlessly shot past.

Prince Taiyou growled in anger. "Damn those wretches! If those fools think that I'm about to let them get away, they got another thing coming!"

He was just about to pursue them when he felt a shot of pain on his hips causing him to grunt in pain. Sailor Moon then rushed over to him.

"Harusuke? Are you alright?!" she asked worriedly.

Prince Taiyou looked at Sailor Moon a bit confused. "Who is this Harusuke you speak of, Sister?" he asked raising a brow.

"Wait... what are you talking about?" Sailor Moon spoke. "You're Harusuke. My brother? And I'm your sister, Usagi."

"Usagi? Why do you address yourself by such a strange name, Serenity?" Prince Taiyou asked. Then he shook his head. "Never mind. I have no time for games. Besides, this wound is nothing. Nothing compared to the anger I feel towards those traitors! I must hunt them down and destroy them once and for all!"

"Prince Taiyou, wait a minute!" cried Luna. "You have to stop and rest for a minute!"

But it was no use. In a giant leap, Prince Taiyou took off into the air disappearing into the rooftops above. All the Guardians could do was stand there dumbfounded and confused as to what had just happened.

* * *

Back in the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite, Zoisite, and Kunzite all made it back to Queen Beryl safely and Zoisite presented the ball of energy that he extracted from Harusuke.

Queen Beryl was pleased. "Well done, you three," she said. "This energy is strong and powerful. With this, we will be able to bring back Nephrite and the Four Kings of Heaven shall be revived."

"Queen Beryl, we thank you for your praise," said Kunzite. "But I'm afraid that we have to report something else that might be troubling."

"And what would that be?" asked Queen Beryl.

"It's would seem that while the boy indeed the one that Jadeite predicted, we found out that he had another identity," said Jadeite. "He's also Prince Taiyou of the Moon Kingdom."

Queen Beryl stared at Zoisite her eyes widening. "What? Prince Taiyou has finally awakened?"

"Yes. He has my queen," said Kunzite. "We would have been able to handle him by ourselves due to his wounded state, but the Sailor Guardians showed up and we were forced to retreat. We couldn't risk letting the energy Zoisite gathered to slip from us."

Queen Beryl was silent. Kunzite, Zoisite, and Jadeite all assumed that Queen Beryl was about to explode in anger, but surprisingly she was calm.

"That was a wise decision on your part," she said. "However, that does put us in a grave position which is why we must resurrect Nephrite as soon as possible."

She then went over to Nephrite body of which was still inside the stone coffin. She walked over to it and then held the ball of energy over Nephrite's body. It slowly began to shrink growing smaller and smaller as it disappeared into Nephrite's body. Queen Beryl then raised her staff as it began to glow in a purple light.

"In the name of the Dark Kingdom, I call upon your soul from beyond the grave," she commanded. "Heed my call and return to us! Be reborn! Nephrite!"

The orb on Queen Beryl's staff began to glow brightly as it bathed Nephrite in its glow after a few seconds, the glow died down. There was a bit of silence, then Nephrite began to stir as his eyes slowly began to open. He slowly sat up and got out of the coffin. Kunzite, Zoisite, and Jadeite were amazed as well as shocked and Queen Beryl smirked feeling pleased.

"She... She did it," murmured Zoisite. "Nephrite... has been brought back to life!"

Nephrite looked around at his surroundings. "What's happened to me?" he asked. "Why am I in the Dark Kingdom?"

"Welcome back, Nephrite," said Queen Beyrl. "It's good to see that you're back. However, I must test you to see if you're truly returned. Do you know who I am and who you're enemies are?"

Nephrite looked up at her. " 're my queen, Beryl and my enemies are the Moon Kingdom and the Guardians that serve it," he said as he looked at the other members. "And I see that you've gathered the other members of the Kings of Heaven. Has something happened?"

"Yes. It has," said Queen Beryl. "The Prince of the Moon Kingdom, Taiyou has returned and he must be disposed of as soon as possible. Therefore, the four of you must track him down and kill him before he has a chance to recover. Don't stop until he's as good as dead."

The Four Kings of Heaven all bowed before Queen Beryl respectfully.

"Yes, Queen Beryl," they all spoke.

* * *

Meanwhile, Prince Taiyou was jumping from building searching for his enemies. As he jumped around scanning at the ground below, he couldn't help but feel a bit out of place with his new surroundings.

 _"This land... what kind of place is this?"_ he thought. _"This isn't the Moon Kingdom because I can see the Moon in the sky. So, therefore, I must be on Earth. It certainly has changed over the years."_

He then stopped on the top of a tall building that was high above the streets of downtown. He gazed towards the streets below watching as the streetlights glimmered and the cars and people bustled about going left and right without a care in the world. Prince Taiyou was amazed as well as curious, but he quickly remembered that he didn't have time to sightsee. He then felt a twang of pain on hip causing him to grunt in pain. He felt his hip with his hand and saw that there was still a little bit of blood on it.

"Damn it all. I suppose pursuing those villains while being injured wasn't the best idea," he said to himself. "But I can't turn back now. I must find those monsters post haste. Who knows what dastardly scheme those curs may be plotting. One thing's for sure, once I find them and crush them, I'll question them about the location of Queen Beryl. And then..." he clenched his fists in anger and hate as they glowed. "I'll make sure Queen Beryl rues the day that she ever decided to cross my family!"

His silver eyes glowed in a dark silver color as he resumed his search.

* * *

Sailor Moon and the other guardians were running down the street desperately trying to search for Prince Taiyou. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where could he be?!" wondered Sailor Moon. "He couldn't have gone that far, could he?! Harusuke! Harusuke, where are you?!"

"Calm down, Sailor Moon," said Luna. "This isn't the time to be so freaked out."

"Freaked out?! Freaked out?!" Sailor Moon cried a bit hysterical. "My brother not only was tricked into thinking that a girl liked him and was stabbed as a result but now I find out that he's a prince and has practically become an entirely different person that doesn't even recognize me?! And not only that, he's running around the city with a giant hole in his side probably bleeding to death as we speak?! How can I not be freaking out right now!?"

"Yeah! But you screaming like a lunatic isn't gonna help much!" Sailor Mars snapped. "So stop screaming already!"

Sailor Moon immediately stopped, but she couldn't help but bit her lip trying her best not to cry. Sailor Mars then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find him," said Sailor Mars. "And we'll make sure that he's okay too."

Sailor Moon tearfully nodded as she wiped her eyes.

"But I'm still puzzled as to why this happened," said Sailor Mercury. "When Usagi awakened as Princess Serenity, she managed to return to her normal self. So why is Harusuke... or rather Prince Taiyou acting so strangely?"

"Do you two know anything about this?" Sailor Venus asked Luna and Artemis.

The two cats then frowned seeming a bit hesitant to answer. Everyone then turned towards the cats.

"What's wrong, you two?" asked Sailor Jupiter. "I mean if you two know anything, then spit it out already."

Luna and Artemis looked at each other. Then Artemis spoke.

"Well... the thing is, we think that what's happening here there's a strong possibility that due to the shock of finding out who he is and becoming enraged of being tricked, Prince Taiyou could be acting the way because of the negative emotions Harusuke felt," said Artemis. "

"That explains a bit," said Sailor Mars. "I did sense a lot of rage emanating from his aura."

"Not only that, but he seems to think that he's the era when the Moon Kingdom back when it was prosperous," said Luna. "Which why he was acting the way he was and why he didn't recognize Sailor Moon by her real name and thought that she was Princess Serenity."

"But isn't there any way to snap him out of it?" asked Sailor Moon. "I mean there has to be a way right?"

"We think so," said Artemis. "If Sailor Moon uses Moon Healing Escalation, then it should return him to normal. However..."

"It won't be an easy task," cut in Luna. "Prince Taiyou is sure to attack us in his current state, so we have to confront him in order to heal him."

"But... wait. When you say weaken him, do you mean..." Sailor Mars spoke before trailing off.

Artemis then nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid that you all gonna probably have to fight, Prince Taiyou in order for you to save him."

The Guardians all gulped a slight cold feeling of adrenaline going up their veins. None of them really wanted to fight Prince Taiyou, but at the same time, they couldn't just leave him the way he was. There was a long silence. At last, Sailor Moon spoke.

"Luna, Artemis. You're sure that there's no other way to save my brother?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Sailor Moon," said Luna. "And I'd understand that you wouldn't want to fight against your own brother, but-"

"I'll do it," interrupted Sailor Moon.

Everyone then stared at Sailor Moon taken aback for what she said.

"Sailor Moon... are you sure?" asked Sailor Mars. "I mean... we're talking about fighting against your brother."

"Yes, I know. But if it's for saving my brother, then I'll fight him if I have to," Sailor Moon spoke with determination. "Besides, Harusuke's tough. He can take any type of beating and bounce right back. I'll just give him a couple knocks to the head and then I'll turn him back to normal!"

"That's the spirit, Sailor Moon," smiled Sailor Venus.

"Yeah. Don't worry. We'll get Harusuke back," said Sailor Mercury. "And we'll stop whatever the Dark Kingdom has planned as well!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sailor Jupiter grinned cracking her knuckles. "Let's go find him!"

And they all ran off resuming their search for Prince Taiyou.

 _"Don't worry, Harusuke! We're coming to help you!"_ Sailor Moon said to herself. _"I promise we'll save you!"_

* * *

Prince Taiyou was still searching for any sign of Kunzite and the others, but they were nowhere to be seen. He searched high and he searched low, but he had no luck in finding them.

"Damn it all! I can't find them anywhere!" he cursed. "Those wretched bastards are quite formidable when it comes to running away!"

Then suddenly, he started to feel a bit light headed causing him to hold his head in agony.

"And to make things worse, I'm feeling rather ill," he muttered. "It must have been due to this mysterious wound no doubt due to Zoisite's trickery. I suppose I should have waited to dress it before I ran off. Then again, I am Mother's knight. A wound like this is nothing."

"Are you sure about that, Prince?" said a mocking voice. "Because that wound looks bad. You sure you don't want to rest?"

Prince Taiyou then whipped his head around. "Who goes there?! Show yourself!" he shouted. "Come out and face me like a man!"

"My, my. What bravery," said another voice. "Very well then. If you wish to satisfy that foolish pride you call bravery, just come towards the light if you think you got the guts."

He then saw something. Just a few feet away from him, he saw a sort of beacon in the distance which was a pillar of light. He immediately dashed straight towards it hopping from building to building until he landed in a vacant lot. As soon as he landed there, the beacon of light turned off. Then street lamps that were illuminating the area turned on and Prince Taiyou found himself surrounded by Kunzite, Zoisite, Jadeite, and Nephrite.

"So you finally show your faces, eh?" he spoke with a scowl. "Fortune has smiled upon me once again!"

"I'll give you this much, Taiyou, you certainly are brave despite your current state," said Kunzite. "But that also proves that you're just as foolish."

"That's right. Because in case you haven't noticed, you have yourself at a disadvantage," smirked Zoisite. "And not just from that wound on your hip."

"If you're talking about odds, those don't matter to a warrior like me," Prince Taiyou spoke bravely. "I've fought against you four countless times back in the Moon Kingdom and I've defeated you each and every time, so this should be nothing different."

Kunzite raised a brow in confusion. _"What is this fool talking about?"_ he thought. _"He acts as if that we fought against him before. But where? And when?"_

At that moment, something bubbled up in his mind. A memory of some sort. He saw himself and his fellow Kings of Heaven battling against Prince Taiyou. Then he saw Endymion standing bravely in front of Taiyou protecting him from harm.

 _"What... what was that?!"_ he wondered. _"Some kind of vision?"_ He then shook his head trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

"Do you honestly think that you can take us all on at once wounded and outnumbered?" said Jadite. "I think I'm insulted."

"Don't be intimidated," Nephrite spoke. "All of what he said his just talk. He may be tough, but he doesn't stand a chance against us."

"You think so? Then why don't you all fight me and prove it!" Prince Taiyou said his hands glowing and charging with power. "Tonight, I shall take my revenge!"

The five were just about to start their battle when suddenly a familiar voice was heard.

"Stop right there!"

Everyone immediately looked up where the voice came from and there standing on top of the building with the Moon shining brightly behind were Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Guardians.

"Four against one is a completely unfair fight!" said Sailor Moon. "I won't allow anyone to fight such despicable tactics, especially if it's against a prince! We are the Sailor Guardians! And in the name of the Moon..."

"We'll punish you!" the five of them said together.

"So, the Sailor Guardians are here?" growled Jadeite. "Damn! They always did show up whenever they aren't wanted."

"Look at that!" cried Artemis upon seeing the four. "Those are...!"

"The Four Kings of Heaven!" gasped Sailor Venus. "All four of them in one place?!"

Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Mars then saw Nephrite and were deeply shocked when they saw him.

"No way! Is that... Nephrite?!" gasped Sailor Mercury.

"But... he died, didn't he?!" wondered Sailor Moon. "We saw Zoisite and his monsters kill him!"

"This isn't the time to worry about that right now!" said Luna. "We have to stay focused!"

The Guardians then nodded agreeing with Sailor Mars.

"Alright, everyone! You know what to do!" said Luna. "Spread out and protect the prince!"

"Right!"

Everyone then leaped off the building and each of the Sailor Guardian took someone to square off against. Mars took Jadeite, Merucy with Zoisite, Sailor Jupiter Nephrite, and Venus had Kunzite leaving Sailor Moon to Prince Taiyou.

"What's the meaning of this?" Nephite asked raising a brow.

"We're not about to let you hurt, Prince Taiyou!" said Sailor Mercury.

"If you wanna get to him, you have to get by us first!" said Sailor Jupiter.

"Very well then!" said Zoisite. "If you guardians want to stand in our way, then you girls can join him!"

"We'll dispose of you and Prince Taiyou all in the name of Queen Beryl and our Great Ruler!" Nephrite spoke.

The Sailor Guardians and the Four Kings of Heaven all then attacked engaging in an all-out brawl. They jumped and they dashed around each other launched her attacks or punching and kicking. In the midst of all the chaos, Prince Taiyou couldn't help but feel bewildered.

"The Sailor Guardians?! What are they doing here?!" he demanded. "And how dare they interfere with my fight! I could have handled it myself!"

Then he saw Sailor Moon walking towards him with her Crescent Moon wand in her hand and Luna and Artemis in tow.

"What are you up to, Serenity?" Taiyou asked suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, Harusuke, but I have to stop you before you do anything else to hurt yourself," said Sailor Moon. "You're injured and you're acting out of hate and anger. You need to be healed, so please... don't make things difficult."

Prince Taiyou looked at the Crescent Moon wand and then back towards Usagi. His eyes became a darker color as he glared.

"You dare raise your hand against me, Serenity?!" he growled. "Has the Dark Kingdom, as well as the Earth, warped your mind that much?! Very well then! I shall not pull my punches even if it's you!"

"Bring it on!" Sailor Moon spoke bravely. "And my name isn't Serenity! Well... it is, but that's not who I am! I'm Sailor Moon and in the name of the Moon, I'll save you!"

Prince Taiyou then shot forward letting out a fierce cry of battle as he swung with his right leg. Sailor Moon immediately ducked dodging the blow and jumped back. Prince Taiyou gave chase following her in hot pursuit attacking with punches and kicks left and right, but Sailor Moon managed to dodge the incoming attacks albeit just barely.

"Why do you flee, Sister?!" Prince Taiyou yelled. "Come and face me!"

Sailor Moon ignored him and kept on dodging his attacks with Luna and Artemis watching from afar praying for her to succeed.

 _"Come on, Sailor Moon. You can do this!"_ thought Artemis.

 _"If anyone can save Harusuke, it's you!"_ Luna thought.

As the Four Kings of Heaven continued to fight the Sailor Guardians, they took notice of Sailor Moon fighting against Prince Taiyou as did the Guardians themselves. They immediately realized what Sailor Moon was up to.

"So that's her game is it?" Kunzite spoke. "She plans to heal him."

"I'll stop her before she has a chance!" yelled Zoisite.

He was about charge into Sailor Moon, but then Sailor Mercury cut him off as she unleashed her Mercury Bubble Spray forcing him to block the attack.

"Don't worry about them! You should be focusing on me!" she said.

Zoisite clicked his tongue in annoyance as he resumed his fight with Sailor Mercury. The same thing happened to the others as well. Whenever they would try to intervene with Sailor Moon and Prince Taiyou, the Guardians would prevent them from going any further while Prince Taiyou and Sailor Moon continued to fight.

At this point, Prince Taiyou was beginning to lose his strength growing weaker and out of breath. His movements became a little slower and he felt his limbs grow heavier. His wound also began to hurt once again and he held it in pain.

"Damn it... Come and face me!" he yelled weakly.

"Harusuke! Please! You have to stop!" yelled Sailor Moon. "You're about to collapse and you've lost a lot of blood! Let me heal you!"

She raised her Crescent Moon Wand about to cast Moon Healing Escalation, but then Prince Taiyou fired his Golden Lasso making it wrap around Sailor Moon binding her tightly.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna And Artemis cried.

Sailor Moon whimpered in pain as she felt the bind that held her grow tight as Prince Taiyou began clenching his fist.

"I didn't want to use this unless I needed to, sister, but you left me with no choice!" Prince Taiyou spoke gritting his teeth. "Now, I'll squeeze you until you beg to surrender!"

"H-Harusuke! Please... stop this!" begged Sailor Moon. "I'm... your sister! Please!"

Then suddenly, Luna and Artemis leaped into the fray each of them letting out loud yowls. Before Prince Taiyou could react, they latched onto his head and began clawing at him causing him to cry out in pain and make him lose focus. Feeling his bind weaken, Sailor Moon struggled and strained and with a grunt, she broke free of the Golden Lasso. Seeing that Luna And Artemis were keeping Prince Taiyou busy, she then took off her tiara from her and transformed it into a disc of light taking aim.

"Harusuke... forgive me!" she said. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She then fired the disc aiming right for Prince Taiyou. Princen Taiyou had just thrown Luna and Artemis off of him and was redirecting his attention towards Sailor Moon when he saw something white and glowing coming straight towards him. Before he had a chance to react, the Moon Tiara Action hit him straight at his midsection where his wound was. It didn't pierce him, but it felt like someone punched him right in the gut. The force of the attack made him skid backward, but he remained standing despite feeling an incredible amount of pain. His body was shaking as he tried to remain standing but in the end, he fell onto one knee.

 _"Now!"_ thought Sailor Moon as she raised up her wands activating its powers. "MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

The Crescent Moon Wand along with the Silver Crystal shone brightly unleashing a powerful blast of light and dust. Prince Taiyou writhed in agony as he tried to resist.

"No... I won't... let go... of... my..."

Then in a brilliant flash of light, Prince Taiyou reverted back to Harusuke as he fell to the ground unconscious. Sailor Moon then sank to her knees in exhaustion as she tried to catch her breath.

"Alright! Sailor Moon did it!" cheered Artemis.

"Way to go, Sailor Moon!" said Luna with relief. "You saved him!"

The other Guardians and the Four Kings of Heaven immediately stopped fighting. Then Zoisite seizing an opportunity unleashed a blizzard of power blinding Sailor Mercury as he shot towards Harusuke.

"Thank you for healing him, Sailor Moon!" he said as dove towards him. "You've given me the perfect opportunity! To kill this boy in his sleep!"

He summoned forth a crystal sword and aimed it right at Harusuke. Sailor Moon seeing this summoned what little strength she had and rushed on over, coming in between Zoisite and Harusuke.

"I won't let you touch him!" she yelled as she raised the Cresent Moon Wand above her head.

The Silver Crystal glowed and a pink barrier formed around Sailor Moon shielding herself and Harusuke. Zoisite's sword made contact with the barrier making the collision spark. Finally, the barrier bounced Zoisite away from her sending him a few feet away. Kunzite, Jadeite, and Nephrite all rushed to his aid while the other guardians went over to Sailor Moon and Harusuke. They all gazed grimly at each other. Then Kunzite relaxed as he waved his hand summoning forth the portal to the Dark Kingdom.

"Don't think that this is over!" he shouted. "We'll be back to destroy you all!"

And with that, the Four Kings of Heaven disappeared into the portal as it vanished into the air. Sailor Moon and the others quickly rushed over to Harusuke.

"Harusuke! Can you hear me?" asked Sailor Moon. "Please say something!"

Harusuke stirred as his eyes slowly opened halfway. He skin was pale and he was shivering as he struggled to breathe.

"U-Usagi...? Is... that you...?" he whispered weakly.

"Yes! I'm right here!" Sailor Moon said as she gripped his hand. "Just stay with me, Harusuke. You'll be okay!"

Sailor Venus then rushed over and placed two fingers on his wrist checking his pulse.

"He's still alive, but his pulse is very weak!" she said. "We need to get him to a hospital right away!"

"There's no way we'll make it in time! We have to do something now before it's too late! said Sailor Mercury.

"Sailor Moon, can't you use the Silver Crystal to heal him?" asked Sailor Mars.

"I... I don't know. I've never used it to heal someone before," said Sailor Moon.

"It should be able to," said Luna. "The Silver Crystal's capable of just about anything. Including healing that wound."

"But we have to act quickly! Harusuke won't last much longer," said Artemis. Then he looked at Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon, you have to concentrate on what you want the Silver Crystal to do and it should be able to do it. You just have to focus."

Sailor Moon nodded then she looked at Harusuke as she held the wand over him. She also closed her eyes and concentrated as the Silver Crystal began to emanate a bright pink light.

 _"Please Silver Cyrstal... I beg you! Save my brother! Lend me your powers so I can heal him!"_

The Silver Crystal began to glow brighter and brighter shining upon Harusuke's body. As it did, the wound on his hip began to glow as well. Everyone watched in amazement as the wound slowly began to close up. After a few more seconds, the wound completely closed as the light of the Silver Crystal faded away and Sailor Moon fell to her knees from exhaustion.

"Sailor Moon? Are you alright?" asked Sailor Mars.

"I'm... I'm okay," panted Sailor Moon. "I'm just... a little bit tired."

Sailor Mercury then checked Harusuke's pulse again. She then sighed in relief. "His pulse is a lot stronger now. I think he should be okay now."

"Way to go, Sailor Moon," said Sailor Jupiter happily. "You healed him."

Sailor Moon let out a weak laugh as she gave a thumbs up. Sailor Jupiter then lifted up Harusuke into her arms as she stood up.

"What do you say we all head home?" she asked. "We gotta make sure Harusuke's alright after all."

"I agree," said Sailor Mercury. "In that's the case, let's head for Usagi's place. At least that way, we'll be sure that he's in a safe place."

Everyone agreed and so they all headed back to the Tsukino's place.

* * *

Soon enough, everyone made it back to the Tsukino's place and Harusuke was lying down on his bed covered up and fast asleep with Usagi and the others standing in the room with him.

"It seems like he's fast asleep," said Makoto. "He looks so peaceful."

"Thank goodness that we were able to help him," said Ami. "But I'm still wondering what he was talking about before when he was Taiyou."

"We're not really sure," said Luna "But for now, all we can do is watch over him until he wakes up. When he does, we'll have to tell him everything that happened while he was possessed."

"Yeah... but... he's definitely not going to be thrilled when he finds out," said Makoto. "Especially the part where Zoisite was his date."

Usagi could only hold her brother's hand squeezing it lightly. Minako then patted her shoulder reassuring her.

"It'll be okay, Usagi," she said gently. "The important thing is that Harusuke's safe and sound and we'll be there for him when he wakes up."

"And we'll protect him too," said Ami. "No matter what happens."

Usagi could only nod as she along with her kept their vigil over Harusuke as the night rolled on.


	47. Chapter 46

_Here is the next chapter guys! And thank you reader for giving me pointers and also supporting my story!_

 _Hope you enjoy the latest chapter!_

* * *

At Juuban Middle School, Usagi was sitting in the classroom waiting for class to begin. However, she wasn't in the best of moods like her classmates around her. And the reason was right next to her desk. Next to her desk was Harusuke's of which was empty.

At that moment, Naru and Umino came up to her. "Hey, Usagi! How's it going?" they greeted.

"Oh. Hi, Naru," responded Usagi.

Naru then noticed Usagi was looking a bit glum. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Something bothering you?"

"No. Nothing really," replied Usagi. "I was just feeling a bit tired is all."

Umino then noticed Harusuke's empty desk. "That's strange. Harusuke's not here yet," he said. "I wonder if he's running late."

"Oh, come on, Umino. This is Harusuke we're talking about," said Naru. "He's never late for school. In fact, I don't think I've never him late to school once. He's probably just hiding somewhere in the classroom or... maybe he's in the restroom or something. Right, Usagi?"

Usagi didn't respond. At that moment, the school bell began to ring and everyone immediately took their seats. Then Ms. Haruna walked in and started taking roll. She eventually came close to the Ts and now on Harusuke's name.

"Harusuke Tsukino?" she called out.

Everyone then looked towards Harusuke's desk and were surprised to see that Harusuke's desk was completely empty. At that moment, the door to the classroom flung open and the boy in question walked wearily in.

"M-Ms. Haruna... I'm here..." he gasped. "I... woke up late and... I apologize."

Ms. Haruna and the class all turned towards Harusuke completely shocked and dumbfounded. Then Naru's face turned white as a sheet.

"No! It can't be! Harusuke's late?!" Naru cried.

"Please tell me that this is some kind of joke!" Umino gasped who was just as horrified. "If Harusuke's late then does this mean that the apocalypse is coming?!"

"Calm down, Umino. I just woke up late," Harusuke spoke feeling annoyed. "It happens to everyone including me."

"Well... I suppose... I can overlook this since this is your first time, Harusuke," said Ms. Haruna. "But try not to let it happen again, okay?"

"Yes, Ms. Haruna," said Harusuke bowing respectfully.

As Harusuke took his seat, Naru and Umino whispered to Usagi.

"Hey, Usagi. Do you know what's going on with Harusuke?" Naru asked.

"Yeah! This isn't like him at all," agreed Umino. "Usually you're the one who's late."

"W-Well..." said Usagi choosing her words carefully. "I... don't really know. Maybe he's having an off day?"

Usagi very much knew the reason of Harusuke's behavior, but what else could she say? She couldn't really tell her friends that her brother got backstabbed by a member of the Four Kings of Heaven that was cross-dressing as a girl.

Class then began and Ms. Haruna began writing some problems on the board. As class went on, Usagi looked back and could see that Harusuke wasn't focusing on the class. He just stared at the paper on his desk holding his pencil lost in his own world wearing a sad look on his face. As much as she wanted to reassure him that he would be okay, she knew that she couldn't at the moment, so she turned back towards Ms. Haruna as class continued.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl who was standing before Queen Metalia once again could feel the scar on her chest burn even more so than usual. Even though she was a powerful being, she couldn't help but hold her chest in agony as she panted trying to bear the pain.

"I'm sorry, Queen Metalia," said Queen Beryl. "But it seems... that our worst fears have been realized. The man who wounded me, the eldest brother of the Royal Moon family has been awakened as well."

Queen Metalia was silent for a few seconds before responding.

"I suppose it is to be expected," Queen Metalia hummed. "But this does pose a problem for us. Now that Prince Taiyou has returned, there's no doubt that he'll make getting the Silver Crystal all the more difficult."

"Fear not. I will see to it that that boy dies for what he did to me," Queen Beryl spoke with some slight venom. "I would like nothing more than to kill the boy myself."

"Then make sure that Prince Taiyou is dead," said Queen Metalia. "Once he's gone, Princess Serenity will no doubt fall into despair and you'll be able to seize your chance in taking the Silver Crystal."

"Yes, Queen Metalia," said Queen Beryl.

* * *

A little later, the guardians excluding Harusuke and Luna all met up at the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi just explaining what had happened during school.

"So... Harusuke was late for school?!" gasped Rei incredulously. "That's not like him at all!"

"And that's not the only thing," said Ami. "He also was acting like a total klutz even more so than Usagi. He practically ran into a pillar that was literally right in front of him while he was walking."

"Usagi, haven't you tried talking to him or anything?" asked Minako.

"I did, but... he keeps brushing me off saying that he was fine," Usagi spoke with a hint of sadness. "Not only that but for some reason, he keeps avoiding me."

"Me too," said Makoto. "And I went through the trouble to make him his favorite food too for lunch to cheer him up."

"He also wasn't answering his communicator," said Rei. "I've tried contacting him over and over, but he won't answer."

"I feel like this is my fault," Usagi spoke sadly. "If I didn't insist on him going out with Suzet- I mean Zoisite in the first place, things never would have ended up this way."

"Don't blame yourself, Usagi," said Rei. "I think we all kinda pushed him into it, so we're all equally to blame."

"Come on now, girls. This isn't the time to be playing the blame game," said Artemis. "We should be focusing on where else we should look for Harusuke."

"I don't even understand why Harusuke's acting this way," said Luna. "I mean I told him it was a trap and yet he's acting this. Sure he went a little cuckoo when he was possessed, but still..."

"Of course you of all people or... this case a cat wouldn't understand, Luna," said Minako. "Harusuke just suffered one of the biggest wounds a guy could ever get in his life and it's even worse than a stab through flesh. A stab to the heart. You know the saying; Stab the body and it'll congeal, but injure the heart and the wound will last in little time."

Everyone then stared at Minako a bit surprised. Minako then felt puzzled.

"What? Did I say it wrong?" asked Minako.

"Yeah... you did, Minako," said Artemis. "It's actually: "Stab the body and it'll heal, but injure the heart and the wound will last a lifetime"."

"I... suppose that could work too, I guess," Minako spoke as she scratched her cheek with embarrassment.

"In any case, regardless of the reason, we need to go look for Harusuke," said Makoto. "He's got to be somewhere in town. Does anyone know where else to look for him?"

"Well... he wasn't at school and I'm pretty sure that he's not at home either," said Usagi. "So he's got to be somewhere in town."

"We could check out Juuban Park," suggested Ami. "He always likes to walk over there sometimes."

"And we can check out the old cemetery and talk to the pastor," said Makoto. "Maybe he's seen him."

"In that case, why don't we all split up," said Artemis. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Good idea," said Luna. "Rei and Minako, you both look in Juuban Park and at the cemetery. Ami and Makoto you two check back home at the Tsukino's just in case Harusuke comes back there. Usagi and I will look around town. If anyone finds him, use your communicators."

"Right!" everyone said.

Rei then turned to Usagi who was still worried. She then placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Don't worry, Usagi. We'll find him."

"And we'll cheer him up too," added Minako. "After all, it's our duty as Guardians who stand for justice and love to be there for him no matter the cost."

A small smile worked its way to Usagi's lips. "Thanks, guys. I just hope that he's okay."

* * *

Harusuke was walking aimlessly around the middle of town with his hands in his pockets wearing a hoodie to hide his face just in case he was spotted by the enemies of the Dark Kingdom. To say that was he was feeling down in the dumps was a bit of an overstatement. He could still remember back to when he first woke up after being possessed.

 ** _Harusuke slowly opened his eyes finding himself staring up at the ceiling in his room. He then sat up surprised as well as confused._**

 ** _"What... what's going on?" he wondered. "What happened? How did I get back to my room?"_**

 ** _At that moment, the door to his room opened and Usagi and Luna came in, Usagi carrying a washtub filled water with a handcloth hanging on the side. When Usagi saw him, she froze for a few seconds, then while dropping the washtub not caring if she spilled the water rushed over to Harusuke practically leaping into his arms her eyes also flowing with tears._**

 ** _"Harusuke! You're finally awake!" she cried. "I'm so glad!"_**

 ** _"U-Usagi! I'm fine, but... I am feeling a bit confused as to how I ended up here," said Harusuke. Then suddenly flashbacks from what happened before suddenly came into his mind making slowly start to remember. "Wait... I... I think... I remember."_**

 ** _Then Luna jumped on the bed on top of Harusuke's lap. "It would seem that you're starting to remember," she said quietly. "But... I think that you should know everything that happened."_**

 ** _The black feline then told Harusuke what had happened. Harusuke listened closely not saying a single word as she told him. When she finished, Harusuke was at a loss for words._**

 ** _"So... it's true. I was not only deceived by Zoisite, but I'm also a prince named Taiyou?" he asked._**

 ** _"That's pretty much it," said Luna. "You nearly died, but Usagi saved your life just in the nick of time."_**

 ** _"Oh, I see. In that case, thank you, Usagi," said Harusuke. "I owe you big time for stopping me. I appreciate it."_**

 ** _"You're welcome... I guess," said Usagi. "But... are you okay, Harusuke? I mean this is a lot to take in."_**

 ** _Harusuke then smiled. "It's okay, Usagi. I'm fine," he said. "I mean sure, I'm all of a sudden a prince after being stabbed by a cross-dressing guy and... apparently Nephrite's back from the dead, but at least I'm alive, right? That's all that counts."_**

 ** _Usagi and Luna looked at each other not feeling so sure._**

 ** _"In any case, I'm feeling a bit dirty and stuff," said Harusuke. "So I'm gonna go ahead and take a shower."_**

 ** _"Are you sure you should be getting up?" asked Usagi. "I mean you still could use some rest."_**

 ** _"Don't worry, Usagi. I'm just taking a shower," chuckled Harusuke. "Seriously, you're worrying too much. Geez, you're acting too concerned about me. It's almost creepy. I'm just gonna take a shower and then I'll go right back to bed. Promise."_**

 ** _And then Harusuke left the room. He walked towards the bathroom and then shut the door behind him locking it. When he was sure that he was alone and no one could see him, his smile immediately vanished. His mouth was now in an angry and sad frown. His hands were clenched at their sides to the point of almost drawing blood and he felt his heart sink to the bottom of his chest as he bit his lip._**

 ** _"Damn it," he cursed to himself._**

"How could I have been so foolish?" he spoke bitterly to himself. "Not only did I let my guard down, but I allowed Zoisite to get the upper hand on me again. Only this time, I let him see my true identity too. Not to mention... I almost hurt Usagi because of my carelessness. Damn it!"

He then punched a lamppost so hard than it shuddered a bit from the impact. It hurt a bit, but that was nothing compared to the pain that was going through his chest right at that moment. Not only that, but he also knew that now that the enemy was aware of who he really was, he made the decision of keeping as far away from his friends and family as possible which was why he was alone and why he didn't answer to anyone while he was at school.

" _I'm sorry, everyone. But if I stay with you, it'll be too_ risky," he thought. " _Besides, it's my fault I got into this mess and I'll be damned if I put anyone in danger because of my own mistake. Speaking of, perhaps if I keep walking around like this, the Dark Kingdom's bound to find me eventually. When that happens, I'll be ready for them."_

He then looked at his open right hand clenching it into a fist.

" _And you better believe I'm gonna be out for blood this time, Zoisite,_ " he thought. " _I'm gonna make sure that you will pay for what you did to me. That's a promise I intend to keep. You've toyed and used my emotions for the last time. Next time I see you, you're and the rest of the Four Kings of Heaven are done!"_

He then stomped away wearing a determined and angry snarl on his face hungry for a fight.

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, the Four Kings of Heaven all gathered before Queen Beryl for a very important meeting.

"Is something the matter, Queen Beryl?" asked Nephrite. "You appear to be very cross."

"I wish that I could say that I was, Nephrite, but sadly I am cross," said Queen Beryl. "I've gathered you all here because I have my orders from Queen Metalia."

"And what orders are those?" asked Kunzite.

"It has to do with the recent awakening of Prince Taiyou," said Queen Beryl. "Queen Metalia, as well as I, want you all to find him while he's weak and kill him without any hesitation. With him around, it will make things all the more difficult when it comes to obtaining the Silver Crystal."

"Is he really that dangerous?" asked Zoisite. "He doesn't seem all that intimidating if you ask me."

"Don't underestimate him," said Queen Beryl. "He was the one who wounded me and gave me this scar. Do whatever it takes to kill him. No matter what."

"Yes, Queen Beryl," the Four Kings of Heaven acknowledged.

The four then took their leave preparing to go on their mission. As they walked down the hall, Kunzite couldn't help but be lost into his own thoughts. He was still thinking about the other day when Prince Taiyou had awakened and went about his rampage. The part that he couldn't help but wonder was that vision he had.

"Is something wrong, Kunzite, my love?" asked Zoisite. "You seem troubled about something."

"I suppose it's nothing, but I can't help but be curious," said Kunzite. "Do you remember our encounter with Prince Taiyou?"

"What about it?" asked Jadeite.

"Did you... feel something familiar about him?" asked Kunzite hesitantly. "Like you've met him before?"

"Now that you mention, I felt it too," said Jadeite. "I feel as if I knew him from a long time ago."

"So did I," said Zoisite. "But the question is where?"

There was a long silence. Then Kunzite thought back to the vision had from the previous battle as well as Taiyou's previous words about betraying his king. The thought of it still confused him, but then he remembered a particular part of his vision which made his eyes widen with realization. The part where Endymion stepped in between Taiyou and the four of them.

"Endym..." he began to murmur before trailing off.

"Did you remember something, Kunzite?" asked Zoisite.

Kunzite then shook his head. "Never mind. It's nothing," he said. "All we need to focus on is killing Prince Taiyou and getting the Silver Crystal for Queen Beryl. Let's move out."

The four then set off on their mission figuring what they were thinking was nothing to worry about.

* * *

Harusuke was still walking around making sure that he was out of sight. As he walked along, he happened to walk past a guy and a girl talking to each other. Just seeing them made his heart ache with sorrow and anger as a flashback of his and Suzette's date flashed into his mind. He then turned his head away not wanting to see or hear them. Then at that moment, he heard a familiar voice.

"Harusuke! Harusuke, where are you?!"

Harusuke immediately jumped knowing who's voice that was. He turned around and he saw Usagi along with Luna walking around searching for him.

" _Oh crap! It's Usagi!_ " he thought. " _Damn! I gotta hide!"_

He quickly looked around trying to find a good place to hide. Then he saw an alleyway to his left. Seeing this as an opportunity to hide, he power-walked and hurriedly slipped inside pressing his back against the wall hoping the darkness would hide him.

"Harusuke! Where are you?! Please come out!" he heard Usagi call.

"He's got to be around here somewhere," Luna also spoke. "He couldn't have gone far."

Harusuke held his breath as he heard Usagi footsteps get closer and closer. He held his breath and shut his eyes praying that Usagi and Luna wouldn't find him. Usagi and Luna came walking past. When they did, Harusuke peeked out from the corner and watched as they went on. He let out his breath feeling relieved. However, that relief was very short lived.

" _My, my. That's quite the attractive girl that's chasing you."_

Harusuke then felt his blood run cold as ice and his heart skip a couple beats upon hearing the voice. He looked around back and forth knowing who the voice was. Suddenly just in front of him down the alley ahead of him, a shadow appeared. The shadow stepped into the light revealing itself to be Zoisite. Harusuke took a step back feeling caught off guard. Thinking that he had come to fight, he planned to run away to take the fight to a vacant location, but then he felt a gust of wind coming from behind him as he also sensed something evil. He looked behind him to find that Zoisite was now standing there blocking his way.

"Nice try," said Zoisite. "But you're not going anywhere."

Harusuke scowled with hate wanting to attack Zoisite right then and there, but he knew that he was at a disadvantage in the alley. If he and Zoisite started fighting right there, there would be a lot of unwanted attention, so he kept his cool.

"Hello there, Prince Taiyou," said Zoisite. "Or should I call you, Harusuke Tsukino?"

Harusuke instinctively flinched. "So what do you want?" he asked as he took a fighting stance. "If you all came here for a fight-"

"Now hold on, Mr. Tsukino," said Zoisite raising his hand. "We will fight, but our battle won't take place here, I'm afraid."

"And what do you mean by that?" asked Harusuke.

"I want to finish what we started the other day," said Zoisite. "So what do you say we settle things once and for all, just the two of us?"

"And what if I say no?" Harusuke answered. "In case you haven't noticed, you haven't been the most trusting in regards to fairness."

"Aw. How sad," Zoisite spoke feigning sadness. "Mr. Tsukino doesn't want to play with me and here I was hoping that we made a connection. That's quite alright. I'll just have to find another opponent instead of you. That one girl who just went by seems like a good target. What was her name? Usagi Tsukino, was it? Yes, she would be much more fun. In fact, I bet I could have all the fun I want with her if I wanted to.

Harusuke's eyes widened in horror and shock as Zoisite went on taunting him.

"And while we're at it, why don't we invite your parents in on the fun?" he went on. "It would certainly give them some excitement rather than dying from natural causes."

At that moment, Harusuke's blood began to boil as he glared furiously at Zoisite.

"You shut your damned mouth!" he snapped coldly. "Don't you dare bring my family into this! Your fight's with me!"

"Then agree to my challenge," said Zoisite. "Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to find other people to play with. Surely, you have the sense to act in response to their tragic fate? I mean, after all, you want revenge for what I did on our little date, right?"

Harusuke paused while still glaring at Zoisite. Then he relaxed letting out a shaky breath.

"Fine. I accept your challenge," he said seething. "But if you lay one finger on my sister or my family, I swear you'll pay."

"Now that's a good boy," said Zoisite. "As for the location of our fight, it will take place at the harbor six o'clock sharp. Don't be late and I look forward to having more fun together unlike that yawn-a-thon of a date we had."

He then disappeared into the shadows out of sight leaving Harusuke alone. He was now feeling more enraged than before seething in fury.

" _That damned bastard! Just how low is he going to sink until he's satisfied?! Well, he's not gonna get away with it! Once I get my hands on him, he's gonna pay!_ "

He then rushed out of the alleyway hoping to get to the art museum, but as he did, he forgot to watch where he was going. Before he had a chance to react, he collided into someone who was walking by hard causing him to fall flat on his back in pain.

"Ow! Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going?!" he snapped.

"Who are you to talk?! You're the one that didn't watch where you were going?!" a familiar voice snapped.

Harusuke looked up as did the person he bumped into and he was surprised to see that the said person was none other than his sister, Usagi along with Luna.

" _Son of a- You gotta be kidding me!"_ Harusuke mentally screamed.

Usagi then looked up and when she saw Harusuke, her face lit up with joy. "Harusuke! It's you!" she said. "I finally found you!"

"We've been looking everywhere for you," said Luna.

"I've... been busy with stuff," said Harusuke. "Nothing too crazy. I just... have somewhere to be."

Harusuke then turned around about to run away. However, Usagi grabbed a hold of Harusuke's hand preventing him.

"Please wait! Why are you running from us?" Usagi asked. "And why haven't you been around lately? We've been worried about you."

Harusuke bit his lip trying to keep his emotions in check. "L-Like I said, I have somewhere I need to be," he said. "I need to go."

"But Harusuke, what's the matter with you?" asked Usagi. "Why are you acting so strange?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine," said Harusuke as he tried to pull his arm gently away. "I just... wanna be by myself a bit."

Usagi was glaring firmly at Harusuke suspiciously. "Nothing my butt. You were late to class and you're being as clumsy as I am and me and the others were worried about you," she said.

"What does it matter?" Harusuke spoke his irritation beginning to grow. "I said it's nothing, okay?"

Usagi then gripped Harusuke's hand tighter. "Harusuke, I know you're not feeling okay, so stop trying to hide it," said Usagi firmly. "I'm your sister and I may not be as smart as Ami, but even I know that you're not feeling alright. Please talk to me and let me help you."

At this point, Harusuke finally snapped.

"Damn it, Usagi! Can't you quit your meddling and leave me alone already?!" he snapped. "What's going on with me is none of your business neither anyone else's, so just take a hint and leave me alone!"

There was a long silence. Then Usagi finally let go of Harusuke's hand. When Harusuke looked back at her, his eyes widened in horror. Usagi's eyes were now brimming with tears as her lip trembled shocked at what he said. Even Luna couldn't help but be appalled at Harusuke's outburst.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Usagi spoke in a timid voice sniffling.

At that moment, Harusuke fully grasped what he just did and that alone made him feel terrible. He then bolted running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Harusuke! Come back!" Luna yelled.

But Harusuke didn't listen. He kept running as fast as he could, leaving his sister and the black cat behind. He kept running and running until he found himself at another alley hidden from view When he managed to catch his breath, he couldn't help but feel very angry at himself.

" _What the hell am I doing? The last thing I wanted to do was for my sister to get hurt! And now I've gone and made her cry! I'm such an idiot! A stupid dumb idiot!_ "

He bit his lip as his heart filled with self-loathing and anger towards himself. So much so that he almost burst into tears, but he knew that this wasn't the time to cry nor feeling terrible.

" _I have to get over to the harbor. That's where Zoisite said the fight would be. No doubt that it's probably gonna be a trap, but I have to go over there. Otherwise, Zoisite's gonna drag my entire family and my friends into it and I don't want them to get caught in the crossfire. Not to mention... I don't want anyone to worry about me."_

He then swiped the sweat from his brow, adjusted the hood on his hoodie and then set off towards the harbor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zoisite met up with all the other Kings of Heaven as they stood on top of a building that overlooked the city below.

"Did you do it?" asked Nephrite.

"Yes, he took the bait like a moth to a flame," cackled Zoisite. "There's no doubt that he'll come."

"Perfect. Then we'll be able to put our plan into action," said Jadeite. "Tonight will be the night that Prince Taiyou dies.

"And if Sailor Moon and her guardian friends show up," said Kunzite. "We'll kill them and take the Silver Crystal as well and the Dark Kingdom will be victorious and conquer this world."

* * *

Usagi was still crying a bit as she walked around town aimlessly. Luna couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

"Please don't be sad, Usagi," soothed Luna. "I'm sure Harusuke didn't mean what he said."

"But... he was being so mean," Usagi sniffed. "He's never acted that way towards me before."

Then as she continued on walking, she happened to walk by the Game Center where Motoki was busily at work cleaning the sidewalk. When he noticed Usagi, he was just about to greet her, but then he saw the sullen look on her face.

"Usagi, what's the matter?" he asked feeling concerned. "You look upset."

Usagi then looked up at Motoki as she wiped her tears. "Oh no. I'm fine, Motoki," she sniffed. "I... just got some dirt in my eye."

"Come on, Usagi. You and I both know that's not true," said Motoki firmly. "I know you. Whenever you look this sad, that means something's definitely wrong with you. If you wanna talk, I'm right here."

"Well... it's kinda complicated..." Usagi said hesitantly. "Besides, I don't want you to think that I'm meddling."

Motoki was surprised. "Meddling? Now why would you get an idea like that?" he asked. "Who said that you were meddling? Tell me."

Usagi at first wasn't planning to say anything, but she could see that Motoki wasn't about to leave her alone. She then looked at Luna giving her a sideways glance saying what should she do. Luna looked back at her and answered with a nod. Usagi then took a deep breath and then told Motoki what had happened excluding Harusuke almost being killed by Zoisite. Motoki listened intently not saying a word taking the whole story in.

"I see. So that's what happened," said Motoki.

"I... I just don't understand why Harusuke went and got upset at me," Usagi spoke. "I mean... I was only trying to help him. But... I suppose I have no right to get involved in his business. I suppose... I was meddling. After all, I did tell him to go with that girl only to have her break his heart."

Motoki then raised up his hand. "Usagi, let me stop you right there," he said. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were only trying to help Harusuke. True, you do have a tendency to meddle, but you always have the best intentions. And besides, I think I can understand as to why Harusuke reacted the way he did."

Usagi looked up at Motoki giving him a look st urged him to go on. Motoki then explained.

"Part of it is because Harusuke's doing what most other guys do to seem like a dependable big brother figure, the macho guy act," said Motoki. "He's trying to hide all of his feelings so that you and your friends won't worry about him. I can tell by looking at him that he's the kind of person that cares about everyone else other than himself. Not only that, but I'm willing to bet that he's a bit too proud to share his feelings too."

"You think so?" said Usagi feeling a lot less sad.

"Yes, I do. I mean I should know because I've done that a couple times myself," said Motoki. "Truth be told, it didn't do me a lot of good. If anything, it made my sadness worse, so I've let out a few tears every now and again."

Usagi was surprised. "You cried, Motoki? You?"

"Of course. Everyone cries. Women, children and even men," Motoki said. "But you rarely see a man cry because they try so hard to be the tough emotionless bad boys and when they cry they think it makes them weak. But personally, I think that when a man cries, it shows that they're human and can feel pain. As a wise man once said; When a man cries it's not because they're weak, but because they've been strong for too long and they need to let it out. Of course, I kinda added that last part in."

Usagi stared at Motoki as a small smile worked its way to her lips. She felt much better.

"Thank you, Motoki," she said. "I feel a little bit better now."

"Well, good. Glad I could help," Motoki smiled. "Now don't you think that you should go find your brother? He's gonna need his meddling sister to help work out his feelings."

"Yeah. I should," Usagi said. "See you, Motoki."

And she jogged away with Luna following close behind her.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, Usagi," she spoke as she ran.

"Yeah, but we can't rest easy yet, Luna," Usagi panted. "We need to go find my stubborn dummy of a brother, so I can give him a piece of my mind."

And the two continued on running resuming their search for Harusuke.

* * *

It was now evening. The sun was beginning to set as Harusuke made his way to the harbor. As he made his way, he couldn't help but feel a chill go up his spine as his senses were more alert than before.

" _It's almost time,_ " he thought. " _I have to be prepared for anything in this fight. One thing's for sure, there's only gonna be one person leaving this fight and it isn't gonna be anyone from the Dark Kingdom._ "

Soon he came to an open area where the harbor was and welcomed to the open sea. It roared and crashed with its waves as if it sensed the major battle that was going to go down. Harusuke looked around making sure that there was no one around. Then he took a breath letting it out slowly.

"Looks like the time is now," he said to himself. "Time for me to go to work."

He ripped off his hoodie and held up his hand up high.

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Solaris looked around the harbor ready to fight his enemy. At that moment, the sound of evil laughter was heard followed by a familiar sinister voice.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. And how nice, he's decided to dress appropriately for the occasion."

Solaris scowled underneath his mask. "Come out and show yourself, Zoisite! I know you're here," he called out. "I don't know what sneaky plot you got up your sleeve this time, but I promise you, I will stop you and take you down. So why don't you spare me the games already?!"

Zoisite then appeared before him. "My, my. Aren't we feeling a bit impatient?" he spoke while playing with his hair. "And here I was hoping you'd be a little more happy to see me."

"Like I'd be happy to see your ugly mug," Solaris spoke coldly. "Now why don't we get this fight started already? I'd like to get this over with sometime today."

"Believe me I understand you, Solaris and I agree," Zoisite said smirking. "Which is why... I took the liberty of-"

"Let me guess. You invited some guests to our little battle, right?" interrupted Solaris. "And those "guests" are the rest of the Kings of Heaven, right?"

Zoisite flinched a bit but regained his composure as Kunzite, Nephrite, and Jadeite appeared on either side of him.

"So, you knew that we were here?" asked Jadeite.

"Please. You all are getting to be a little bit predictable," said Solaris. "I knew all along that Zoisite wasn't planning to fight me one on one. Unlike before, I learn from my mistakes."

"If that's the case, then why did you come here knowing that it was a trap?" asked Kunzite. "Surely, you could have at least brough the Sailor Guardians with you."

"A good question," said Solaris as he crossed his arms. "I just figured wouldn't need the Guardians to defeat you all. I can take you all on at the same time."

"You? Fight the four of us?" Jadeite spoke raising a brow. "You must be a fool if you're saying such things."

"Sticks and stones. Words like that don't matter to me," scoffed Solaris as he took a fighting stance. "Now, are you guys gonna keep talking, or are you gonna fight?"

"You sure you want to do this, Solaris?" asked Kunzite feigning concern. "After all, you are going up against Nephrite which I'm told that you two were friends. I wouldn't want you to-"

"Let me stop you right there," interrupted Solaris coldly. "If I were you, I'd be a little more concerned about yourselves. Because it's only fair to warn you four, you caught me in a bad mood today of which you just made worse!"

Solaris then jumped up over their head conjuring a ball of light and firing it at the Kings of Heaven. The four of then scattered dodging the attack it exploded onto the floor. As Solaris landed on the floor, Zoisite and Jadeite attacked with a combination of Zoisite's fetal petals and Jadeite's kinetic force. Solaris jumped to his right dodging the attack only to have Kunzite appear behind him and fire rapid blasts black energy blast. Thinking quickly, Solaris once again jumped dodging the blow landing in a crouch. Nephrite then attacked next by jumping in the air and coming down from above with a kick. Solaris seeing the attack in time, managed to jump out of the way rolling and dodging the blow.

"Not too shabby, Solaris. You're quite the nimble little scamp," said Kunzite. "However, you can't keep dodging us forever."

"Then how about I start attacking right now!" yelled Solaris as he held out his hands in front of him closing his eyes. "I SUMMON FORTH THE POWER OF THE STARS! LEND ME YOUR POWER! STARLIGHT ATTACK!"

Normally, a white orb of energy would form in his hands unleashing a powerful blast, but this time was different. To Solaris' shock and surprise, nothing happened. He tried again, but still nothing. The Four Kings of Heaven then laughed as Solaris stared at his hands in disbelief.

"I don't understand! Why isn't the Starlight Attack working?!" he spoke.

"Isn't it obvious? It wasn't your technique to begin with," said Zoisite. "When you absorbed Nephrite's energy, it allowed you to use that attack, but since I extracted that energy from you, you no longer able to use it."

Nephrite then stepped forward. "Allow me to show you how it's done," he said as he crossed his arms charging power.

A large white ball of energy appeared in front of him glowing brightly. Then he threw them outward unleashing a powerful blast. Solaris's eyes widened in shock as the blast headed straight for him.

* * *

Usagi and the other girls were all still searching for Harusuke. They searched high and low, but they couldn't find him anywhere. Usagi and Luna were just finished another round of searching and were just contacting Ami and Makoto.

"So he still hasn't come home yet?" asked Usagi.

"Unfortunately, but he said that he'll keep an eye out for him," said Ami on the communicator. "In the meantime, Makoto and I are gonna take one more look around the neighborhood. We'll keep you posted."

"Thanks, guys," said Usagi as she turned off her communicator.

"I'm starting to get a little bit worried," said Luna. "We've looked everywhere for Harusuke and there's still no sign of him. Rei and Minako even told us that he wasn't at the cemetery nor did the pastor see him."

"We can't give up, Luna," said Usagi. "We have to keep looking. There's got to be an area we haven't checked yet. There's just gotta be!"

Luna hummed trying to think of anywhere else to look, but then suddenly, something flashed in the corner of her eye on her left causing her to turn towards where the light was coming from. Close by the industrial area, she could see various explosions of light flickering in the area on and off.

"Luna! Look at that!" she cried.

The black cat looked at where Usagi was pointing and she gasped. "That light!"

"Let's go check it out!" Usagi cried as she immediately took off running.

* * *

Things had taken a turn for the worse for Solaris. He may have been strong and brave, but the numbers game was catching up with him. He was battered and weary and even his armor was beginning to chip and crack. His entire body hurt and he had a couple of bruises and cuts here and there, but he still refused to back down.

He summoned forth a Sunshine Meteor and fired it at Zoisite and Nephrite. The two dodged the attack with ease and counterattacked with their own respective attacks. Solaris immediately crossed his arms and took the combined attacks. Seeing an opportunity, Jadeite came in and before Solaris could react, gave him a mighty kick on his back causing him to cry out in pain. As he stumbled forward, Kunzite shot forward and as he placed his hand on his stomach unleashed a powerful blast of energy sending him flying and crashing into the wall of a building. He stayed stuck there for a moment, then he slumped to the ground lying there in agony as the Four Kings of Heaven stood before him chuckling in triumph.

"How disappointing," said Nephrite. "I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight, but it seems that you hit your limit."

Solaris grunted as he struggled back to his feet. He was able to stand, but his legs felt like they were made of jelly and he was almost out of strength. However, his spirit wasn't diminished in the slightest.

"I ain't beat yet..." he spoke weakly but bravely. "I can still fight..."

"Give it up, Solaris," said Kunzite. "You don't stand a chance against the four us. You're too weak."

"It's really such a shame," said Zoisite. "Queen Beryl told us that you were quite the dangerous foe, but now I see that you came up short as you always do. If I had known you were this weak, I wouldn't have had to put on that little girl act to lower your guard."

Solaris's eye twitched as he instinctively remembered Suzette. The thought alone made his heart clench in pain and humiliation.

"You know... I can't believe I actually wanted to be with you back when you were Suzette," Solaris said clenching his fist. "You had have known it was pointless from the start. So why did you even bother? I actually thought you liked me."

"Oh, come on. It was so obvious that you didn't know anything about women," scoffed Zoisite. "Therefore, I exploited that weakness and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker. And it was worth it considering that you've managed to hurt my beautiful face. I just wish the others could have seen the look on your face when I stabbed you."

Jadeite then laughed. "Stop it, Zoisite. You're evil..."

"But it's kind of funny if you think about Jadeite," chuckled Kunzite. "I heard about the date they went on and it was a total bore. If all human dates are like that, it's a wonder that any girls have noticed him at all. In fact, I'm surprised that the Sailor Guardians haven't dropped him from their little group considering that they're always there to save him. He's worthless as a human and as a guardian."

Solaris now felt his blood begin to boil with rage and he also felt his eyes begin to burn as he fought back his tears. He then took a fighting stance once again. "Shut your damned mouths and fight!" he yelled. "I don't need the Sailor Guardians to beat you bastards!"

"You're a fool if you think that you can beat us in your current state," said Nephrite. "So do yourself a favor, take what's left of your dignity, and surrender."

"I will never surrender!" bellowed Solaris as he began conjuring another Sunshine Meteor which was even bigger than usual. "I'll beat every last one of you bastards and protect everyone!"

With a mighty yell and launched the attack using all of his anger and strength. The enlarged Sunshine Meteor collided with the four with a mighty explosion that shook the entire area. Solaris at this point was exhausted, but he smiled with triumph satisfied that he landed a good hit. But that satisfaction quickly disappeared when the smoke clear for when it did, the Four Kings of Heaven still stood now inside a barrier which protected them from the blow.

"N-no way..." Solaris murmured in disbelief. "That... was my strongest attack..."

He then fell to his knees from exhausted and no longer able to stand.

"It seems that our little fight is over, Solaris," said Kunzite. "I'll admit that was a pretty powerful attack, but it's nothing compared to our power."

The Four Kings of Heaven all raised their hands and began charging their powers. Solaris wanted to run. He knew that he had to get away, but he had no strength left. He couldn't even move. The Four Kings of Heaven's attacks reached their peak and all four of them fired at Solaris at once the four attacks combining into one. Solaris shut his eyes and waiting for the blast to hit. But then...

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

Four familiar attacks came shooting out of nowhere colliding with their combined attack canceling it out in of its entirety. At that moment, Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus jumped in from out of nowhere standing in front of Solaris. Sailor Moon also appeared immediate rushing to Solaris's side.

"Looks like we made it in time," said Luna.

"S-Sailor Moon... ?!" Solaris spoke. "You... You're here... you're all here..."

"Don't worry, Solaris. We're here to help," said Sailor Moon. Then she turned to the Four Kings of Heaven scowling in anger. "How dare you attack our comrade?! Don't you know that four against one isn't fair?!"

"So, the Sailor Guardians have come? I should have guessed," said Zoisite. "As usual, you girls are here to bail Solaris out of trouble. How pathetic." He turned to Solaris. "Do you always have girls fight your battles for you, Solaris? Or are they here because they pity you?"

"You shut your mouth!" snapped Sailor Mars. "Pity's got nothing to do with this!"

"We're here because Solaris is our friend!" said Sailor Mercury. "And friends always have each other's back no matter what!"

"And it doesn't make him weak either," spoke Sailor Jupiter. "In fact, it's only natural for someone to accept help from friends even though they think they don't need it."

"It's the right thing to do and that's why we're here," said Sailor Venus. "Because Solaris is in need of help and we'll be there to help him through the good times and the pain!"

"And you'll pay for making him go through so much pain!" said Sailor Moon as she placed Solaris gently on the ground. "Because we are the Pretty Guardians that stand for love and justice! And in the name of the Moon..."

"We'll punish you!" the five guardians said together.

"Bring it on!" Kunzite cockily smirked. "We'll kill every last one of you at once and once you're all dead, we'll take the Silver Crystal too!"

The Four Kings of Heaven then charged at the Guardians, but Sailor Moon whipped out her Moon Stick and jumped high into the air over their heads. The Silver Crystal on the wand began to glow as Sailor Moon took aim.

"TAKE THIS! MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" she yelled as she let loose a powerful blast of power.

The blast shot right at the Four Kings of Heaven making them shield their eyes unable to defend themselves against the attack. The attack alone made them feel pain even though the attack was designed to heal. At that moment, Kunzite had enough as did the others.

"You'll pay for this Sailor Guardians!" Kunzite growled. "One of these days we'll kill you and take the Silver Crystal!"

And with that, the Four Kings of Heaven disappeared in a whirlwind of darkness vanishing from sight.

* * *

A little bit later, everyone was over at the Tsukino's place in Harusuke's room. Harusuke who at some point fell unconscious during the battle slowly opened his eyes finding himself staring up the ceiling of his room once again with Usagi and the others at his bedside.

"Hey, you guys! He's coming around!" said Ami.

Harusuke groaned as he slowly sat up on his bed rubbing his eyes. "What's going on? Where am I?" he asked.

"You're back home," said Luna. "At some point, you passed out during the battle and Usagi and the others carried you here and treated you."

Harusuke then remembered which caused him to bite back his feelings again.

"Are you feeling OK, Harusuke?" asked Makoto. "You looked really banged up back there."

"Not to mention that you haven't been acting like your normal self," said Rei.

"Yeah. I guess so," said Harusuke. "Thanks for asking."

Usagi then stepped forward smiling sweetly. "You sure you're feeling, okay?" she asked.

"Um... yeah. Sure," said Harusuke putting on a fake smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine.

"Good. Because..."

She took a deep breath then she yelled at that top of her lungs.

"What were you thinking taking on those guys all by yourself?! Do you have any idea how much everyone's been worried about you?! Not to mention you went and yelled at me for no reason at all when I was just trying to help you! You're an idiot for being so stubborn and you're even more stupid for fighting in a four against one battle!"

"Usagi, take it easy!" Minako spoke a bit startled by her outburst. "There's no need to be so angry!"

"It's the perfect time to be angry!" Usagi snapped. "My brother not only yelled at me just because I was trying to help him with him being dumped by a girl who turned out to be Zoisite, but he also went and did a stupid stunt like this?! Not even I would do something so dumb! You idiot! Dummy! Blockhead! Stubborn fool!"

Everyone stared dumbly at Usagi deeply shocked while Harusuke sat there on his bed, his head turned downwards not saying a single word. There was another long silence. Then Harusuke's shoulders began to tremble as his hands clenched the sheets of his bed. At that moment, a single drop of water dripped on the sheets. And then another, and another, and another. Everyone then looked at Harusuke and a shocking sight met their eyes. Harusuke's eyes were now leaking with tears which trickled down his cheeks as he began to cry.

"I-I'm sorry..." he sobbed. "I-I'm sorry... I... I'm so sorry..."

"H-Harusuke... you're crying..." gasped Ami.

As soon as she saw her brother crying, Usagi was not only shocked, but she also felt bad. She didn't mean to make Harusuke cry.

"I'm so sorry, Harusuke!" she immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to-"

"No... you're right... " Harusuke interrupted his voice cracking with tears. "Everything you said about me is true. I am a fool... an idiotic blockhead of a fool... I let Zoisite dupe me again, I put everyone I care and love about in jeopardy because of it, and I even attacked my own sister. But... I did what I had to do because they threatened to hurt you guys and our family! I didn't want to burden you with my problem."

"Wait... they threatened you?" Makoto asked incredulously. "Is that why you kept your distance from us and why you yelled at Usagi?"

Harusuke nodded as the tears continued to flow. "I couldn't risk you all getting involved in something that was my fault to begin with. I thought I could handle it on my own... but... as you saw... I couldn't do anything. Those guys were right... I'm weak. I'm pathetic. I couldn't protect anyone not even myself... I don't even know why I'm a part of this team in the first place... I'm worthless... I'm worthless as a man and I'm worthless as a guardian!"

Another long silence passed as everyone stared at Harusuke in disbelief and surprise. Usagi then sat down on the bed and gently placed a hand on Harusuke's shoulder.

"You're wrong, Harusuke," she said quietly. "You're not worthless and you're not weak either. You're stronger than you think you are."

Harusuke looked up at his sister. "How do you know that?" he spoke tearfully. "If that were true, then Nephrite wouldn't have died and I never would have-"

"You couldn't have known that was going to happen," said Rei. "You're blaming yourself for something you had no control over."

"And you didn't know that Zoisite was tricking you as Suzette," said Makoto. "You acted just like any other boy that wanted to be loved by a girl."

"Not to mention that you're a valuable part of this team," said Minako. "And a valuable and great friend a person could ever want."

"So forget about what Kunzite and the others said about you and stop beating yourself up," said Ami. "You're an incredible person as well as a strong warrior and you shouldn't forget that."

Harusuke looked up wiping his tears. "Do... do you all really mean that?"

All of the Sailor Guardians smiled and nodded and Harusuke could feel his eyes begin to water once more as he was about to cry, but he stifled a sob as he tried to hold back his tears.

"And another thing. If you're feeling sad, you're allowed to cry and vent your worries," Usagi said. "We'll be here if you need a shoulder to cry on."

"But... I... " Harusuke whimpered his eyes about to overflow.

"It's alright," Usagi said as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Someone once told me that the men who cry aren't weak, it's that they've been strong for too long and they need to let it out. And you need to let it out right now. It's okay. No one won't think any less of you."

As soon as those words reached his ears, the dam in Harusuke's mind finally broke as he clung tightly to his sister sobbing uncontrollably. His body shook with every sob and his eyes overflowed with tears as he buried his face into Usagi's shoulder. The other girls also began to cry a little as well not being able to stand seeing Harusuke cry. One by one, they all wrapped their arms around Usagi and Harusuke in a tender and loving group hug.

"It's okay," said Ami.

"We're here for you," said Rei.

"And we'll always be here to help," said Makoto.

"And we'll be with you no matter what, come what may," said Minako.

"Thank you, everyone... Thank you..." Harusuke sobbed. "I... I don't know what I'd do without you... Thank you..."

Luna and Artemis could only smile at this touching scene as it continued. One thing was for sure, this was an emotional moment that would not only never be forgotten but would also make their bonds as friends and Guardians even stronger than before.


	48. Chapter 47

It was the middle of the night in the town of Juuban. Luna was racing down the street running as fast as her little paws could carry her. She had made a startling discovery, and she had to tell Usagi and Harusuke as soon as possible. Soon enough, she arrived at the Tsukino's house, and she immediately jumped on top of the wall and then jumped again on top of the roof going straight for the window to Usagi's room. Inside, Usagi was in her bed crying in her sleep once again dreaming about Mamoru.

"Tuxedo Mask... Where are you?" she murmured as her closed eyes brimmed with tears.

"Usagi! Wake up!" Luna cried. "It's an emergency!"

Usagi's slowly opened, but she was still half-asleep.

"Oh, Tuxedo Mask, I love you," she dreamily spoke.

"Usagi! Listen to me!" snapped Luna as she jumped from the window landing on her bed in front of her. "Sailor Venus and Artemis have finally discovered the entryway to the Dark Kingdom's hideout!"

Usagi immediately shot up from her bed no longer sleepy.

"Say what?! Are you serious?!" she gasped.

"Yes. I am," said Luna. "Which is why I need you to wake up Harusuke, and the two of you need to transform. The others are already on their way over to the location."

Usagi answered with a nod as she jumped out of her bed bolting from her room heading towards Harusuke's.

* * *

A little later, everyone met up in an abandoned and empty cafe in a different part of Juuban. They all went inside the shop, and with Sailor Venus and Artemis leading the way, they went to the back of the shop and opened the double doors. Instead of them leading to the back room like your run of the mill cafe, there was a strange dark portal that took its place.

"This is the place, everyone," said Sailor Venus.

"Sure looks that way," said Sailor Mars. "Good work, Sailor Venus."

"Now that we found the entryway, I take it that we're going to go in?" asked Solaris. "Not that I have any problems with it."

"Of course we are," said Luna. "Now, from here on in, we'll be splitting up. Artemis and I are going to scout ahead while the rest of you follow."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Luna and Artemis then jumped through the portal with the Guardians following in pursuit. No sooner than everyone passed through, they found themselves in a dark cave-like tunnel. From there, Luna and Artemis disappeared in one way while the Guardians went in another way. As they made their way, the Guardians were cautious being sure they were ready in case of an enemy attack. Then suddenly at that moment, Sailor Venus stopped sensing something dangerous.

"Hold on. What's that evil energy?!" Sailor Venus gasped.

At that moment, a bright but dark green light shone just in front of them causing everyone to shield their eyes. When the light dimmed, they soon found that they had company, for standing before them was Kunzite, Zoisite, Jadeite, and Nephrite, The Four Kings of Heaven.

"Well, well, well. The Guardians have come to our humble abode," said Jadeite. "We'd give you a grand tour of the Dark Kingdom, but at the present time, we're not quite ready to welcome you yet."

"But there's a fun place that we'd like to take you instead," said Zoisite with a mocking wink. "A place that we're sure you'd enjoy."

"Stop screwing with us!" snapped Solaris as he conjured a ball of light from his hands.

"We're not interested!" said Sailor Jupiter as her antenna extended from her tiara.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Solaris fired his ball of light while Sailor Jupiter unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning. However, the Four Kings of Heaven disappeared dodging the blow and reappeared in front of the Guardians.

"Sailor Moon! If you willingly hand over the Silver Crystal, we shall spare your life!" said Kunzite.

"Oh really, is that right?" Sailor Moon skeptically replied as she bravely raised her Moon Stick. "Well, if you tell me what happened to Tuxedo Mask, then maybe I won't have to punish you!"

"Very well then. Have it your way," said Nephrite. "We've had just about enough of your cheek. Since she's refusing our demands, I say we send them to the Multidimensional Chaos World."

"And exactly is this Multidimensional Chaos World?" demanded Solaris.

Kunzite sadistically grinned. "It might be prehistoric Africa during the age of the dinosaurs," he said. "Or maybe it could be medieval Europe during the time of war, bloodshed, and bubonic plague."

"Whoa! Those totally suck!" gasped Sailor Moon, her face turning blue with fear. "I don't wanna go to either of those places! No thanks!"

The Four Kings of Heaven then went on the attack every one of them unleashed a powerful blast aiming towards Sailor Moon. Solaris and the other Guardians stood bravely in front of Sailor Moon hoping to shield her from the incoming attacks. However, due to all of them blasting them with their full powers, the Guardians were pushed back. At that very same time, Sailor Moon lost her grip on the wand. Kunzite immediately lunged for it.

"Now I'll take the Silver Crystal!" he yelled.

At that moment, just as he was about to grab the wand, the Silver Crystal suddenly began to shine. Then suddenly it turned about and slapped Kunzite on the hand by its handle making it shoot up in the air in front of the Guardians. Zoisite, Jadeite, and Nephrite all dove to try and get the wand, but then it suddenly began to glow in bright pink light and then it along with the Guardians disappeared vanishing from sight.

* * *

When the Guardians woke up, they found themselves in a strange and unfamiliar place. There was nothing, but stones and rubble that appeared to be once several buildings and the sky above was black blanketed with nothing but stars.

"Where are we?" wondered Sailor Moon. "What is this place?"

"I don't know, but stay on guard," said Sailor Mercury as she got to her feet. "We must have been sent into the Multidimensional Chaos World that Kunzite and the others talked about."

"I'll say this much, this place is a wreck," said Sailor Jupiter. "Looks like we're in some ruins or something."

"Not to mention there's no sound either," said Sailor Mars as she cupped her ears. "Talk about eerie."

Solaris looked around trying to figure out where they were, but then he looked up, and his eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.

"Um... guys? I hate to borrow this particular phrase at a time like this, but I don't think we're in Kanas anymore," he said not taking his eyes away. "And for that matter, I don't think we're on Earth anymore either."

The other Guardians then looked up, and they couldn't believe their eyes. Before them, high above in the sky, was something familiar that you'd see in a book, but was right before their eyes. It was big, blue, also had thin white blankets on it representing clouds and also green-brown patches representing the continents. It was the planet Earth. When they saw it, everyone stared at the incredible sight in amazement and wonder.

"Is... that what I think it is?" asked Sailor Moon quietly.

"Yes. It's the planet Earth," murmured Sailor Mars. "It's so beautiful."

"Wait... if that's the Earth right up there," said Sailor Venus. "Then... we must be on the Moon."

"And if this is the Moon," went on Sailor Mercury looking towards the ruined buildings and rubble. "Then... these ruins must be..."

"That's right. This is what's left of the Silver Millennium," said an unknown female voice. "A place that was once the land of the gods in the distant past."

Everyone jumped in surprise upon hearing the voice.

"Wh-who said that?!" demanded Solaris immediately taking a defensive stance. "Show yourself!"

In response, a pillar of light shone brightly behind them, and from that light, a miniature figure emerged. It was a young woman who wore a beautiful white gown, had long silver hair in a familiar fashion of ordango twin tails, a pair of beautiful wings like a fairy's, and had a crescent moon mark in the middle of her forehead. Everyone gazed at the woman in awe as floated over just in front of Sailor Moon.

"Wh-Who are you?" gasped Sailor Moon.

"I am the incarnation of the Moon Goddess Selene and bearer of the from antiquity," said the woman. "I am the Queen of the Silver Millenium, Queen Serenity."

Everyone couldn't help but be shocked. Solaris and Sailor Moon notably.

"Hold on, if you're Queen Serenity," said Sailor Moon. "Does that mean... that you're..."

Queen Serenity smiled. "Yes. I am also yours and Prince Taiyou's mother, my adorable little Serenity," she said kindly. "I'm so happy to see you two have grown up so well."

"H-Hold on a moment. This is a bit crazy," said Solaris. "I mean I think I speak for everyone when I say we don't understand what you're saying."

"I put Luna and Artemis in cold sleep and then sent them to Earth so that they could watch over all of you," said Queen Serenity. "I've been waiting so long for this moment."

At that moment, the image of Queen Serenity was shrouded in a bright light that blinded everyone's eyes. Then when the light dimmed, and everyone could see again, Sailor Moon and the other guardians were surprised to see that ruins that were the Silver Millenium weren't ruins anymore. The Silver Millenium castle now was fully restored, and it seemed to glow like new. It's bright lights twinkled, the fountains gushed and gurgled with water, and some fireworks flashed and boomed all around giving it a magical glow.

"To help you all better understand how you all got to Earth, I'm going to start from the beginning," Queen Serenity said. "To start with, we are a race of long-lived beings born on the Moon. We protect the sacred stone known as the "Legendary Silver Crystal," a sacred heirloom stone handed down from the Moon's Royal Family. Our mission was to watch over the Earth and its people and help it advance."

The scenery around them changed, and they were now seeing Princess Serenity standing on the balcony gazing towards the Earth, her eyes filled with longing.

"Back in those days, you would often spend many happy hours staring at the Earth daydreaming of what life would be like there, Serenity," went on Queen Serenity. "Then one day, you decided to do just that."

The scenery changed once again, and the Guardians could now see Princess Serenity standing in a beautiful meadow with the grass and trees dancing in the wind as it blew.

"You were marveled by the sight of the green grass and trees and the wind blowing through your hair. At the very same time, you fell in love."

As Princess Serenity continued to gaze at the meadow, a familiar young man with black in his armor and cape came up behind her gently touching her shoulders. Princess Serenity sensing who it was leaned back and gazed up lovingly at the young man. Upon seeing this, Sailor Moon couldn't help but smile.

"Yes. I remember now," murmured Sailor Moon her voice filled with nostalgia. "It seemed so long ago, but I remember how I would sneak out to go to Earth just to see my beloved Endymion."

Queen Serenity then smiled. "Indeed. And it wasn't just you that fell in love with someone from Earth."

At that moment, the Guardians could see other people next to the Serenity and Endymion. However, upon seeing those people the Guardians could not believe their eyes, for the people that stood around them were none other than the Inner Sailor Guardians with the Four Kings of Heaven. Mars was in the arms with Jadeite, Jupiter with Nephrite, Mercury with Zoisite, and Venus with Kunzite.

"Y-You got to be kidding me!" gasped Solaris. "They're the Four Kings of Heaven! What are they doing there?! They're the enemy!"

"That may have been true, but the Four Kings of Heaven weren't always that way," said Queen Serenity. "Before the fall of the Silver Millennium, and as the Sailor Guardians with the princess, the Four Kings of Heaven were brave knights that served Prince Endymion on Earth."

The Sailor Guardians stared at the scene before their eyes not believing what they were seeing. But then, they also began to remember the more they watched.

"Yes. I remember now," murmured Sailor Moon her voice filled with nostalgia. "It seemed so long ago, but I remember how I would sneak out to go to Earth just to see my beloved Endymion."

"Me too," said Sailor Mercury. "It's hard to believe, but she's right. We have met them all before."

"It was when the Princess snuck out one day to see Endymion," said Sailor Mars. "When we saw her leave, we couldn't help but follow her..."

"And like her, we were enchanted by the Earth's beauty..." cut in Sailor Jupiter.

"And like her, we fell in love," finished Sailor Venus.

Then the scene changed again, and they now could see Princess Serenity heading back towards the palace trying to be as sneaky as she could. She had just managed to make it to the front doors and pushed open the door to find that a stern Sailor Mars was standing there. Princess Serenity jumped back in surprise to find herself surrounded by the other Guardians.

 _ **"Snuck out to see the Earth without telling us again, eh?" smirked Sailor Jupiter. "Good grief."**_

 _ **"Princess Serenity, you are the one to succeed the throne," said Sailor Venus. "So you really should be more careful. Or at least invite us along."**_

 _ **"Yeah. It's been so long since I've seen Jadeite," sighed Sailor Mars. "I miss him so much."**_

 _ **"You just saw him the other day, Sailor Mars," chuckled Sailor Jupiter. "But then again, I can't blame you. I've been counting the days till my next meeting with Nephrite myself."**_

 _ **"And me with Kunzite," agreed Sailor Venus.**_

 _ **Sailor Mercury then came up with a couple of books in her hands. "Come on now, girls. There isn't any time to thinking about boys," she said. "We have to help the princess with her studies. She still has a lot to learn."  
**_

 _ **"Yes..." the princess sighed wearing a smile in defeat.  
**_

 _ **"Come on, Mercury. You know you've wanted to go to Earth as much as we do," smirked Sailor Venus. "After all, we all know you're dying to see Zoisite again."  
**_

 _ **Sailor Mercury then blushed with embarrassment, and everyone laughed. At that moment, they all heard a voice.  
**_

 _ **"What's this I hear about sneaking to Earth?"  
**_

 _ **At that moment, Prince Taiyou stepped out from the doors. Upon seeing him, Princess Serenity gulped, and the other guardians were a bit nervous.**_

 _ **"Sister, were you over at Earth again?" he asked in a stern tone of voice raising a brow. "And what's this I hear about you all sneaking out to go to Earth."  
**_

 _ **Princess Serenity twidled her thumbs trying to come up with an excuse as Prince Taiyou stood before her with his arms folded. Thinking that the prince was about to scold her, the Guardians were ready to interject, but then Prince Taiyou placed a hand on Princess Serenity's head gently patting it.**_

 _ **"I don't mind if you go there to visit Endymion, and I don't mind if the other Guardians do too, but try not to make me worry," Prince Taiyou said. "Not to mention, you must forget your duty. You are the princess of the Royal Moon Family. You know how much I worry about you and not just because you're the heir of our kingdom."**_

 _ **"Yes, I know, Brother," Princess Serenity said sighing.**_

 _ **"And another thing, if you must visit the Earth, you must try to show a bit of restraint," added Prince Taiyou. "I know that you have your reasons, but you don't have to go over there every single day. Furthermore-"**_

 _ **"Brother, you're rambling again," Princess Serenity interrupted sighing. "I get it already."**_

 _ **"You could ease up on the lecturing, Prince Taiyou," said Sailor Mars. "That's pretty much my job."**_

 _ **"Besides, if you keep lecturing the princess like that, people are going to think you're a stick in the mud and you'll never get the girls to like you," added Sailor Venus with a wink.**_

 _ **Prince Taiyou then blushed in indigence. "I resent that!" he spoke. "I'll have you know that the girls find me very charming!"**_

 _ **Everyone then laughed, and even Prince Taiyou couldn't help but crack a smile as they went back into the palace.**_

"Yes, I remember now," said Sailor Mercury smiling nostalgically. "The Silver Millennium as it once was."

"Me too," murmured Sailor Mars. "Those were the happy days back then."

"Truly the best times of our lives," said Sailor Venus.

Solaris was feeling nostalgic as well as he remembered too, but then he frowned feeling puzzled.

"But, if the Silver Millennium was that prosperous, what happened to it?" he asked. "How did the Silver Millennium fall to ruin?"

The landscape once again changed and everyone found themselves back in the ruins of the Silver Millennium and Queen Serenity reappeared before them.

"To answer that question, we need one more person to tell the story," said Queen Serenity. "Please excuse me, Solaris."

She then turned towards Solaris and floated over to him and touched the middle of his forehead with her hand. At that moment, Solaris' forehead began to shine revealing the symbol of the Sun. His eyes went vacant as a sphere of light concealed him. The Guardians shielded their eyes blinded as it overtook their eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Artemis and Luna were still searching in the tunnels. However, they soon were quick to find that the Guardians were nowhere to be found.

"What happened to the others?!" panted Luna. "I can't sense them anymore."

"I don't know," said Artemis. "Looks like we'll have to find the Dark Kingdom by ourselves."

Then, they saw light towards the end of the tunnels. The two felines pressed onward until they finally emerged from them. No sooner than they did, a cold wind went through their fur making them shiver. They both then gasped, for before their eyes was a frozen land covered with blankets of white snow. As the cold wind blew, more of the white powder came raining down already covering them in a small coat of it.

"Where are we?!" Luna yelled through the howling wind.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Artemis yelled back. "We're in the Arctic!"

* * *

The light shrouding Solaris eventually faded allowing the Guardians to see again finally. When they looked back at Solaris, they saw that he was no longer himself. His outfit had changed turning a white suit with gold trims on the sleeves, pants, golden armor on his chest, hands, and feet, and a white cape. His eyes then closed and opened revealing them to be silver. The Guardians gasped as he turned towards them his cape fluttering in the wind.

"Is that..." began Sailor Venus.

"Prince Taiyou!" finished Sailor Mars.

Prince Taiyou then smiled. "Hello, Guardians," he said bowing politely. "It is very good to see all of you." He then looked towards Queen Serenity. "And it's a pleasure to see you again, Mother."

"The same goes for me as well, my son," Queen Serenity said.

"W-Wait! You're not going to attack us again are you?!" Sailor Moon said worriedly. "I mean the last time you came out; you went crazy!"

Prince Taiyou chuckled. "There's no need to fear, Sailor Moon. I can assure you; I will not harm you. The Me you saw back when I first awoke was a result of a premature awakening. But I'll get to that later." His face then turned serious. "Mother, I take it you summoned me because..."

"Yes. It's time for the Guardians to know the full story of the fall of our kingdom," said Queen Serenity. "I'd tell them myself, but you would be far suited in telling the story than I."

"If that's what you wish, Mother," Prince Taiyou said. Then he turned towards the Guardians. "Guardians, I thought it'd be fair to warn you first. What I'm about to tell you might shock you. Are you prepared to know the truth?"

All of the Guardians looked at each other. Then they all gave Prince Taiyou a nod.

"Very well then. I shall begin," said Prince Taiyou.

The scenery around them began to change once again. This time, the Guardians could see a courtyard filled to the brim with flowers. Among them were Princess Serenity and Endymion spending time together as Prince Taiyou began his tale.

"Just as you all have heard already, the Silver Millennium was once a prosperous place with happiness and joy," he said. "However, what you all don't know was the reason it fell to ruin. And that reason was due to one woman's jealousy."

"A woman's jealousy?" puzzled Sailor Jupiter. "What do you mean?"

Prince Taiyou then pointed towards somewhere behind them causing them all to turn around. When they did, they saw a woman hiding in the bushes watching them from afar. At first, they couldn't tell who the woman was, but then the woman peeked out so she could get a look. She had a familiar crop of long red hair and eyes matching in color, but she wore a short dress with white, purple, and even pink colors and wore brown sandals. The Guardians then gasped in shock upon recognizing the girl.

"No way!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"It... can't be!" spoke Sailor Mercury in bewilderment.

"Is that who I think it is?" asked Sailor Venus in disbelief.

"Yes, that is the one who you all came to know as Queen Beryl," said Prince Taiyou solemnly.

* * *

Artemis and Luna battled their way through the blizzard as they continued to search for the Dark Kingdom's base. Artemis then stumbled falling into the snow causing Luna to worry.

"Come on, Artemis! You can't give up!" urged Luna. "Be strong!"

Artemis then got back up to his feet. "I'm all right, Luna," he reassured. "I'm more concerned about you. Aren't you getting tired?"

"Don't worry. I'm fine," Luna spoke bravely. "I've no intention of dying until we find that hideout!"

The two then pressed on the icy cold wind nipping at their faces. Then they noticed something. Just ahead of them, was a large dark pit emitting a pillar of purple smoke like it was some volcano. The two then rushed on over to it and looked down. It appeared to be so deep that it was almost bottomless. The two then realized what this dark pit was.

"Is that...?!" wondered Luna.

"Yes! It is!" Artemis spoke with a hint of victory in his voice. "We finally found the entrance to the Dark Kingdom's hideout!"

"Then let's go tell the others!" said Luna. "Quickly, before anyone finds out we're here!"

They were just about to dash away when suddenly, Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite appeared before them barring their way.

"Sorry, but you're too late!" said Kunzite.

* * *

"I don't believe it!" gasped Sailor Moon. "Is that Queen Beryl?!"

"She looks so... normal," spoke Sailor Jupiter.

"Indeed, but back then, she was just Beryl, a young sorceress from Earth who was in love with Endymion as much as Serenity. She was once a good friend ours, but then those feelings of love began to take shape her feelings of jealousy. She wanted nothing more than to have Endymion all to herself, and she would do whatever she took to obtain that dream. And things only got worse from there."

The scenery changed again, and the Guardians could now see the people of Earth going about their way of living their peaceful lives. Then they looked up and noticed that the sky had turned an eerie violet color causing them to gaze upwards with fright. At that moment, a sinister face appeared from above with glowing green eyes and a red cross above them.

"An evil being invaded the Earth aiming to conquer the beautiful planet for itself," went on Taiyou. "And due to the malice feelings in Beryl's heart, the evil being corrupted her heart and used her to lead a revolt against the Moon Kingdom corrupting every single human on the planet. Even the Four Kings of Heaven fell prey to this evil power. The only person that managed to stay uncorrupted, vowing to protect the Moon Kingdom as well as rescue his people and protect the one he loved was Prince Endymion. But..."

They now could see the Moon Kingdom once again. This time it was cloaked in the flames of war with the metallic clangs of swords clashing and the screams of people either from battle or from death. Among them, Prince Endymion was fighting alongside Prince Taiyou protecting her from harm as Queen Beryl stood before them cackling with triumph as a powerful blast struck the palace sending Endymion into the air. Princess Serenity jumped into the air after him not wanting to be apart from him, but then another attack was unleashed from the sky hitting the two of them killing them instantly. The Guardians were horrified as Prince Taiyou continued.

"Alas, while trying to protect Serenity and not wanting to be apart from him, both the princess and Endymion were slain," he spoke quietly. "Rather than see her beloved people dying left and right and not wanting this evil to run rampant any longer, my Mother made the ultimate sacrifice."

Amongst the rubble and destruction, Queen Serenity stood before Queen Beryl, her eyes filled with tears and with Luna, Artemis, and Prince Taiyou by her side. She raised the Cresent Moon Wand above her head, and the Silver Crystal on top of it began to shine in bright pink light. It shone throughout the area blinding everyone with its glow. Within a matter of minutes, the light dissipated and the army of Earth as well as Queen Beryl all vanished without a trace. At the very same time, all of the people who perished including Princess Serenity, Endymion, and the other guardians all began to float into the stars heading towards the Earth.

"By using the power of the Silver Crystal as well as the Crescent Moon Wand, my Mother sealed away the evil and sent my sister as well as myself, Endymion, the Guardians and all the other citizens of the Moon to the future reincarnated so we could live normal lives at the cost of her own life. But in the process, the Silver Millennium had turned to ruins you see today and also left me with some... complications."

"Do you mean back when you... or rather Harusuke went berserk?" asked Sailor Moon.

Prince Taiyou gave a sad nod. "Yes, I may have been reincarnated as Harusuke Tsukino, but that didn't mean that the pain and despair I felt on that day dissipated. It happened around the time, Harusuke absorbed Nephrite's energy. The shock of it all awakened my consciousness inside of his mind, and when I saw Queen Beryl when she appeared, it wasn't long before I took possession of his body wanting to kill her for revenge for what she did, but it didn't last very long. After a few other instances, I was able to completely take over his body when he was about to die due to Zoisite. However, I was disoriented and confused at the time. Thankfully, thanks to Sailor Moon's Moon Healing Escalation, the grudges and the hatred I felt was gone, and I was healed."

Then the scenery changed one more time, and they soon found themselves on the Moon once again in the ruins of the Silver Millennium. The Guardians all stood there now more dumbfounded and shocked than ever before. Prince Taiyou who now had an apologetic look on his face then bowed before the Sailor Guardians and Queen Serenity.

"Allow me to take this moment to apologize, my friends and family," he said with a hint of remorse. "I not only failed to protect you, but I allowed myself to be consumed with anger and hate and almost harmed you. I only hope that you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me."

Queen Serenity then floated over to Prince Taiyou and spoke kindly to him. "Please, Prince Taiyou. Raise your head. There's no need for you to apologize. You fought as hard as I would expect for someone in the Royal Family and no one blames you at all."

Prince Taiyou looked up a small look of surprise on his face. Sailor Moon then stepped forwards and touched Prince Taiyou's shoulders smiling kindly too.

"She's right. You have no reason to blame yourself for anything," she said. "You did your best to protect us, and you served us well not only as a Guardian, but as my big brother and loyal friend."

The other Guardians smiled nodding in agreement. Prince Taiyou stared at them, and a smile worked its way to his cheeks as his eyes brimmed with tears.

"Thank you. Thank you all," Prince Taiyou said. "Your kindness knows no boundaries everyone."

Then suddenly, the light within Prince Taiyou's eyes flickered as did the image of Queen Serenity. It happened, again and again, causing Guardians to grow worried.

"Wh-What's going on?!" asked Sailor Moon.

"I'm afraid that our time is up," said Prince Taiyou. "Which means... I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye. I will eventually fade away and disappear into Harusuke's conscious, and Mother will soon dissipate fading away as well."

"But... wait! How are we supposed to get back?!" asked Sailor Venus. "We have no way of-"

"Don't worry. The Crescent Moon Wand will guide you back to where you belong," said Queen Serenity. "But before you all go, there's one more thing that I have to say. Firstly, Prince Taiyou, Solaris, Harusuke Tsukino, make sure you protect your sister as well as the other Guardians, no matter what. What truly makes you a powerful warrior is your unwavering love and loyalty to your friends and family. Never forget that."

"I won't, Mother," said Prince Taiyou as he bowed.

"Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus," went on Queen Serenity. "Make sure you four also protect the princess as well as the prince."

The four guardians nodded acknowledging her order. Finally, Queen Serenity turned towards Sailor Moon.

"And my dearest daughter, Serenity," she said. "Never forget that the Silver Crystal follows your heart. You are also a princess as well as Sailor Moon, the Guardian of love and justice, both of things to take pride in because they are a part of you, but the one thing that you must take pride and underneath it all, is that you are you, a normal girl named Usagi. It is important that you never lose sight of that. Defeat Queen Beryl and Queen Metallia and restore the peace to the Earth."

At that moment, Queen Serenity faded from existence, and Prince Taiyou's eyes went blank, and he turned back into Solaris. At the same time, the Cresent Moon Wand with the Silver Crystal suddenly began to glow, and all of the Guardians were sucked into the light disappearing inside it.

* * *

The Guardians soon found themselves back in the tunnels like before as the Crescent Moon Wand fell to the floor. Everyone stood there completely dumbfounded and shocked by what they just experienced.

"Queen Serenity..." Sailor Moon spoke her eyes filling with tears.

"So that's what happened," said Sailor Jupiter.

"It all makes sense now," said Sailor Venus.

"Now we know why we were chosen as Guardians," said Sailor Mars. "It was to protect this planet."

"And Queen Serenity... she gave up so much for her people and us," spoke Solaris. "She even sacrificed her own life just to let us live."

"Solaris, you're back," gasped Sailor Mercury. "And did you... hear everything?"

"Yes. I did," nodded Solaris. "It was a bit strange, but I could see everything that was happening while Prince Taiyou possessed me, so I know everything that he said."

Sailor Moon then bent down and picked up the Crescent Moon Wand tenderly cradling it.

"Thank you so much, Mother," she said. "We won't let your sacrifice for us be in vain."

Then suddenly, there was a pair of voices that cried out in pain along with a powerful blast.

"Help!"

"Argh!'

Everyone immediately recognized them.

"That sounded like Luna and Artemis!" cried Sailor Venus.

"They must be in trouble!" cried Sailor Mars. "Let's go!"

The Guardians then rushed down the tunnel following the source of the commotion. They turned around a corner and saw a terrible sight. Luna and Artemis were on the ground battered and beaten while Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite stood before them ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"Luna!" cried Sailor Moon.

"Artemis!" yelled Sailor Venus.

"Leave them alone!" yelled Solaris. "We won't let you hurt them any more!"

The Four Kings of Heaven were surprised to see the Guardians standing before them.

"This is impossible!" gasped Zoisite. "It can't be!"

"The Guardians?!" growled Kunzite. "But how are you all here?! We sent you away to the Multidimensional Chaos World!"

"Well, too bad for you guys," smirked Sailor Jupiter. " Things don't always work out the way you planned."

"However, thanks to you, we've regained all of our memories of the past!" said Sailor Venus.

"Including to who all of you are truly are," said Sailor Mars and Mercury together.

"What do you mean by that?" demanded Nephrite.

Solaris then stepped forward. "Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite, please listen to us," he said. "We're not your enemies, and all of you aren't ours either. Queen Beryl is your true enemy. She's tricked you into thinking that you're all destined to serve her, but in truth, you're all meant to serve Endymion the prince of Earth!"

The Four Kings of Heaven were surprised, but that surprise quickly was replaced with anger.

"You lie! Queen Beryl would never betray us!" snapped Jadeite. "You're just trying to deceive us!"

"It's the truth!" Solaris snapped back. "Endymion is your true Master, and Beryl is nothing more but a sorcerer manipulating you for her plans! Please! Try to remember and go back to how you were before!"

"And return Tuxedo Mask- I mean Endymion!" Sailor Moon spoke. "You have no right to keep him from us!"

"We'd be more than willing to let him go if you hand over the Silver Crystal!" said Nephrite and he and the other Kings of Heaven prepared to attack. "And for that matter, cease with your lies about our Queen!"

The four each went on the attack unleashing a powerful blast of energy. Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus immediately stepped in front of Solaris and Sailor Mon shielding them from harm blocking the attack with their bodies. Kunzite then summoned forth a pair of boomerangs made of his energy and flung them at the Guardians. Before anyone had a chance to react, the boomerangs shot right past them and sliced across Sailor Moon's clothes as well as her skin making her cry out in pain. Solaris immediately rushed over to Sailor Moon catching her in his arms before she fell.

Sailor Mercury then scowled. "You four are even more brainwashed than we realized!"

"Unforgivable!" agreed Sailor Mars angrily.

As Kunzite caught the boomerangs, Zoisite then summoned forth a crystal arrow while Jadeite and Nephrite held up their hands charging their energy.

"Do you honestly think that your pitiful attacks are going to work on our turf?" Zoisite asked snootily.

"Don't make us laugh!" yelled Jadeite and Nephrite.

They then unleashed their attacks gunning for the Guardians again. The attacks sliced across their skins as well as sent them backward from the sheer force, but they bravely stood their ground refusing to back down.

"Are you guys, okay?!" asked Solaris worriedly.

"Don't worry about us, Solaris!" said Sailor Jupiter. "Just make sure you keep, Sailor Moon safe!"

"But girls, you do realize what you're up against?" said Solaris. "You're not just fighting the Four Kings of Heaven-!"

"We know," interrupted Sailor Mars. "We're well aware. We're not just fighting the four of them; we're fighting against our former lovers. However, that doesn't matter."

"We're Sailor Guardians," said Sailor Mercury. "We fight to serve and protect the princess as well as you, the prince no matter what!"

"And we're not about to let the past haunt us," added Sailor Venus. "Sure, they were once our lovers, but we're willing to steel our hearts to protect you two as well as save them!" She then turned to the others. "Come on, girls! Let's combine our powers! Four are stronger than one!"

They then held up their transformation pens in the air and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"VENUS POWER!"

"MERCURY POWER!"

"MARS POWER!"

"JUPITER POWER!"

The four transformation pen glowed bright and a wall-like barrier erected before them. Kunzite and the others attacked once again firing their blasts of energy as well as their arrows and boomerangs. The wall shielded Sailor Moon and Solaris, but the guardians were still taking the full brunt of their attacks. They winced in pain as they tried to stay on their feet, but no matter how determined they were, the Guardians couldn't remain standing anymore. Sailor Moon and Solaris saw their determination, and they looked at each giving each other a nod. They then stood up and stood bravely before the Four Kings of Heaven.

"How dare you?! Even if you went out right now and bought us the finest haute-couture trend-setting designs for replacement," said Sailor Moon. "We can't forgive you for shredding a girl's clothes!"

"A girl's clothes are a national treasure!" continued Solaris. "They represent not only for who the girl is, but also who the girl represents as well as her sense of style and pride!"

"In the name of the Moon..."

"And in the name of the Sun..."

"WE'LL PUNISH YOU!"

Sailor Moon then raised the Crescent Moon Wand above her head, and Solaris summoned forth a shining ball of energy aiming.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

"SOLARIS SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Sailor Moon unleashed a powerful blast of sparkles and light while Solaris launched his Sunshine Meteor by punching it. The two attacks merged into one and bathed the Four Kings of Heaven in their light causing all four of them to cry out in agony as they tried to resist.

"Please! Go back to your normal selves!" begged Solaris. "Remember who you all are!"

"N-Never!" yelled Kunzite as he struggled to his feet. "We.. are the Four Kings of Heaven! You can't make us yell "Refresh" ever!"

He then summoned forth another boomerang and then threw it at Sailor Moon. At that moment, Sailor Moon brought her hand back with her wand and Solaris brought his hand to his side as if he was drawing a sword making a long thin line of energy appear in his hand. Then the two of them swung using their weapons deflecting Kunziite's attack back at him. Kunzite surprised as well as shocked immediately brought up his cape to defend, but at the last minute, Zoisite pushed up out of the way causing the boomerang to clip him right at his side causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to the floor.

"No! Zoisite!" cried Kunzite as he along with the others rushed to his side to see if he was hurt.

Zoisite winced in agony as he held his side some trickles of blood seeping through them. Kunzite then glared at Solaris and Sailor Moon revenge quickly taking hold of him, but then Jadeite stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Kunzite, it's best that we retreat for now," Jadeite said. "We must get Zoisite treated right away."

Kunzite growled in annoyance, but he knew that Jadeite was right. NO matter how much we wanted to kill the Guardians, taking care of Zoisite came first.

"You'll pay for this, Guardians!" he hissed. "Mark my words, you all will pay for what you did!"

And with that, the Four Kings of Heaven disappeared in the darkness. Artemis and Luna gazed at Solaris and Sailor Moon in amazement.

"Sailor Moon's power is incredible!" gasped Luna.

"Even greater than usual!" agreed Artemis. "And Solaris' power has increased just as much."

Sailor Moon then went over to the two cats taking Luna into her arms while Solaris checked over the other Guardians.

"Luna, are you going to be alright?" Sailor Moon asked Luna.

"I'll be okay, Usagi- I mean Sailor Moon... No, you're Serenity, aren't you?" Luna gasped as she spoke deliriously. "The Dark Kingdom's hideout is over at the D Point located in the Arctic Circle."

"You're all going to have to hurry before the dark spots on the sun spread completely!" Artemis spoke urgently. "Your only chance is to storm the place!"

"Now hold on just a minute. Before we do anything else, we have to get everyone's wounds treated first, yours and Luna's especially, Artemis," said Solaris. "But don't worry, once we're healed up, we'll storm the place and show the Dark Kingdom what for!"

"And we'll save the world and save Mamoru!" added Sailor Moon. "Right, everyone?!"

"Yeah!" agreed the other Guardians.

* * *

Back in the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite was now treating Zoisite's wounds by using his energy to close it up. After a while, the injury was closed, and the bleeding also stopped.

"How is that, Zoisite? Feel any better?" asked Kunzite.

"Much better. Thank you, Kunzite," said Zoisite.

"I can't believe those Guardians got the upper hand on us again," cursed Jadeite clenching his fist. "And on our territory no less."

"Not only that, but they also had the nerve to say that, Queen Beryl was manipulating us," said Nephrite crossly. "What blasphemy. Speaking of which, Queen Beryl will surely be displeased with us. Especially since we allowed those Guardians and those foolish cats to see where our base is."

"So who wants the honor of telling Queen Beryl first?" asked Zoisite with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm sure that she'll be thrilled to hear what we have to say."

"We'll all tell her," said Kunzite simply. "We all share the blame for what happened, so we'll all share the punishment."

The four of them then appeared in the throne room preparing themselves for Queen Beryl to be furious, but they were surprised to see that Queen Beryl wasn't there. They looked around wondering where she could have gone. Then they decided to look in the chamber where the cocoon of Queen Metalia was. When they got there, they were about to step inside of the room when Kunzite raised his arm stopping them.

"What's wrong, Kunzite?" asked Zoisite.

"Just keep quiet," hushed Kunzite. "Listen."

Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite did so, and they could hear Queen Beryl talking to Queen Metalia.

"Great Ruler Metalia, the dark spots of the sun have almost spread entirely," Queen Beryl spoke. "The fateful day of when we take over the Earth is almost upon us."

"I'm well aware, Queen Beryl," spoke Queen Beryl. "However, we are running short of time considering that Prince Taiyou has awakened as well as Princess Serenity. You must get rid of those two along with the other Guardians as soon as possible. Not to mention that more energy is still required to if we are to take over the Earth."

"Fear not, all will be settled soon," said Queen Beryl. "Well before the Four Kings of Heaven remember their past lives."

The Four Kings of Heaven were shocked upon hearing what Queen Beryl said. At that moment, every one of them felt a sharp pain in their heads causing them to hold their heads in agony.

"Past lives?!" gasped Jadeite.

"What does she mean by that?!" wondered Nephrite.

"Who are we really?!" groaned Zoisite.

At that moment, all four of them saw a vision. The four could see themselves standing before Prince Endymion raising their swords proudly and swearing that they would protect him even at the cost of their lives with Endymion smiling with pride. Then all of their memories began flooding back to their minds.

"Is... this a vision from our past lives?!" gasped Jadeite in realization.

"I... I remember now!" spoke Nephrite. "We were knights that served Prince Endymion!"

"We were reincarnated in this time, here on Earth to find him again!" Zoisite spoke incredulously.

"But we crossed paths with Queen Beryl and like before, she put us under her spell before we realized it," murmured Kunzite. "Solaris was telling the truth after all!"

"So, you've remembered everything..." said a voice from somewhere behind them.

Kunzite and the others quickly turned around to find Queen Beryl standing before them in the doorway. Their faces immediately turned to angry scowls feeling betrayed.

"Queen Beryl!" growled Kunzite.

"How could you?!" Nephrite spoke with fury.

"You used us for your evil plans just as Solaris said!" Zoisite said seething.

"And so what if I did?" Queen Beryl spoke coolly. "In order for me to win this game, I needed some pawns that could be sacrificed and who better to be those pawns than the four of you!"

"DAMN YOU!" roared Kunzite exploding in anger.

He and the other Kings of Heaven lunged Queen Beryl hoping to make her pay, but Queen Beryl immediately put the brakes on them by tapping her staff on the ground. A powerful wave of black energy swiftly crept along the ground and right under their feet immediately making them feel a shock of lightning so through them making them cry in agony.

"It hurts, I know. But don't worry, I'm not done with you four yet," Queen Beryl cackled maliciously. "Not until the Dark Kingdom rises and the Earth belongs to me!"

"Please! Stop this, Queen Beryl! This is wrong!" begged Kunzite trying to reason with her. "This isn't what we were reborn for!"

But Queen Beryl didn't listen as she cast a powerful spell on them once again bringing them under her control.

"Now... you four will obey me," said Queen Beryl. "You will eliminate the Guardians and take the Silver Crystal!"

The Four Kings of Heaven stood before their master, their eyes glowing red as they bowed before her all speaking in unison.

"Yes, Queen Beryl."


	49. Chapter 48

It was another day in Juuban. However, it was the furthest thing from peaceful. Luna and Artemis battered and covered in bandages due to the previous battle, stared at the TV which was now showing the news.

 ** _"This just in, the dark spots on the sun continue to spread at an unusual pace,"_** the news reporter said. _**"Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and other national disasters believed to be caused by this phenomenon, continue to occur throughout the globe. The National Weather Bureau has declared this an unprecedented atmospheric event and released a statement saying they do not know how this will affect Japan."**_

Luna and Artemis then looked at each other knowing that this wasn't a coincidence.

"We will have to act quickly," said Artemis.

* * *

Back at the Tsukino's house, the smell of burnt food was in the air. The kitchen was in a state of utter disarray and chaos. Pots, pans, and other utensils laid everywhere as Usagi had just finished what she was making in the kitchen which was a poor attempt of curry. She had just set the food on the table while her family stared at the dish before them with dubious looks on their faces.

"There we go! Thank you all for waiting!" she said brightly. "I hope you're all hungry because I made my very special curry for tonight's menu."

"We're... thrilled you've made such an effort for tonight's dinner, Usagi," said Kenji trying not to show his disgust."

"Yeah. It looks...very good?" Harusuke spoke trying to keep a straight face. "And it shows... how much you worked hard on it."

Usagi then blushed. "Oh, come on, you two. You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."

"Well, it is," said Kenji. Then he turned to the other family members. "Shall we dig in everybody?"

Shingo looked at his plate his face cringing from the sight of it. "Is this even edible?"

Harusuke then nudged Shingo gently. "Don't be rude, Shingo."

"Yeah. It might not look good, but what matters is the taste," said Usagi. "Just watch. It's gonna blow you all away."

She then took a spoonful of curry and popped it into her mouth while the rest of the Tsukino's watched. She chewed for a few seconds or so, but then suddenly, tears began to stream down Usagi's face causing everyone to be alarmed.

"Is something the matter, Usagi?!" Kenji asked worriedly. "What's wrong?!"

"It's hot!" Usagi cried as she stuck out her tongue which was glowing from the spiciness.

"I knew it," muttered Shingo. "Note to self: Never let Usagi cook."

Harusuke could only sigh shaking his head shrugging.

* * *

Later that night, all of the guardians met up at the Hikawa Shrine readying themselves for the final battle. The air felt tense as they waited for Luna and Artemis to arrive.

"It's finally time," said Minako quietly. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah. And truth be told, I can't wait," grinned Makoto as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this."

"Well, there's no turning back now," said Ami. "We've finally come this far, and this will be the toughest fight we've ever faced."

Usagi then went over to Rei. "Say Rei, did you at least give Yuichiro a kiss before coming here?" she whispered.

Everyone except for Usagi sweatdropped feeling awkward, and Rei couldn't help but blush bright red.

"And just why'd you bring that up?" Rei asked trying not to show her embarrassment.

"Well... I just thought, what if something bad happens," Usagi went on. "I mean I don't want you to have any regrets."

"Nothing bad is gonna happen to us!" exploded Rei yelling at the top of her lungs. "Just mind your own business!"

Usagi was so startled that she fell flat on her bum on the cold hard ground.

"Ouch! You didn't have to yell at me like that!" whined Usagi. "I was just concerned about you is all!"

"Usagi, you need to stop thinking about the 'what ifs,' " said Minako.

"I agree," nodded Makoto smiling warmly. "When this is all over, I intend to get out there and experience all the love I can."

Usagi was surprised, but a smile worked its way to her cheeks too. "I see. Sorry about that," she apologized. "You're right."

"Love, huh?" mused Ami as she gazed upwards to the sky. "I'd like that too..."

Everyone then stared at Ami a bit surprised that she would say such a thing, making the latter blush bright red with embarrassment. Usagi then noticed Harusuke who was sitting on the steps completely silent.

"Is something wrong, Harusuke?" Usagi asked. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

Harusuke then stood up and looked towards Usagi and his friends. "Girls, there's something that I wanna say," he spoke. "So I want everyone to listen, okay?"

The girls all looked at Harusuke giving him their utmost attention. There was a brief silence until Harusuke then spoke again.

"Listen, I know that I'm not really big on epic speeches and stuff, but I wanted to say this before anything else," Harusuke spoke. "I'm happy that I have you guys as my friends and I'm truly proud to be a part of your team. Because truth be told, I don't know what I'd do without you guys. You've all been there for me as well as my sister even when we were at our lowest, and I'm genuinely grateful for that. I guess what I'm trying to say is... let's win this thing and go home together. We can go out for ice cream or something."

Everyone stared at Harusuke not saying a word. Then Usagi walked up to her brother and embraced him in a hug catching Harusuke by surprise.

"Yeah. Let's do that," Usagi said happily. "Let's all go out and have some ice cream together. All of us."

Everyone heartily agreed. At that moment, Luna and Artemis finally appeared.

"All right, I think that's enough talking, guys," said Artemis. "It's time."

"Everyone! Transform!" commanded Luna.

The teens all looked at each other and gave a firm nod as they transformed for what might be the final time.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

"VENUS POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms, and pink ribbon wraps around her arms turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
__

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Minako._

 _ _The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as streams of yellow stars begin to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the stream of stars forms a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground forming a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were orange and her bow being bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she strikes her signature pose.__

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"You all need to get to Point D in Arctic Circle at once," spoke Luna as they finished transforming.

"How do we do that?" asked Sailor Moon.

"Yeah, we can't exactly go through the entryway Minako found," said Solaris. "They'll be expecting that."

"True, but by putting all of your powers together, you'll be able to teleport yourselves," said Artemis.

"And since we're both injured, we'll stay here. We'd only get in your way," said Luna. "But you all can handle this by yourselves, right?"

"Of course they can, Luna," said Luna. "There's no doubt that the Guardians will defeat Queen Beryl as long as they combine their powers and work together."

The Guardians then all gathered around in a circle and held hands as the moon shone brightly above them. They all also closed their eyes and concentrated letting the power flow through their bodies making them glow in a bright shield of light and the ground crack and crumble from the pressure.

"SAILOR... TELEPORT!" Artemis yelled.

At Artemis' command, all six of the Guardians disappeared at once vanishing from sight leaving him and Luna all by themselves.

"Good luck, kids," Artemis spoke quietly as he kept his eyes at the spot where they once were.

Luna then looked up at the sky filled with anxiety and worry.

 _"Come back to us safely, everyone,"_ she prayed to herself. _"Please..."_

* * *

The Guardians now found themselves standing in the frozen tundra that was the Arctic. Sailor Moon couldn't help but shiver from the cold as the cold wind, and the snow blew.

"I-I-It's f-f-freezing!" she shivered as she rubbed her arms trying to keep herself warm. "How come all of you aren't shivering in this blizzard?!"

"Pull yourself together, and you won't feel the cold!" snapped Sailor Mars.

"Speak for yourself!" Sailor Moon shot back still shivering. "You only say that is because you got more body fat!"

"Well, this certainly got off to a rocky start," muttered Solaris. "At least, they're keeping their spirits up."

Sailor Mercury who had just taken out her computer began to typing scanning the area for the Dark Kingdom's hideout. After a few seconds of typing, she then pointed to the east.

"I found it!" Sailor Mercury said. "There's a strong evil aura that's coming over in that direction!"

"Then I say let's get moving," said Sailor Jupiter. "We got a lot of butts to kick."

The Guardians then set off trudging their way through the snow.

* * *

In their hideout, Queen Beryl was using her crystal ball to spy on the Guardians. Needless to say, she wasn't worried nor would she have it.

"In mere moments, Queen Metalia will be fully resurrected," she spoke grimly. "I won't allow anyone to interfere. I'll make sure of it. Kunzite! Zoisite! Nephrite! Jadeite!"

The Four Kings of Heaven immediately appeared all bowing before Queen Beryl.

"You summoned us, Queen Beryl?" asked Kunzite.

"The Guardians are making their way to our base as we speak just before Queen Metalia is about to be resurrected," explained Queen Beryl. "I want you four to eliminate the Guardians proceeding to the plan. Do whatever it takes to kill those guardians! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Queen Beryl," said Kunzite.

"We shall obey your every command," acknowledged Zoisite.

"And crush those Guardians for good," added Nephrite.

"Just leave it to us!" said Jadeite.

And with that, the four of them disappeared leaving Queen Beryl alone in her throne.

"I hope you're ready, Guardians," she said with a sinister grin. "Because you're about to experience one of the most effective traps that fell even the mightiest of warriors and the ironic thing about it is that you'll be killed by the ones you once loved!"

She then erupted in a cruel and evil cackling fit that echoed throughout the Dark Kingdom.

* * *

The Guardians were still walking around in the snow. The blizzard had passed, and it was now a lot less cold than before, but they kept up their guard. Then suddenly, Sailor Mercury stopped causing everyone else to as well.

"Hold on, everyone. The evil aura is getting stronger," she warned.

Then a thick mist colored violet began to shroud the area.

"Here they come!" said Sailor Jupiter as she along with the other guardians took their stances ready to fight.

For a while, there was nothing but mist. Then Sailor Moon saw a shape forming inside of the mist ahead of them. At first, she couldn't tell what it was, but then she gasped. The shape that she was seeing turned out to be a person that hung by chains. And not just any person either. It was Tuxedo Mask who's cape was torn to shreds, and the man himself was battered and bloody. The other Guardians could see him too.

"It's Tuxedo Mask!" gasped Sailor Moon. "We have to help him!"

She rushed forward trying to get to him so she could help, but Solaris barred her way.

"Sailor Moon, stop!" he said. "It could be a trap!"

"Isn't that obvious by now?" sighed Sailor Jupiter rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Sailor Moon! They're doing this because they know that you'll run to him!" Sailor Mars groaned. "Honestly, you're so predictable!"

Sailor Moon puffed her cheeks feeling embarrassed as well as annoyed. Sailor Mercury then pressed a button on her earring activating her visor.

"Hold on, I'll check it out," said Sailor Mercury. "We'll see if this is a trap or not."

Then they all heard Tuxedo Mask speak as he looked up his eyes so vulnerable and desperate.

"Sailor Moon... Please... Help me," he begged.

Sailor Moon bit her lip trying her best not to fall for this, but seeing Tuxedo Mask in this weakened state, she couldn't bear to see him like this. She then tried to go to him, but she was immediately tackled down by Sailor Mars, Venus, and Jupiter.

"Let me go! I have to go to him!" cried Sailor Moon. "He's suffering! He needs me!"

"Control yourself, you idiot!" cried Sailor Mars.

Then Sailor Mercury gasped her scanning of Tuxedo Mask complete.

"Watch out, everybody!" she cried. "That's not the real Tuxedo Mask!"

At that moment, the fake Tuxedo Mask unleashed a powerful blast from his hand at them. The Guardians immediately jumped out of the way dodging the incoming attack but only just narrowly.

"You see?! I told you so!" Sailor Mars cried crossly.

"I didn't want to believe it!" Sailor Moon wailed miserably.

Then the fake Tuxedo Mask revealed his true form which turned out to be one of their familiar foes which was one of the Four Kings of Heaven.

"It's Nephrite!" cried Solaris.

"Typical Sailor Moon. Always willing to do whatever it takes to save her beloved Tuxedo Mask," Nephrite mocked sneering. "If it's that easy to deceive you, then getting the Silver Crystal should be a breeze."

"Hey, you! How dare you trick me!" Sailor Moon snapped angrily. "Granted I was stupid to fall for it, but you're stupid for trampling on a young girl's pure love! Because of that, now you've made me really angry! Now I'm going to-"

"We get it already," deadpanned Sailor Mars. "Get to the point already."

Sailor Moon paused for a few seconds before resuming her cheeks scarlet from embarrassment. "A-Anyway, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"That's pretty big talk, Sailor Moon," said Nephrite. "But you're in our territory now, and as long as you're in Point D, you and your friends don't stand a chance against us!"

He waved his hand as he disappeared into the fog. Once again, the fake, chained, and wounded Tuxedo Mask reappeared before them.

"S-Sailor Moon... I love you," the fake Tuxedo Mask gasped. "Please... Save me..."

"You've to got to be kidding me," said Sailor Mars. "What kind of idiot would fall for the same trick twice?"

She found that out soon enough as Sailor Moon rushed ahead much to her disdain.

"Apparently, my sister is that idiot," groaned Solaris as he ran after her.

Solaris and Sailor Mars ran until they caught Sailor Moon once again tackling her to the ground.

"Hey! Didn't you listen to anything I said!" yelled Sailor Mars.

"But he needs me!" wailed Sailor Moon. "What if this time it's real?!"

But Sailor Moon was once again wrong as the fake Tuxedo Mask turned back to Nephrite as he unleashed another mighty blast of dark energy forcing them to all dodge.

"See?! I told you!" cried Sailor Mars.

"I'm sorry!" Sailor Moon cried.

"Enough of this! Stop taking us for fools!" Sailor Jupiter yelled as she extended her antenna in her tiara sparking with power. "JUPITER SUPREME...!"

But as she was preparing to unleash her Supreme Thunder, the illusion disappeared as Nephrite appeared before her. Upon seeing him, Sailor Jupiter instinctively hesitated, remembering that not only was Nephrite being controlled, but was also the one she loved. Then suddenly from below her, a dark shadow erupted from the ground catching Sailor Jupiter in its clutches suspending her several feet in the air. Sailor Jupiter tried to break free, but the shadow held her tight. Seeing that their friend was in trouble, Sailor Moon took off her tiara turning it into a white disc preparing to cut the shadows to free her with Solaris and Sailor Mars following suit.

"MOON TIARA..."

"MARS FIRE..."

"SUNSHINE..."

But before they could attack, Nephrite immediately got close to Sailor Jupiter along with his shadow forcing the three to stop their attacks.

"I wouldn't be so quick to attack if I were you, Guardians," he said with a sneer. "Unless you want to hurt Sailor Jupiter in the process!"

"Damn it!" growled Solaris. "That's playing dirty, you coward!"

"But he's right," said Sailor Mars. "If we attack now, then Sailor Jupiter will get caught in the crossfire!"

"Don't worry about me!" yelled Sailor Jupiter. "You've got to make your move and go stop Queen Beryl!"

Nephrite then smirked as he raised his hand which sparkled with electricity.

"Then I guess you'll be the first to die, Sailor Jupiter," he cackled. "Now, taste the power of the Corona Borealis!"

He then grabbed Sailor Jupiter by the throat and began shocking her causing her to cry out in pain. The rest of the Guardians stood there frozen unsure of what to do.

"So how does it feel, Sailor Jupiter? To feel pain from your own element?" laughed Nephrite mockingly. "You must be suffering as well as feeling disgraceful. But don't worry, it'll all be over soon enough."

Then suddenly, Sailor Jupiter grabbed Nephrite by his arm clenching it tightly and taking him by surprise smirking bravely.

"I'll have to admit, you've got guts to attack me with electric bolts, Nephrite," grunted Sailor Jupiter. "But allow me to show you what a real electric bolt feels like."

"What are you doing?!" demanded Nephrite. "Let me go!"

Nephrite pumped up the power of his electricity trying to shock Sailor Jupiter into letting him go, and his shadow even squeezed harder, but like a stubborn bulldog, she refused to let go. Sailor Jupiter's antenna extended from her forehead sparking with electricity as she began gathering power.

"I'm sorry about this, Nephrite," she said with an apologetic smile. "I know that what you're doing is not your fault, but if you're planning to kill my friends, I'll be the one to stop you! Prepare yourself!"

"Damn you, Sailor Jupiter!" yelled Nephrite. "CURSE YOU!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER! ! ! ! !"

As she let out a bloodcurdling scream, Sailor Jupiter summoned every ounce of strength she had as a tremendous lightning bolt shot down from above. The thunderbolt struck both of them at the same time shocking them with overwhelming wats of power with a mighty boom. A huge explosion shook the area as the resulting lightning made a brilliant flash of light forcing the Guardians to shield their eyes. When the smoke cleared and the light dimmed, the Guardians looked up only to have a haunting and terrible sight meet their eyes.

Due to the overwhelming power of the attack, a large tree-like pillar of ice had formed with Sailor Jupiter in the middle close to the top, her body singed, smoking, and even a little bloody. As far as Nephrite's body, it was nowhere to be seen. Everyone immediately towards the ice pillar desperate to get her down.

"Just hold on, Jupiter!" yelled Solaris. "We're coming!"

He and Sailor Moon had just started to climb up the pillar when they heard Sailor Jupiter.

"Everyone... I'm sorry, but... I'm not gonna make it..." Sailor Jupiter called weakly. "You have to... go on without me. Hurry! Leave me here!"

"No! There's no way we're doing that!" Solaris yelled. "We have to go there together!"

"Remember what you said, Mako? You told us that you were going to find all the love you can, or was that lie?!" Sailor Moon cried her eyes welling with tears. "Just stay strong! If you lie, the King of Hell will rip out your tongue!"

Sailor Jupiter smiled weakly. "Please... this isn't the time to cry," she said. "Chin up... You'll be fine. Just... go."

At that moment, her eyes slowly closed and her body went limp as her last breath was spent. Everyone's eyes widened in shock now realizing that Sailor Jupiter was dead.

"No! Mako! You can't die! MAKO!" Sailor Moon wailed.

The Guardian of the Moon sank to her knees in despair as she cried mourning for the loss of her friend.

"There's nothing more we can do for her, Sailor Moon," Sailor Venus spoke quietly. "We need to go."

"Forget it. If this is what we have to go through, then we should just give them the Silver Crystal!" sobbed Sailor Moon.

"How can you even say that?!" snapped Sailor Mars.

"Surely, you don't mean that!" gasped Solaris.

"It's true! In fact, that's what we should have done from the start!" Sailor Moon spoke bitterly as she immediately stood up. "Queen Beryl! You can have the Silver Crystal!"

She then ran past the others trying to get Queen Beryl's attention, but Sailor Mercury and Solaris blocked her way restraining her.

"Stop it, Sailor Moon!" said Sailor Mercury.

"Don't be such a fool!" Solaris said.

"Let me go! That Crystal's the reason why Mako died!" Sailor Moon snapped. "We should just quit and go home."

At that moment, Sailor Mercury gave Sailor Moon a hard slap across her cheek surprising Sailor Moon as well as the other Guardians. Sailor Mercury herself was also surprised for what she did, but she spoke calmly to Sailor Moon.

"I'm sorry for slapping you, Sailor Moon, but you have to understand," the blue Guardian said. "Don't let Jupiter's sacrifice be in vain."

Sailor Moon only held her cheek not saying another word. Then Sailor Mercury's computer began to make a beeping noise sounding like a warning. Sensing that it was detecting another enemy, Sailor Mercury looked at her device and then turned around.

"Someone else is coming," she warned. "And it's coming right for us."

Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Solaris stepped bravely forward ready to fight, but Sailor Mercury blocked their path.

"Listen, you four need to go on ahead without me," she said. "I'll stay here."

"But Mercury...!" protested Sailor Mars.

"No buts. You, Venus, and Solaris have more firepower than I do, Mars," said Sailor Mercury firmly. "Besides, Sailor Moon needs all the support she can get right now. Get going!"

"Are you sure about this, Sailor Mercury?" asked Solaris. "I can stay behind and help you."

"No, Solaris. You especially have to stay with Sailor Moon," Sailor Mercury said. "Sailor Moon needs you not only as a guardian, but as a brother too. Now go! I'm not going to ask you again."

The Guardians could see that Sailor Mercury was serious, but Sailor Moon was still worried.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to die," the Guardian of Water said with a reassuring smile. "Once I've defeated the enemy, I'll catch up with you."

"You promise?" Sailor Moon asked.

Sailor Mercury answered with a nod and with that, the four of them went on ahead. They all were still worried, but they knew that they had a job to do and had to keep going. Sailor Mercury waited until the rest of her friends were out of sight then she bravely stood her ground as the purple fog returned.

"Now, come and get me!" she yelled.

Then she heard a familiar voice.

"My, my. Aren't we feeling a bit brave today?"

Sailor Mercury knew who that was. Sure enough, stepping out of the fog, Zoisite appeared before her.

"Zoisite. I should have known you'd show up," Sailor Mercury smiling mirthlessly. "If I asked you to surrender and cease this endless fighting, would you do that for me?

"Sorry, but I have no intention of leaving you alive, Sailor Mercury," said Zoisite. "It's no use trying to talk your way out of it."

"I figured you'd say that," sighed Sailor Mercury. "Then I guess you leave me no choice but to stop you."

"Do you really intend to fight me all by yourself?" Zoisite asked snootily. "I mean I'll give you credit for yor bravery, but do you honestly think you can take me on?"

"I have no choice in the matter," said Sailor Mercury. "We may have once been allies and I may have fallen in love with you, but now you're an enemy, and I have to stop you! Douce yourself in water and repent!"

"Have it your way then!" yelled Zoisite as he then went on the attack.

He unleashed a powerful blast of petals at Sailor Mercury forcing the girl to immediately dodging the attack. She then ran forward and countered with a few quick and fast punches, but Zoisite dodged the incoming attacks with ease and then floated upwards into the air. He raised his hand and fired an array of ice forcing Sailor Mercury to jump into a backward flip dodging them.

"You're quite the nimble little brat, Mercury," Zoisite spoke in an annoyed tone. "But let's see you try to dodge this! Zoi!"

With a wave of his hand, the ground erupted with lava of which gushed out dangerously towards Sailor Mercury. However, the blue Sailor Guardian immediately took action.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

She unleashed a powerful blast of bubbles at the lava making it immediately harden to rock. Zoisite clicked his tongue and let out a yell as he unleashed a powerful burst of fire from his hand. Sailor Mercury jumped out of the way in the nick of time, but she barely made it by the skin of her teeth.

 _"Zoisite's more powerful than he ever was before!"_ she thought. _"I don't even think I stand a chance against him. He's got to have some kind of weakness."_

She then pressed the button on her earrings activating her visor scanning all over Zoisite trying to find a weakness. At that moment, her computer detected something on Zoisite that caught Mercury's attention. On the diagram of Zoisite, a single red dot began bleeping in the middle of his forehead. She then looked up and saw something in the middle of Zoisite's forehead which was a strange jewel. It flickered for a moment, but then it disappeared.

 _"That's got to be it! The source of all of his power!"_ she thought. _"Maybe if I can get close to him, I can catch him by surprise by hitting him there and then take him down! It's the only way!"_

"Come on, Sailor Mercury! Don't tell me you're at your limit already!" called out Zoisite. "Because if you won't attack, then I will! I'll show you the true power of Zoisite, one of the Four Kings of Heaven!"

He summoned his will and shrouded himself in a ball of fire and charged straight at Sailor Mercury. This time she didn't run.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

She crossed her hands as she charged her technique, but instead of unleashing her attack, she raised the bubble over her head shrouding herself protecting and minimizing the scorching heat of Zoisite's attack. She then found herself inside of the fireball which was sweltering and hot. Then a rope of fire suddenly appeared and wrapped around Sailor Mercury by her hips binding her tightly as well as burning her. Sailor Mercury screamed in agony as the fire continued to fry her alive and Sailor Mercury could feel herself slipping away growing weaker and weaker. Zoisite then appeared in front of her a gloating look on his features.

"What a pity. It seems that you've reached the end of your rope," Zoisite said as he lifted Sailor Mercury's face with a finger. "Now, any last words before I send you to hell, Sailor Mercury?"

Sailor Mercury didn't answer her eyes vacant. Then she flashed a weak smile as she tightly held her computer in her hand.

"Guess this will be the last time I'll use this," she said to herself weakly.

"What are you mumbling about?" asked Zoisite. "I can't quite hear your last words."

Then as Zoisite got closer to her, Sailor Mercury raised her computer and smashed it directly on his forehead. Zoisite yelled in pain and surprise as the gem on his forehead flickered again. This time the gem cracked as the wound began to bleed slightly. At the same time, the fireball, as well as the rope, dissipated setting Sailor Mercury free.

"Damn you, wench!" cursed Zoisite. "You scarred my face! You'll pay for that!"

He then threw out his hand planning to blast Sailor Mercury while holding his face, but to his surprise, he was only able to summon only a few petals surprising him.

"Wh-what?! What did you do to me?!" demanded Zoisite.

"I... attacked your weak spot... thanks to my computer," said Sailor Mercury panting. "You shouldn't... have let your guard down."

Now Zoisite was furious. He held out his hand and attempted to summon a sword of ice, but he was having trouble doing so. Seeing this as an opportunity, Sailor Mercury looked around trying to see if there was anything she could use to take down Zoisite. Then she saw it. Because of Zoisite's fireball, she noticed that they were in a crater of ice that had spikes jutting out from all sides.

 _"I don't want to this, but it's my only option,"_ Sailor Mercury thought to herself. _"And I'm on my last legs anyway, so I've got nothing to lose."_

And using what little strength she had left, Sailor Mercury grabbed one of the spikes closest to her and struggled trying to break it off. Zoisite at the very time wiped the blood from his eyes and was finally able to summon a sword of ice. He then looked towards Sailor Mercury his face still twisted into an angry snarl.

"You think that you can get away from me after scarring my face?!" he hissed. "For scarring my face Sailor Mercury, your life is forfeit!"

He then shot straight towards her, his ice sword poised and ready to impale Sailor Mercury. He brought his weapon back and swung hoping to cut off her head. But then at that last minute, Sailor Mercury jumped forward in a roll dodging the blow. Then as she landed back on her feet taking advantage, she jumped towards Zoisite holding the icicle in hand barreled right into Zoisite using the icicle to stab him right in the chest.

Everything was silent. Zoisite looked down at where he was stabbed as Sailor Mercury held the icicle firmly in his chest.

"I-Impossible..." Zoisite gasped as a thin trickle of his blood came out of his mouth.

"Sorry Zoisite... but you lose," said Sailor Mercury. "I may not be as strong as the other Guardians..., but I'm smarter. I... only wish there could have been... another way."

She then sank to her knees in exhaustion as Zoisite staggered back a couple of steps before falling on his back never getting up again. Sailor Mercury then tried to get up so she could get back to the other Guardians, but her body failed her as she fell to the ground. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she was now losing all feeling to her body.

"I don't have any more strength. I can't even move," Sailor Mercury whispered weakly to no one in particular. "I'm sorry, everyone. Especially you, Usagi. I guess... I wasn't able to keep my promise after all."

* * *

As the Guardians continued on, Sailor Moon suddenly stopped as did everyone else. They were far away from where they left Sailor Mercury, but even they knew that another one of them had fallen. She was now dead too.

"Ami is... Ami is..." began Sailor Moon.

"She's gone," finished Solaris quietly who was just as shocked. "No... it can't be..."

Sailor Moon fell to her knees once again bursting into tears as she pounded the ground with her fists.

"Why?! Why did she choose to stay behind?!" she wailed. "We should have stayed with her! We should have helped her!"

"Crying like a baby isn't going to help us!" Sailor Mars said firmly trying to keep it together. "The enemy is gonna keep coming at us and won't stop!"

"But... But... I never thought that it'd turn out like this!" Sailor Moon sobbed.

"They're gonna pay for this!" growled Solaris clenching his fists in anger. "Those Dark Kingdom monsters are gonna pay for killing our friends!"

Then suddenly the ground below Sailor Moon began to slightly glow in an amber light unbeknownst to her. Seeing this as another enemy attack, Sailor Venus immediately took action.

"Sailor Moon! Look out!" she yelled as she pushed Sailor Moon out of the way.

No sooner than she did, a huge black orb of energy erupted from the ground encasing Sailor Venus entirely making her float high in the air. She desperately tried to break out of it by punching it, but it wouldn't break.

"No! Minako!" cried Solaris.

"Stop it right now!" yelled Sailor Moon now more desperate than ever. "I'll give you the Silver Crystal; just let Minako go!"

"Don't you dare do that!" yelled Sailor Venus. "If you do, then I'll never forgive you!"

Then the black orb suddenly shot downwards into the hole where it came from taking Sailor Venus with it. They all also heard a familiar voice cackling from inside of the pit.

"What a foolish girl you are, Sailor Moon. Begging for your her life," it said. "The Silver Crystal will be ours, but after we kill you all!"

"That sounds like Kunzite!" gasped Solaris. "He's the only one capable of manipulating dark energy like that!" Then he shouted into the hole at the top of his lungs. "Kunzite, get out here and face us right now! If you want someone to fight, then fight me!"

"Sorry, but I have some unfinished business with Sailor Venus," Kunzite's voice said. "But don't worry. Once I deal with her, you'll be the next to die!"

At that moment, the hole suddenly lit up, the ground also trembling from the power, and Sailor Venus screaming in agony. Sailor Mars immediately grabbed Sailor Moon and Solaris dragging them sensing that the ensuing fight will get them caught in the crossfire.

* * *

Inside of the hole, Sailor Venus writhed in agony as Kunzite used his black energy to torture her while she was trapped inside of the orb.

"Struggle all you want, but you're not getting out of my barrier," Kunzite sneered. "You'll die in the depths of darkness, a fitting end for a Guardian such as yourself."

"Kunzite..., please! This... isn't you! It's not the man... I fell in love with!" Sailor Venus begged as she tried to stay conscious. "Please... go back to how you were before! I'm begging you!"

But Kunzite's only response was another blast of black energy from his hand into the barrier making Sailor Venus scream in pain again.

"I've just about done with your mumbling," he spoke coldly. "I could never love an enemy to the Dark Kingdom! Now, prepare to die!"

As he continued unleashing blasts into the orb at her, Sailor Venus felt her heart sink with despair. However, she gritted her teeth and pointed a finger to the middle of her tiara and began concentrating as hard as she could. Seeing this, Kunzite couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you honestly think you can attack me while you're in there?" he smirked. "The other Guardians couldn't even break this barrier, so what makes you sure you can?"

 _"Forgive me, Kunzite, but you leave me no choice,"_ Sailor Venus said in her thoughts as she kept charging. _"But no matter what you say, I'll always love you."_

"VENUS... CRESCENT... BEAM! ! ! ! ! ! !"

She summoned her will and using every ounce of power she had left; Sailor Venus fired a powerful blast of light from her finger. The beam pierced straight through Kunzite's barrier and also directly in the middle of Kunzite's forehead.

"Impossible!" Kunzite shrieked in pain as they overwhelming power disintegrated him into dust.

A giant explosion shook the area creating another tree of ice. In the middle of it all, Sailor Venus rested right on top of it her body lifeless and limp.

* * *

Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Solaris didn't stop running until they were far enough away from where Minako was. When they stopped to catch their breath, they could see Minako's lifeless body hung from the tree of ice made because of the explosion.

"No... Not Minako too!" Solaris spoke with horror. "Damn it!"

Sailor Moon at this point was overwhelmed with despair as she continued to cry. The only one who wasn't shaken by the events or at least was calm was Sailor Mars. She was silent for a few seconds, then she spoke.

"You know what, Sailor Moon? I had a lot of fun arguing with you all the time, even though that's all we ever did," she said. "And Solaris, what you said back at the resort, it really made me happy."

Sailor Moon and Solaris then looked at Sailor Mars gasping with horror.

"Wait, why did you just say that?!" demanded Sailor Moon. "Don't tell me that-"

"I just wanted to tell you two just in case something bad happens," said Sailor Mars.

"Mars, if this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny," said Solaris. "What are you-"

At that moment, another familiar evil laugh was heard, and another enemy appeared before them. It was none other than Jadeite.

"I'm sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting," Jadeite spoke. "But you Guardians are causing too much of a ruckus, not to mention that you were responsible for the deaths of my brethren. Therefore, in the name of the Dark Kingdom, I shall avenge my comrades by killing you three and taking the Silver Crystal as a trophy!"

Solaris stood bravely in front of Sailor Moon and Mars ready to fight, but Sailor Moon calmly walked forward gently pushing him back. Sensing what she was about to do, Sailor Moon and Solaris tried to stop her.

"No, Sailor Mars! We know what you plan to do!" Solaris cried. "You don't have to do this!"

"Yeah! We can handle the rest of what needs to be done!" sobbed Sailor Moon. "We'll beat them and Queen Beryl and come back home! So, please Rei... don't go! We don't want you to die!"

"I appreciate both of your concerns, but I'm afraid I can't let you guys do that," Sailor Mars spoke quietly. "You both need to save your strengths for the bigger battle."

"No way! There's no way in hell I'm gonna let you do that! We already lost three of us! We can't lose you too!" Solaris snapped his voice cracking. "If anyone should fight right now, it should be me! Let me go!"

Sailor Mars then looked at Solaris and saw that his eyes were about to burst into tears. She then smiled as she kindly held his cheek wiping his eyes.

"Listen, Solaris; I have to do this. Like Mercury said, Sailor Moon needs her big brother to look up to after her if I'm gone," Sailor Mars said. "So I need you to be strong and protect your sister with your life, okay?"

Solaris bit his lip from behind his mask and clenched his fists. Then Sailor Mars smiled wider brimming with confidence.

"Besides, you two have never seen anyone come close to beating me!" she said brightly. "Give me two minutes, and we'll go finish Queen Beryl together!"

She then turned towards Jadeite and walked bravely towards him while Sailor Moon and Solaris looked on with worry.

"I take it you're finished now, Sailor Mars," the last King of Heaven spoke. "Now if you don't mind, I'd say we get a move on."

"I couldn't agree more, Jadeite!" yelled Sailor Mars as she brought her hands together with her index fingers pointed. "And don't think I won't show any mercy! MARS FIRE-!"

But before she could even think about launching her attack, Jadeite slammed his hand into the ground and disappeared below the surface.

"Where'd he go?!" cried Sailor Mars.

She looked all around trying to see where Jadeite went, but he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the ice erupted from beneath Sailor Mars and to Solaris and Sailor Moon's horror, snapped shut encasing Sailor Mars inside it like a beast closing its jaws. Everything was silent neither Sailor Moon or Solaris saying a word. Just when they thought the worst, several powerful explosions came from inside as a pair of battle cries were heard. The mountain shook and flashed wildly as Sailor Mars, and Jadeite battled inside of it. The battle was so intense the mountain couldn't take anymore. It exploded with a mighty boom now nothing more but a pile of ice. Once again, there was nothing but silence. Then Jadeite stepped out from the pile of ice holding a lifeless Sailor Mars by her hair.

"No! Rei!" cried Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"Well now, I guess that just leaves, you two," Jadeite smirked with triumph as he let go of Sailor Mars letting her hit the ground. "Prepare yourselves!"

Solaris immediately stepped in front of Sailor Moon preparing to fight as Jadeite started walking towards them intending to finish the job. Then to the surprise of them all, Sailor Mars grabbed Jadeite by the ankle stopping him in his tracks. Her body was battered, and she was so weak that she could barely turn her head, but her eyes still had a fire that burned bright with determination.

"No way! She's still alive!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"But how?!" demanded Jadeite. "You should have been dead already!"

"I'm... not beat yet," gasped Sailor Mars as she tightened her grip. "I won't... let you... hurt my friends, Jadeite."

Jadeite then raised his hand about strike Sailor Mars down, and Solaris was about to run towards them desperately trying to get to Sailor Mars before it was too late, but Sailor Mars had already made her move.

"Mars... Fire... SOOOOOOUUUUUULLLL! ! ! ! ! ! !"

A gigantic torrent of flames erupted from where Mars was holding Jadeite incinerating him into ashes in an instant. The overwhelming power of her Fire Soul alone made the entire area explode shaking the whole area, and like the other guardians, Sailor Mars was now encased in a tree of ice with her in the middle with Sailor Moon and Solaris staring in shock. Sailor Mars her power now spent looked at Sailor Moon and Solaris and gave one last smile.

"Usagi... turns out you were right... about Yuichiro before," she whispered. "I should have... kissed him... but then again... I don't think... I could have..."

And with that, Sailor Mars closed her eyes as she too fell into her eternal slumber.

* * *

Solaris and Sailor Moon were now on their own. The two siblings both were sitting at a snow bank still in shock with what had happened to their friends.

"Mako... Ami... Minako... And Rei... They're all gone," sniffed Sailor Moon as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

"I know," said Solaris. "I saw it happen."

"I get it now... It's all a dream... Just a dream," Sailor Moon went on hugging her knees to her face as she cried. "When I wake up, they'll all say "good morning" like always. And Rei will call me "silly Usagi" as usual."

Solaris stared at Usagi before turning towards the ground staring at the snow. Then he stood up.

"Usagi, I understand that you're in a lot of grief right now, but we have to keep going," he spoke gently. "If we stay here and don't do something, we'll end up being next."

"What's even the point?" Usagi wept miserably. "Everyone's gone. Maybe we should just stay here and let ourselves be killed. At least that way, we'll be able to be with them in the afterlife."

At that moment, Solaris finally snapped.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK LIKE THAT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "IF YOU SAY THAT AGAIN, I SWEAR I WILL SLAP YOU SO HARD, MOM SLAPPING YOU WILL SEEM LIKE A TICKLE!"

Sailor Moon jumped, her eyes wide and her body trembling like deer.

"Listen to me, you may have given up because of everything that's happened, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna give up! Especially on you!" Solaris went on his voice trembling with emotion. "You know why? If we give up now, Queen Beryl wins! The Dark Kingdom will take over our planet and kill everyone! And if you think our friends dying is bad, just imagine Queen Beryl killing everyone else! Luna, Artemis, Mom, Dad, Shingo, Naru, Umino, Motoki, Ms. Haruno, she'll kill all of our friends and family without a second thought! Even Mamoru!"

Sailor Moon's eyes went even wider with realization and horror.

"That's why we can't give up! If we do, everything we know and love will be gone, and our friends would have died for nothing!" Solaris went on his eyes filled with unshed tears. "Is that what you want, Usagi?! To go out like a helpless victim without doing anything to stop her?! NO! I know you! You would fight to the bitter end to protect your friends and family even at the cost of your own life! I've seen your courage time and time again, and though you were scared, you still got back up and fought just like our mother did back at the Silver Millennium! Come on, Usagi! We've lost so many of our loved ones back at the Silver Millennium including our Mom, Queen Serenity, and now we've already lost our friends and even the Four Kings of Heaven. Let's not lose anyone else!"

Sailor Moon slowly stood up her eyes not leaving her brother.

"How do you know that?" she spoke tearfully. "How can you be so sure that we'll be able to win this without dying?"

"I can't give you a guarantee that we won't come out of this fight unscathed," said Solaris. "But it's better than waiting around for death when we've at least could have done something to help save the Earth from evil and I'm sure the other Guardians would have told you the same thing!"

 _"That's the way to tell them, Harusuke,"_ said a familiar female voice. _"I couldn't have said it better myself."_

Solaris and Sailor Moon hen jumped at the sound of the voice and looked around wondering where it came from, then a ghostly hand touched Sailor Moon's shoulder causing her to look behind, and to her and Solaris' surprise, there stood an ethereal Sailor Jupiter. And she wasn't alone. Sailor Mercury, Mars, and Venus were there as well.

"N-No way... E-Everyone...?" gasped Sailor Moon.

"They're here... they're all here," murmured Solaris.

 ** _"It'll be okay, Usagi,"_** said Sailor Jupiter. _**"There's no need for tears."**_

 _ **"Be strong,"**_ said Sailor Mercury.

 _ **"And don't you or Harusuke ever give up hope,"**_ added Sailor Venus.

 _ **"Stand up and fight, Usagi,"**_ said Sailor Mars. _**"And never forget, we'll always be with you and your brother."**_

Then for the first time in what seemed to be a while, a smile formed on Sailor Moon's lips as she wiped her tears.

"Yeah. I will. Thank you, everyone," Sailor Moon said.

"And Harusuke, make sure you protect your sister," said Sailor Mars. "She needs you."

"I know," smiled Solaris from behind his mask. "You can count me."

 _ **"Good. Now go. Both of you,"**_ said Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon and Solaris each gave one last look at their friends and then while giving each other a firm nod, the two took off running across the frozen wasteland resuming their journey to Point D.

 _"That's right! I'm not alone in this!"_ Sailor Moon thought to herself. _"My friends are with me, and my brother is too! I promise, we'll stop The Dark Kingdom, everyone! I promise!"  
_

 _"We'll avenge all of you!"_ Solaris said in his mind. _"The Guardians and the Four Kings of Heaven! You better watch out Queen Beryl because Usagi and I are coming for you!"_

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Endymion was still going under Queen Beryl's treatment of dark energy. Then the coffin suddenly stopped as it slowly opened. Endymion opened his eyes now finally awake from his slumber. His eyes were filled with evil malice as he let out a throaty chuckle.


	50. Chapter 49

_This is it, you guys! The final chapter of Season 1!_

 _I honestly didn't think I would make it this far, but I'm also happy that it came to this._

 _Thank you all for your support, and I hope that you will continue to read this story as well as the others I've uploaded on here._

 _Until then, buckle up, get ready, and all of those other fancy analogies, and enjoy the last chapter of Season 1!_

* * *

In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl was gazing into her crystal ball serving as her window outside. She could see Sailor Moon and Solaris standing just outside of the entrance.

"So, they're finally here," she murmured standing up. "I will personally seek to it that you both will feel and go straight to hell."

* * *

Sailor Moon and Solaris soon arrived at the entrance of the Dark Kingdom which was the same large smoking pit that Luna and Artemis had found before. It was a lot bigger than the two imagined, and they could feel the evil emanating from it.

"So this is the entrance to the Dark Kingdom," Solaris said. "They certainly not hiding that fact with all the purple smoke."

Sailor Moon gazed grimly upwards, her eyes filled with determination. "Ami... Rei... Mako... Minako... I'll do my best until the very end," she said with conviction.

"And not just you, Sailor Moon," said Solaris. "We're both gonna make sure they pay a hefty price for what they did. Especially Queen Beryl! And no matter what happens, we'll face her together."

At that moment, the two heard the sound of something rushing at them at an incredible speed. They both looked back behind them in time to see a giant glowing red ball of energy coming straight for them, and before the two had a chance to react, they were swept away by the ball of energy which vanished from sight. The red ball of energy then reappeared in Queen Beryl's throne room dissipating in an instant setting Solaris and Sailor Moon free as they fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ow... Geez! Are you okay, Sailor Moon?" asked Solaris.

"Somehow," replied Sailor Moon. "But what happened?"

"I welcome you, Prince and Princess," said a voice. "You both did well to get this far. I commend you both for that."

Sailor Moon and Solaris looked up, and from the darkness, a small light shone revealing the presence that stood before them which was, of course, Queen Beryl. Solaris scowled at the evil queen, while Sailor Moon stared at her with some slight fright.

"Y-You're Queen Beryl," gasped Sailor Moon.

"That's right. The one and only, in the flesh," Queen Beryl spoke.

Then the light grew brighter revealing Queen Beryl's full body and something else very haunting. Sailor Moon and Solaris gasped in surprise and horror for kneeling before Queen Beryl kissing her on the top of her hand was Endymion.

Queen Beryl then turned to the prince of Earth giving him a loving smile. "Endymion, make yourself useful to me and please kill the princess," she said.

Endymion's eyes snapped open revealing them to be glowing red as he stood up. "As you wish, Queen Beryl," he said in a zombie-like tone.

He then turned towards the two drawing his blade causing Solaris to stand in front of Sailor Moon protecting her immediately. But Queen Beryl had other ideas.

"Sorry, Solaris, but I'm afraid I won't allow you to interfere," said Queen Beryl. "I have other plans for dealing with you."

She gave her staff a sharp tap sending a wave of black energy at Solaris encasing him inside of it, and before Sailor Moon could react, Solaris vanished the black orb he that encased him disappearing from view.

"What did you do to him?!" demanded Sailor Moon her eyes wide with horror and shock.

"Don't worry. Solaris isn't dead. Not yet anyway," said Queen Beryl. "I moved him to another location over to my followers, so that they could give him a nice welcome. Besides, I'd be a little more concerned with yourself if I were you. Endymion, kill her!"

Endymion then went on the attack jumping into the air towards Sailor Moon with his sword raised.

* * *

When Solaris was aware again, he found himself in a dark room with only a couple lit candles for light.

"What the heck just happened?! Where am I?" he wondered as he whipped head looking around. "Sailor Moon?! Usagi! Where are you?!"

But the only voice that he heard was his own which echoed throughout the room. Then suddenly the candles in the room grew brighter illuminating the entire room revealing that Solaris wasn't alone. The whole room was filled with monsters with him being in the middle and all of them were ready to kill.

"You've got to be kidding me," Solaris said to himself. "I'm surrounded!"

The monsters that surrounded him all hissed and growled as they closed in on their prey. Solaris looked around trying to see if there was a way for him to get out of this situation, but he couldn't. As they grew closer and closer to him, he let out a sigh as a mirthless smile worked its way to his lips.

"Well then, I suppose it's my turn to put my life on the line," he said to himself. "Didn't expect things to go down like this though." He clenched his fists punching them together a couple times as it took a defensive stance. "Well then, since I'm here, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory if I die. Usagi... I know that you're scared and I may not be there right now... I'll know that you'll be okay. You're the only one who can save Mamoru. It has to be you."

The monsters got closer and closer, and Solaris' fists began to glow brightly with power.

"Alright! Come and get me, you bastards!" he yelled. "If you've got the guts to take me on, bring it! In the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays... I'll scorch you!"

The monsters then all charged attacking Solaris at once as the Guardian of the Sun braced himself for the fight of his life.

* * *

Sailor Moon was trying her best to dodge all of Endymion's attacks with his sword, but every blow was dangerously close narrowly missing her by the hair. Knowing that she had to get him to remember who he was, she quickly recovered sitting up in a crouch, then took out her Cresent Moon Wand with the Silver Crystal on it and aimed it towards Endymion.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

She unleashed a blast of light and sparkles hoping that it would help Endymion, but to her shock, Endymion was unaffected. In fact, he was completely unfazed.

"It's useless. Even with the Silver Crystal, you're still inexperienced as a princess," Queen Beryl spoke with a grin. "You won't be able to dispel Queen Metalia's dark energy from within Endymion's body. Why don't you stop your futile efforts and hand over the Silver Crystal like a good girl?"

Sailor Moon clicked her tongue in defiance and put more power into the Moon Healing Escalation, but it still didn't show any effects of healing. Endymion then jumped going high above Sailor Moon and then landed on the ground just behind her in her blind spot. Sailor Moon turned back in time for Endymion to raise his sword swinging it towards her back. Sailor Moon jumped out of the way just in time to dodge, but in her haste lost her balance causing her to fall flat on her face accidentally letting go of the Crescent Moon Wand. Seeing that she was disarmed and open to attack, Endymion made a black rose appear in his as he possessed and vacant eyes glared down at Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon... die," Endymion spoke as it flicked the black rose at her.

As the black rose fell toward Sailor Moon, it suddenly transformed into vines wrapping around her binding her tightly while blooming other black roses. Then the vines began to shock Sailor Moon causing the girl to cry out in pain and writhe in agony. As she was being tortured, Queen Beryl cackled in delight and triumph as she watched her enemy being tortured.

* * *

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well for Solaris either. He was fighting one monster after another trying to stay alive to get to Sailor Moon, but every time he took out one monster, another one would take its place. One of the monsters roared as he pounced at him from behind, but Solaris jumped up and fired a beam of light which wrapped around the beast binding him tightly and then with a mighty tug, sent it flying into a bunch of other monsters making them all land in a heap. Another group of monsters then tried their luck to try and kill the boy, but Solaris seeing them coming, immediately conjured a ball of light aiming and then launching it firing destroying the group of monsters turning them to ash.

 _"Damn it; this is madness! "_ Solaris complained. _"If I was with the other Guardians, these monsters would be history by now!"  
_

Then one of the monsters came at Solaris from behind at his blind spot to the left slashing him on his shoulder ripping his clothes as well as his skin. He bit back a cry of pain as he punched the monster into the face sending it flying. Another monster attacked him to the front forcing Solaris to duck its claws barely scraping past his hair. He then raised his hand preparing to use his Solar Binding to attack, but then a monster zipped right by him scratching him right on the leg.

Solaris gritted his teeth grunting in pain as he stumbled and seeing this as an opportunity, the other monsters attacked slashing and scratch at Solaris from all sides as they zipped by him. Solaris cried out as each attack raked across his skin drawing blood. His body was covered in scratches all of which oozed blood as he fell to one knee panting and feeling exhausted.

 _"There's too many of them! Not to mention, they're so fast, I can't even keep up!"_ Solaris thought. _"If I don't do something right now, I'm as good as dead! Come on, Solaris, think! There's gotta be something you can do!"_

Then Solaris looked up towards the ceiling. The moment he did, he had an idea, a very risky idea. He also began to have flashbacks of the other dead Guardians, most of all when Sailor Jupiter used her Supreme Thunder to kill Nephrite.

"This is gonna be one hell of gambit I'm about to do, but it's pretty much my only option if I want to take out these chumps," Solaris said to himself. "Sorry, Sailor Jupiter, but I'm going to take a page from your book."

He clapped his hands together letting out a yell as he began charging up power creating a ball of light in his hands. As he concentrated, the energy ball in his hands grew bigger and bigger shining brightly throughout the area causing the monsters around him to shield their eyes hissing in agony.

"Don't like the light, huh?" Solaris grunted. "Well, if you think that's bad, just wait till you see what I have in store for you!"

He yelled again as he concentrated and charged even more power into the ball of energy making it swell up, even more, forcing Solaris to raise it over his head with both of his hands. The overwhelming power was so immense, and due to its size, his arms and legs began to tremble as he felt a little weak.

"G-Geez! This will be the first time I've ever made something this big, but I have... to keep going!" he grunted. "I have to... give it everything I have on this one!"

The ball of energy grew larger and brighter until it was as big as a large boulder towering over the monsters. Then with a mighty heave, Solaris launched the ball of energy with all of his strength making go up into the air. The ball went up a few feet; then gravity took over making it fall to towards the ground straight at Solaris. Solaris clenched his right fist tightly drew back preparing to punch and the monsters who saw what he was up to immediately attacked trying to stop him, but it was too late.

"TAKE THIS YOU MONSTERS!" Solaris yelled. "THIS IS MY MAXIMUM POWERED... SUNSHINE... METEOR ! ! ! ! ! !"

He then punched the ball of light using every ounce of strength and muscle he had, making it shoot high above, and hit the ceiling with a mighty explosion making the room shake from the impact. The room continued to shake as the tremors increased. Then the roof from above began to cave in. The monsters all looked up in horror while Solaris smirked from behind his mask as the rocks fell towards them.

"Sorry guys, but it looks like this is the end," he said. "For all of us."

The next thing Solaris knew as the rubble crashed to the ground with the monsters frantically trying to escape, he was swallowed in as the chaos in a cloud of dust as the room caved in.

* * *

Endymion was still torturing Sailor Moon the vines still shocking her with Queen Beryl watching with glee and triumph. The Pretty Guardian knew that she had to fight back, but she also couldn't bear to hurt him even if he was possessed, so she refused to fight back. The vines finally broke, and Sailor Moon fell to the ground lying in agony. As Endymion stood above her, Sailor Moon looked up at him pleadingly her eyes filled with tears of sorrow.

"M-Mamoru..." she sobbed. "Please..."

Endymion then gave Sailor Moon a hard kick sending her rolling a bit before stopping. Then he grabbed her by the throat picking her up and began shocking her with his dark power. Sailor Moon screamed in pain and squirmed in agony once again as Endymion smirked sadistically. The torture went on for a few seconds until Queen Beryl stepped in.

"That's enough, Endymion. You can stop now," she said. "Let her go and then chop off the Princess's head."

Obeying her command, Endymion did so as he threw Sailor Moon to the ground. Sailor Moon was still alive, but now her entire body was wracked with pain, and she could hardly move. Then she saw the Crescent Moon Wand which was a few inches away from her. She then reached out desperately trying to grab it despite her current condition.

"It's no use," cackled Queen Beryl. "Very soon, the entire sun will be consumed by darkness, and Queen Metalia will be resurrected. Once she is and back among us, she will have the strength to unleash the Silver Crystal's full power and will fill this world with dark energy forever! And everything you and your friends and family have fought to protect will become meaningless!"

Sailor Moon's eyes widened upon hearing that sentence as flashbacks from the other Guardians deaths came into her mind as well as Solaris' determined face when he was scolding her for killing herself. Would she let it end like this? Was she really going to let Queen Beryl's crimes go unavenged? At that moment, Endymion raised his sword above his head as he prepared to strike, but then at that moment, Sailor Moon shot up, took off her tiara, and transformed it into a white disk using her Moon Tiara Action attack striking Endymion right in the midsection.

The attack stunned Endymion making him recoil backward while holding his midsection in pain, collapsing to the floor. He appeared to be unconscious, but then he slowly got back on his feet struggling through the pain while using his sword as a stand.

"I'll admit that was a good attack, but it won't do you any good," said Queen Beryl. "I made sure to seep the dark energy in every pore of Endymion's body. You'll need to come up with more than that to defeat him."

Endymion was now back on his feet wracked with pain, but still had eyes that burned with killing intent towards Sailor Moon as he poised his sword. All Sailor Moon could do was sit there her body weak from adrenaline and stare at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears but still shone with a determination not to give on the prince.

"Please, stop," she whispered. "Stop it, Endymion."

"S-Sailor Moon," Endymion gasped as he took a step towards Sailor Moon. "I-I'll kill you..."

"Stop it," repeated Sailor Moon her voice cracking. "You need to stop!"

But Endymion didn't listen as he raised his sword above his head preparing to kill Sailor Moon.

"DIE!" he yelled as he swung his sword.

It seemed that it was the end for Sailor Moon, but at the last minute Sailor Moon held out something in her hands which caused Endymion to stop immediately. In her hands was the locket which began to play its beautiful melody.

"Please, try to remember me," Sailor Moon spoke quietly. "It's me, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. Long ago we pledged our love to each other."

"Anyone who dares to defy the Dark Kingdom must die!" snapped Endymion.

"You've been poisoned by Queen Metalia's evil energy and it's made you cruel," continued Sailor Moon. "But kindness still beats in your heart, Endymion. I know that you don't want to fight me and... I don't want to fight you either. Please don't force me to fight you."

Endymion's sword trembled as well as his body as he was now conflicted and Sailor Moon stayed still letting the music in her locket continue to play. Endymion lowered his blade staring at Sailor Moon with a curious look in his features, then he reached out and touched the locket in her hands. At that moment, he was immediately enveloped in a bright white light that shone throughout the area.

"Wh-what's going on?!" demanded Queen Beryl as she shielded her eyes. "What's happening?!"

Memories began to flow into Endymion's mind as the dark energy's hold on him began to loosen rapidly. Soon enough, the white light faded and while dropping his sword, Endymion fell into Sailor Moon's arms as she caught him.

"Mamoru! Are you okay?!" she cried. "Say something!"

Endymion looked up his eyes no longer emotionless and vacant. As soon as he saw Sailor Moon, a warm smile tugged at his lips.

"Usagi, thank you," he whispered. "You saved me."

Sailor Moon's eyes filled with tears of joy as she embraced her price. "Mamoru, you're back!" she sobbed. "You're really back!"

Queen Beryl was now furious, her eyes gleaming with anger as she conjured a large spear-like black crystal in her hands. "You'll pay for this, Princess!" she shrieked with hate. "I cannot nor will I forgive you for once again trying to take Endymion away from me!"

Endymion and Sailor Moon jumped looking towards Queen Beryl in time to see her launch her dark crystal spear at them. Reacting quickly, Endymion summoned a red rose in his hand and threw it. The rose pierced through the crystal shattering it on impact and piercing Queen Beryl directly in the middle of her chest. At the same time, the dark crystal now a storm of shards came shooting right for them, and before Sailor Moon could react, Endymion threw himself on top of Sailor Moon shielding her from the shards. However, one of the crystal shards pierced through Endymion's back causing him to grunt in pain.

"Mamoru!" gasped Sailor Moon.

Queen Beryl held her chest in agony as she glared at Sailor Moon and Solaris. "Endymion... why?! Why must you protect that little brat of a girl?!" she demanded with a pained expression. "If you had chosen me, you would have been king of the Earth and the Moon!"

Then she noticed that her chest began to crack and crumble like glass which in turn caused her more pain forcing her to one knee.

"Th-this can't be!" Queen Beryl gasped. "Why... is this causing me so much pain?! Is... is it his energy?! Is the power of Endymion's love for that girl so strong that it's eroding my body?!"

And the more Queen Beyrl thought about this, the angrier the evil queen became.

"I refuse! I refuse to accept this!" she shrieked. "If I can't have Endymion, then no one will! I'll kill Sailor Moon and Endymion at the same time!"

She then prepared to attack the two lovers trying to conjure up another spear, and Sailor Moon shielded Endymion protecting him from harm, but then a loud familiar voice yelled out.

"BERYL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

Queen Beryl immediately turned around in time for a blade made of light to impale her directly in her chest and through her back. Sailor Moon looked up and saw the person that stabbed her. It was none other than Solaris who was battered, bloody, and bruised with cracks all over his armor and slashes through his spandex, but was still standing.

"S-Solaris!" gasped Sailor Moon. "You're alive!"

"I-Impossible!" choked Queen Beryl as she stared dumbly at the blade that pierced her. "H-How did you..."

Solaris then looked at Queen Beryl, his eyes burning with a strong will and hate towards her as he spoke these words.

"You took my home, you took my closest friends, you took my sister, you even took my mother all because of a fit of petty jealousy. You will never take anything from anyone else ever again."

Queen Beryl staggered as she stepped back while holding her chest. "C-Curse you... Curse you all... to hell!" she gasped as she sank into the floor disappearing from view. Solaris then looked over towards Sailor Moon and Endymion as Sailor Moon gently flipped Endymion setting his head on her lap.

"Mamoru! Please stay with me!" said Sailor Moon. "Don't die!"

Endymion opened his eyes wincing in pain the life quickly fading from them. "Y-You need to leave. Quickly," he gasped. He then looked at Sailor Moon and smiled. "Go back to being an ordinary girl again and find yourself a cool boyfriend."

Tears trickled down Sailor Moon's eyes as she smiled at Endymion. "Nobody's cooler than you Mamoru," she tearfully replied.

Endymion then gave one last smile at his beloved. Then his eyes closed as his body became lifeless. The Prince of Earth was now gone. Sailor Moon's eyes filled more tears as she began to weep while hugging Endymion's lifeless body. All Solaris could do was stand there while his sister cried the sight alone making him want to cry, but he turned his head away trying to keep his emotions in check.

Sailor Moon cried for a few more seconds or so until she calmed down a little. She then leaned in and was just about to kiss Endymion on the lips, when she stopped. She then pulled away shaking her head.

"No. I'm sorry, Mamoru, but I can't kiss you. Rei, Ami, Mako, Minako, all of them died without ever getting a chance to kiss the boys that they liked," she said quietly. "Right now, nothing would make me happier than kissing you, but... I can't. Besides, I still have a job to do, and I'm not going to run away. Please watch over me, Mamoru. I'll do my best."

She then stood up as Solaris walked up to her.

"Are you okay, Usagi?" he asked.

"I'm fine," replied Sailor Moon. "But... I'm more concerned about you."

"Don't worry. I'm fine," said Solaris. "I just had a quick run in with Queen Beryl's goons. Took them all out at once though."

Sailor Moon flashed a smile which was replaced with a grim frown. "Solaris, I need you to stay here and rest," she said. "I can handle the rest on my own."

Solaris was surprised. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. "We won, didn't we?"

Sailor Moon shook her head. "No. This fight isn't over yet," she said. "Queen Beryl is still alive, and there's also Queen Metalia to deal with."

Solaris was shocked to hear this, but he grabbed Sailor Moon by her hand stopping her. "Then that's all the more reason to fight her together," he said. "Besides, I'm not about to leave you alone."

Sailor Moon then looked at Solaris her eyes stern and firm. "Do you honestly think that you can fight in your condition?" she asked quietly. "Look at you. You're badly hurt, and if you went and fought right now, you'd just be holding me back. You need to stay here."

Solaris stared at his sister dumbly realizing that she was right, but that didn't make him all the more worried for her. He was just about to protest, but he saw the determination in her eyes. A resolve that he had never seen before filled with confidence, bravery, and most of all conviction. Then he let out a sigh as he let go of her hand.

"When did you get so brave, Usagi?" he asked with a chuckle. "If you weren't my sister, I'd think that you were a whole different person." Then he embraced his sister in a hug of which she returned in earnest.

"Be careful, Usagi," he whispered. "Make sure you win and make Queen Beryl pay for what she's done."

"I will," said Sailor Moon. "I love you, Bro."

"I love you too, Sis," Solaris said back to her.

The two looked at each other one last time, and Sailor Moon ran off disappearing into the darkness. As soon as he was sure that Sailor Moon was gone, Solaris then collapsed to the ground falling to his back with a thud as he coughed a little blood.

"I guess... Usagi was right for once. I would have held her back if she saw me like this," he spoke weakly. "Guess I wasn't as tough as I figured I'd be. It's... actually a miracle that I've lasted this long considering I managed to escape from a cave-in."

He then looked at his hand before staring up at the ceiling. As he did, a smile worked its way to his cheeks as chuckled.

"You sure have grown, Usagi," he said to himself. "You've gone from an immature crybaby to a strong and capable girl. You'd make our mother proud. It's a shame... that I won't be there to watch you beat Beryl."

His vision then began to grow blurry as his eyes grew heavy. He reached out towards the ceiling as tears trickled down his face.

"Rei... Ami... Makoto... Minako... Mamoru... Mother... I'll be with you shortly," he whispered weakly. "Let's all cheer for Usagi... together."

His hand stayed raised for a moment; then it fell silently to the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the chamber of where Queen Metalia was stored, Queen Beryl of which was still alive struggled as she crawled before the cocoon.

"No.. not again! I refuse to be defeated by that accursed girl!" Queen Beryl weakly hissed as she got closer to the cocoon. "Please, Queen Metalia, I beg you, please grant me your energy! I want the power to crush that despicable girl! Please Queen Metalia, I'll do anything as long as I can have my revenge!"

The cocoon then glowed as Queen Metalia spoke. "As you wish, Beryl. The time has come to instill hatred and greed to all the living creatures in the universe. Eliminate all beings who attempt to resist, Beryl, and turn the world into complete darkness!"

At that moment, the cocoon shattered revealing a large could of dark energy that formed a face with piercing red eyes, a slasher smile of a mouth, and a large cross on its forehead. The energy then zipped around the room wildly and disappeared as it went inside of Queen Beryl. Queen Beryl shrieked in surprise and pain as power coursed through her swallowing her in purple light.

* * *

Outside of the entrance to the Dark Kingdom, the purple smoke stopped, and the ground began to rumble and shake. Then from the ground, a giant pillar of black energy erupted shooting high into the air filling the sky with dark clouds which boomed with thunder. From the light, a giant bulb remained it slowly opened up like a flower and in the middle was a transformed Beryl. She was now gargantuan, sporting a red dress with a black choker with a red gem in the middle, her skin was a sickly blue color, and her hair was an eerie green which stood up on end. Feeling incredible power surging through her, Beryl cackled with triumph.

"Yes! At long last, all the dark energy is mine!" she crowed. "I will now rule the entire world!"

At that moment, a lone figure came walking towards her causing her to look behind her wondering who would dare to defy her. That figure was Sailor Moon who calmly walked towards her unafraid and confident. Beryl then turned towards her ready to face her enemy.

"So you've come, you little irritant of a princess," she spoke as cockily smirked. "I'll make sure to finish you off this time!"

She raised her hands above her head both of which sparked with black lightning that represented the power coursing through her and fired a powerful attack of dark energy. The blast struck Sailor Moon creating a massive explosion that shook the area creating a tree-like pillar of ice just like the other Guardians. At first, Beryl believed that she had succeeded in killing Sailor Moon, but she was wrong.

On top of the tree of ice, it suddenly shattered creating a platform and to Beryl's surprise, there standing on the platform was not Sailor Moon, but the Moon Princess herself, Serenity.

* * *

Back in Juuban, the weather there had changed for the worst due to Metalia's evil energy. The wind howled and blew and all the power in town went out making the entire city dark. Artemis and Luna who had regrouped over at the Tsukino's residence were the only two who knew what was happening.

"So it's come to this," said Artemis quietly. "The whole world is coming to an end. Queen Metalia's dark energy has been unleashed upon us!"

Luna bit her lip as she looked up towards the sky. Then she dashed off about to jump off the roof, only for Artemis to cut her off.

"Wait, Luna! What are you doing?!" demanded Artemis.

"I have to get to the D-Point right now!" cried Luna. "So get out of my way!"

"It won't do you any good!" Artemis cried back. "There's nothing more we can do at this point!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Luna yelled her eyes filling with tears. "But if we don't somehow stop Usagi, she's going to release the power of the Silver Crystal and once she does, you know she'll die just like the way Queen Serenity did!"

"I know, but there's no other way left to save the world!" Artemis said regret and frustration evident in his voice.

Luna then looked up and screamed at the top of her lungs hoping Usagi would hear her.

"Please, Usagi! Don't use the Silver Crystal! If you do, you'll die and be gone forever!"

* * *

Princess Serenity looked up at Queen Beryl and steeled her resolve as she raised the Cresent Moon Wand above her head, the Silver Crystal also glowing brightly. Beryl hands once again sparked with power as she prepared for one more final confrontation.

"NOW YOU DIE! ! ! ! !" shrieked Beryl.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION! ! ! !" Princess Serenity yelled.

Beryl then unleashed another tremendous powerful blast of dark energy while Princess Serenity countered with a Moon Healing Escalation which created a large bubble of light shielding her from harm. The two powers collided each one struggling to overpower the other.

"Why?! Why are you going so far to defy me?! How can you be so determined?!" demanded Beryl. "You dream of a lovely future that will never come to pass! Don't you realize that this world is filled with ugliness and filth?!"

"You're wrong, Beryl!" shouted Princess Serenity. "I believe in this world and what it has shown! Faith, love, trust, friendship, all of it! Everything that this planet has, I believe in and the Guardians who fought for it!"

"You're a fool for believing such nonsense!" scoffed Beryl. "There's nothing worthwhile in this putrid world for anyone to believe in and I'll destroy it along with you!"

She then increased the power of her attack causing the bubble that was the Moon Healing Escalation to weaken and in turn caused Princess Serenity to falter, but she refused to go on as she kept it up.

"Please, Silver Crystal... give me strength!" the princess cried out. "I need everyone's combined faith in love to fight for the world we believe in!"

In her mind, she saw flashbacks of all the Guardians each one telling her their own experiences on love.

 ** _Ami:_** _"Love isn't a laughing matter, but you can't help but get a happy feeling from it."_

 ** _Rei:_** _"Stop saying that I'm in love with him! I just feel bad for Yuichiro; that's it!"  
_

 ** _Makoto:_** _"So what if he's got a girlfriend? I'd think it's worth giving it a shot."  
_

 ** _Minako:_** _"It's alright. All that matters is that Allan and Katarina are happy."  
_

 ** _Harusuke:_** _"Me? In love? I don't know if that's my thing, but I suppose it could be nice."_

"No! I won't let you!" shrieked Beryl. "Now that I possess all of Queen Metalia's dark energy, I won't be sealed away by the Silver Crystal!"

And she put even more power into her attack making the Moon Healing Escalation bubble shrink even more. Princess Serenity stumbled and was almost blasted right off the tower, but she stayed strong and kept up her bubble.

"Everyone, give me strength!" Princess Serenity gasped. "Please!"

At that moment, the spirits of Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus and even Solaris all appeared each one placing a hand on top of the princess's giving her their strength.

"MERCURY POWER!"

"MARS POWER!"

"JUPITER POWER!"

"VENUS POWER!"

"SOLAR POWER!"

"MOON PRISM POWER!"

At their call, the Silver Crystal glowed even brighter as it was shrouded in bright pink light, then it unleashed a sphere of pink light which grew to an immense size much to Beryl's shock and horror. She tried to push it back, but it just kept coming swallowing up all of her evil power until the light swallowed up Beryl entirely disintegrating her in an instant. The battle finally over and Beryl no more, Princess Serenity fell to her back from exhaustion as she turned back to Sailor Moon.

"Thank you... everyone," gasped Sailor Moon. "We did it. We really did it."

Her strength now gone and her energy spent, Sailor Moon took her last breath and breathed no more. However, the pink sphere of energy which was still going strong began to expand as it glowed and spread throughout the Arctic swallowing up everything in sight including Sailor Moon, Endymion, Solaris, and even the other corpses of Sailor Guardians.

* * *

 ** _When I wake up in the morning, I can see and feel the breeze as it rustles the white curtains in my bedroom. My cuckoo clock tells me that it's seven o'clock., then I hear my mom say, "Come on, sleepyhead, time to get up, or you'll be late", but it's so hard to wake up. So I think to myself, "Just three more minutes and I'll get out of bed". Of course, I'm late for school every day. Ms. Haruna makes me stand out in the hall, and all my tests are covered in red marks. On our way home from school, we all stop for some crepes, then go check out the party dresses on display in the store window. It's those simple things that made my life so happy and fun. I wish... I wish I could go back... to being just a normal girl._**

 ** _Usagi Tsukino._**

* * *

It was now morning the Tsukino residence. All was quiet and peaceful, but that was soon interrupted by a scream which shook the house.

"IM GONNA BE LATE AGAIN!"

Usagi then raced down the stairs and gunned straight for the door.

"Bye, everyone! I'll see you after school!"

She then raced down the street desperate to get to school on time. While that was happening, Luna and Artemis watched Usagi leave while sitting on the roof.

"It's a miracle," murmured Artemis. "Not only did the dark spots on the sun disappear, but everyone was reincarnated."

"Yeah, but it's sad though," sighed Luna. "Every single memory they had of being together is completely gone."

Artemis smiled. "That's alright. They can all meet each other again," he said. "Maybe then they'll remember each other."

Luna was a bit surprised, but she couldn't help but smile. "You're right."

* * *

It was soon after school and Usagi was feeling miserable as she, Harusuke, and Naru walked back home.

"It'll be OK Usagi," soothed Harusuke. "Try to chin up."

"If only I had studied a little more," Usagi sighed. "I hate you stupid dumb test!"

She then crumped her test into a little ball, and it threw over her shoulder. However, the crumped test bonked a certain casually dressed boy with black hair on the head which made him very cross.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing things bun-head!" the boy complained.

Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru turned to see the casually dressed boy with black hair uncrumpling Usagi's test and saw the score she got on it making her yelp in shock.

"Thirty percent?" the boy gasped clearly unnerved. "Looks to me that you need to study a little more bun-head."

Harusuke and Naru couldn't help but snicker a little as Usagi blushed bright red from the insult.

"Well that's none of your business!" she snapped as she snatched back her test and marched away, but not before making an Akanbe face at him as she stomped away.

Harusuke then went up to the man and bowed politely. "Sorry about my sister's rudeness," he said. "It won't happen again."

The casually dressed boy watched them leave and chuckled to himself as he took off his sunglasses.

"What a couple of strange kids."

"Usagi that wasn't necessary you know," Harusuke scolded as he walked alongside her. "You didn't have to be rude."

"But he started it!" complained Usagi. "He's the one that called be bun-head! That stupid jerk with his purple pleated pants!"

"Well, he wouldn't have had to if you hadn't thrown your test at him like that," said Harusuke flatly. "Honestly, you could be a little more mature."

"Oh, come on, admit it. That guy was pretty cool," giggled Naru. "And pretty good looking, to boot."

"No way! He's just a stuck-up jerk!" pouted Usagi.

"That's what you say now, but who knows?" said Naru with a wink. "You might've just met your soulmate back there."

Usagi looked at Naru disgusted. "No way! Give me a break! I know exactly what my dream guy would look like!"

"You have a dream guy?" Naru and Harusuke asked incredulously.

"Yep! He's a guy that always comes to my rescue," explained Usagi. "And although I don't know what he looks like yet, I know nobody in the world is cooler than he is."

"So basically you have a crush on a dream guy that doesn't even exist," said Harusuke. "Man, I'll never understand what is it with you girls in regards to love."

"Come on, Harusuke. You could have a little imagination," said Usagi. "Keep up that attitude, and you'll never get yourself a girlfriend."

"H-Hey! Watch it, Sis! I'll have you know that I'm just as capable as you are when it comes to love!" Harusuke protested.

Naru and Usagi could only laugh as they along with Harusuke walked on heading home and enjoying whatever their lives had to offer.

 _ **END OF SEASON 1**_

* * *

 _Thank you all so very much for listening to this story._

 _I hope that you all continue to read my story and I hope to see you all for the next season!_

 _Dragoman, signing off!_


	51. Chapter 50

_Hello, fellow Sailor Moon fans!_

 _After debating on what should be next, I've decided for the next arc; I have decided to go for the Doom Tree Arc, as requested by the readers. ^^_

 _And so, here is the start of Season 2 for The Pledge of the Sun! I hope you guys enjoy!_

* * *

In the town of Juuban, at the Tsukino Residence, a scream was heard that came from inside of the house.

"Oh, no! I'm late for school! I'll see you later!"

Then, Usagi raced out of the house, her mouth filled with a slice of toast, as she ran down the sidewalk. Then, being the clumsy girl that she was, she tripped over a crack and fell flat on her face causing her to start crying.

"That really hurt!" she wailed.

At that moment, Usagi's little brother Shingo came out from the front gate of the house carrying a bookbag in his hands.

"Hey, Crybaby Usagi! You forgot your bookbag again!" he called. "So why don't you stop crying and come and get it!"

Usagi feeling insulted, immediately stopped crying and raced back to Shingo. "What'd you say, Shingo?!" she snapped, pulling back her sleeve.

"Listen, I'm not your book bag babysitter, so why don't you stop being such a klutz?" teased Shingo, as he ran away, sticking his tongue at her.

Usagi stuck out her tongue back, but quickly remembered. "I don't have time for this! I have to get going!" she cried. "Otherwise Mr. Haruna will reap me a new one!"

And with that, Usagi raced away. Not too far away, Luna and Artemis were sitting on the roof of the house, the two cats having to have seen everything.

"Good grief. Still the same old, Usagi," chuckled Luna. "It's hard to imagine that it's been two months since she and the others lost their memories of being Guardians."

"Yup. All of them are back of being ordinary people again," agreed Artemis, as he gazed up to the sky. Then he blushed as a mischevious grin crept up to his face, and he went to nuzzle Luna on the cheek. "But you know, Luna, I think you and I should settle down, you know have kids and stuff," he went on in a sultry voice trying to be flirty.

Luna was appalled. "What the heck do you think you're saying, you pervert!"

She then raked the white cat square in the face with her claws, making the white cat yowl in agony.

* * *

At Juuban Middle School, Usagi was once again forced to stand in the hallway while balancing a full bucket of water on top of her forehead. She felt miserable and was once again in tears. At that moment, Ami came out from a different classroom a few doors down. She was just walking down the hallway, when she saw Usagi. Seeing Usagi in her sorry state, she kindly took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears, causing the blonde to look up in surprise.

"They made you stand outside again?" Ami asked with sympathy. "You poor girl."

"Hey, you're the genius from Class 5, Ami, right?" Usagi whimpered, feeling touched. "That heartless Haruna could learn a thing or two about kindness. Especially from someone as thoughtful as you."

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Ms. Haruna stood there who had heard everything and was very cross.

"And who do you think you're calling heartless?!" she snapped.

Usagi not wanting to anger Ms. Haruna any more than already did, said nothing more. Ms. Haruna then looked at Ami.

"You're Ami Mizuno from Class 5 a couple of doors down, isn't that right?" she asked.

Ami nodded in response. "Yes, Ma'am."

"I should warn you that nothing good will come out of hanging around with Miss Tsukino," Ms. Haruna said. "This girl is nothing but trouble."

Now Usagi was cross. "Hey! Is it okay for a teacher to be saying such things?!" she snapped. "You're gonna damage my self-esteem here!"

Then there was trouble. Usagi was so cross that she lost her balance with the pail on top of her head. Before she could stop it from happening, it fell right off her head splashing water all over Ms. Haruna. The woman was now completely soaked from head to toe. Ami, Usagi, as well as the other students from inside the classroom were frozen with horror as Ms. Haruna's anger had reached the breaking point.

"MS. TSUKINO!" she shrieked.

All Usagi could do was bow in repentance. "S-Sorry, Ms. Haruna," she spoke meekly.

Harusuke from inside the classroom could only shake his head as he pinched his nose. "That's Usagi for you," he groaned. "Whenever she gets in trouble, she always finds a way to make it worse."

* * *

That night, everyone in Juuban was fast asleep. Usagi was sleeping peacefully in her bed as Luna slept next to her. The two were sleeping peacefully, but their sleep would soon be interrupted. For at that moment, a brilliant flash of light shone through the window followed by a loud crash that shook the entire neighborhood. Usagi and Luna both woke up with a start.

"What the heck was that?!" cried Usagi. "An Earthquake?!"

Luna wasn't very sure, but she knew one thing. It couldn't have been a good thing.

* * *

In the middle of Downtown Juuban, just in a vacant parking lot, there was an enormous crater, and in the middle of it, was a giant meteor. It was very large and green in appearance and looked like the seed of a tree. However, it was very much alive, pulsing and squirming like it was made of flesh. Then it began to float going high into the air appearing to be looking around for a place to nest. Then it saw an apartment complex not too far away from it. It immediately flew over to the building and went from room to room until it came across an empty room. After making sure that no one was in there, it then went inside of the empty having to finally found its place to call home.

* * *

Back at the crater, a large crowd of people had formed around it wondering what could have possibly fallen from the sky to cause something like it. Among the group, Usagi and Harusuke were also there as well not believing their eyes.

"Check it out, Harusuke! That thing is huge!" gasped Usagi.

"No, kidding," agreed Harusuke. "I wonder what could have caused a crater this big?"

Then Ami came up beside them. "Usagi. Harusuke. Good evening," she greeted.

"Well, what do you know. Even a girl genius like you is curious about stuff like this, Ami," smiled Usagi. "And here I thought you'd-"

Then Usagi was interrupted by someone bumping into her causing her to stumble forward. She was just about to yell at the person that shoved her, but then she stopped. Standing behind her was none other than Makoto who had just arrived.

"Sorry about that," apologized Makoto. "Someone behind me was pushing."

"I know you," gulped Usagi. "You're that giant girl who just transferred to our school, right?"

Makoto's eyes narrowed. "You really don't need to call me a giant," she huffed.

"Usagi, don't be rude to Makoto," Harusuke said. Then he spoke politely to the ponytailed brunette. "I apologize if my sister was rude. She always has a habit of blurting things out without thinking."

"Hey! You make it seem like I'm stupid or something!" snapped Usagi. "I thought you were my brother!"

Then Usagi stopped, a strange, funny feeling going through her mind. A sense of deja vu if you will.

 _"That's funny. The way we're together like this feels familiar,"_ she thought to herself. _"I wonder why that is?"_

Then as she looked down to the ground in thought, a piece of paper caught her eye. However, it wasn't just a paper; it was an advertisement to a local candy store that read in big letters: "WOW! ALL CANDIES ARE 80% OFF!". Usagi immediately picked it up her eyes sparkling with excitement and her mouth watering in hunger.

"No way! All candy is eighty percent off?!" Usagi gasped in delight. "Sounds like my kind of place!"

"Seriously? Here we are standing in front of a crater where a meteor once fell and mysteriously disappeared, and all you can think about is food?" sighed Harusuke. "Honestly, Usagi. How are you, my sister again?"

"If all you ever eat are sweets, you'll turn your body into a bun too," said a voice.

Usagi's smile then changed to an annoyed frown. "I know that obnoxious voice," she growled.

And sure enough, as she and Harusuke turned around, there stood Mamoru wearing his usual condescending smile.

"How's it going, Bun-Head? Harusuke," Mamoru greeted.

Usagi then stomped up to him. "I had a feeling it was you. You're the only one who calls me that!" she huffed crossly. "You need to quit calling me "Bun-Head" all the time!"

"Why should I?" teased Mamoru chuckling. "Besides, the thought of a Bun-head turning into a Bun-body is almost too much for me to take."

"Oh, yeah? Well, you're a butt-head," Usagi shot back. "Besides, what do you care?"

"I don't. It's just truth," countered Mamoru. "And really? A butt-head? That's just pathetic."

Usagi was now very cross and was raring to give Mamoru a piece of her mind, but Harusuke came up behind her and held her using somewhat of a Nelson lock.

"Usagi, calm down, would you?" he said. "You know he's trying to get a rise out of you when he calls you that."

"I don't care! Him calling me Bun-head is really irritating!" Usagi growled.

* * *

At the vacant apartment, two beings now sat on the balcony looking at the city below them, one of them being a female and the other being a male.

The girl had light green skin with pointed ears like an elf's, pink eyes, long bright pink hair with some blue in it, wore blue lipstick, a bodysuit that was dark red with some gold lines that looked like vine snaking around half her abdominal region and left leg, a purple vest with yellow designs, and heeled boots.

The male was pretty much similar to the female with some distinct differences. His hair was blue with some pink highlights, his eyes were a dark blue as was his bodysuit, his vest was green, and he also wore boots. He also was holding a strange white flute with green vine-like designs that snaked all around it with a few redbuds here and there.

"This planet is simply overflowing with excellent sources of energy," said the male.

"It was definitely worth the effort to come here," said the female. "Even though it was a rather arduous journey."

The boy looked at the girl. "Is something on your mind, An?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Ail?" the girl spoke with a flirtatious smile. "You are, of course. What about you?"

"Most of my thoughts involve you," Ail said, as he looked at her back. "Words alone cannot describe how beautiful you are to me."

"Do you mean it?" asked An, her cheeks flushing pink a little.

Ail then held his flute about to play. "It is said that the legendary hero, Perseus fell in love with the lovely Andromeda," said Ail. "And he risked his life battling many monsters to protect her. And so, I wish to be just like Perseus and will model myself to be like him."

He then put his flute to his lips and began to play a sweet and beautiful melody that seemed to echo through the night. Feeling entranced by his song, An rested her head on her beloved shoulder as he continued to play.

* * *

The next day, at Juuban Middle, two new students had arrived, and to celebrate, Ms. Haruna had the entire school gather around outside of the school to introduce them. The first student was a young girl with red hair that went just past her shoulders, fair skin, and had brown eyes. The second was a male that had short orange hair and indigo eyes with the same skin tone.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce two of our new transfer students, Seijuro and Natsumi Ginga," said Ms. Haruna. "Seijuro is not only Natsumi's elder brother, but he's also a third year, and Natsumi is a going to be a second year. Please be nice to them and make sure that they're welcome."

The students all gasped in amazement and wonder at the two new students. Usagi and Naru were especially looking toward Seijuro their eyes practically hearts and on the brink of swooning.

"He's so handsome!" gushed Usagi.

"And he's got a great name too!" squealed Naru.

"You've got to be kidding me," scoffed Umino, clearly unimpressed. "I mean "Seijuro Ginga"? Sounds like a made up name if you ask me."

Usagi and Naru then glared at Umino. "It is not made up!" the two snapped. "It's a perfect name!"

Umino was startled, and said nothing more. Then Harusuke placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Just don't say anything, Umino," he said, shaking his head. "Once Usagi falls in love with a guy, there's no stopping her, no matter what we think otherwise."

* * *

The classroom was abuzz with chatter as An was now sitting in Ms. Haruna's class as a new classmate. Everyone was huddled around her, asking her a lot of questions about her life before she came here.

"So, Natsumi, you came back after studying overseas?" asked Umino.

"Si," replied Natsumi.

The class then gasped in amazement.

"Wow! That's amazing!" said Naru excitedly. "I didn't know you spoke Spanish."

"She's multi-lingual!" squealed Usagi. "Say something else in Spanish for us!"

An smiled as she complied. "Blah blah blah, blah blah blah," she said.

There was a long and awkward silence as everyone stared dumbly at An.

"I may not be as brilliant as Ami, and have no idea what Spanish is," said Harusuke. "But even I know that was the furthest thing from Spanish."

"Yeah... she's kinda weird," agreed Naru.

At that moment, the sweet melody of a flute could be heard from outside of the classroom catching everyone's attention. Everyone felt curious as to what the song was and where it was coming from, but as they listened, they slowly began to be absorbed into the music. Feeling a bit curious, everyone went outside of the classroom to see who was the flute player. Sure enough, Seijuro was standing in the hall playing his flute while being surrounded by lots of girls who were swooning at the sound he was playing.

"So beautiful," sighed Usagi.

"Yeah, so mesmerizing," agreed Naru.

Even Harusuke had to agree that the sound was pleasant. "He's really quite the flute player," he said. "I wonder where he learned to play so well?"

An, however, was cross as she glared at Ail jealously. _"So, that bad habit of his is starting up again,"_ she thought.

Umino was feeling a bit jealous too, so much so that he took out a flute of his own.

"Oh, yeah? If you think that's cool, then check this out!" he spoke. "Naru, this one's for you!"

He was just about to start playing, when Naru snatched the flute from his hands and whacked him on the head with it sending him to the floor.

"That's enough of that, Umino," she snapped. "So do me a favor and pipe down, will you?"

 _"Yesh. And I thought Usagi was harsh,"_ Harusuke thought. _"Then again, I tried to warn him."_

Seijuro then stopped as he looked towards Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke. His eyes were wide, and they seemed to sparkle as if he fell in love at first sight. He then started walking towards them.

"I found her," he murmured. "At long last, I finally found my Andromeda!

Thinking that Seijuro was talking about Naru, Umino stepped in between them shielding her.

"Don't worry, Naru! I'll protect you!" he spoke bravely.

Naru scowled at Umino about to whack him with the flute again, but to both their surprise, Seijuro didn't walk up to Naru. He went up to Usagi instead.

"Please, allow me the honor of playing a song that comes straight from my heart," Seijuro spoke in a sexy voice. "Galaxy Fantasie Impromptu number five, The Miracle of Lovely Andromeda."

 _"I don't believe it! He's talking about me!"_ squealed Usagi in her thoughts.

Harusuke then stepped in between Usagi and Seikuro.

"Now hold on, Lover Boy," he spoke firmly. "If you're going to try and flirt with my sister, try not to do it in front of me. Otherwise, you're going to be raising a lot of red flags if you catch my drift."

"Hey, take it easy, Harusuke!" complained Usagi. "You don't have to be so overprotective!"

Seijuro looked at Harusuke and frowned his eyes narrowing in a glare, but Harusuke refused to back down glaring at him back. But then, Seijuro looked up behind the three and froze. Natsumi stood just behind them, glaring daggers straight him, appearing ready to explode in anger and jealousy.

"Excuse me, Brother," Natsumi spoke in a calm voice. "Just were you doing just now?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," responded Seijuro, as he immediately turned on his heel and walked away.

Natsumi then walked away too, but not before giving a sideways glare at Usagi as she did. Usagi and the others a little puzzled.

* * *

A short while later, after school, Seijuro and Natsumi were walking home, a tad bit annoyed with each other.

"You really should refrain from acting the way you did today when we're at school," scolded Seijuro.

"You should really be telling yourself that," Natsumi said coldly.

"I understand your frustrations," continued Seijuro. "But keep in mind it's important that they all think that we're brother and sister."

"Fine, but that doesn't mean you have to keep eying other girls, Ail" Natsumi spoke huffily.

"Come on, An. You know that I love you," said Seijuro. "There's no way that I could care for a woman like I do for you."

But Natsumi or rather An turned away appearing not to believe Seijuro/Ail. Then at that moment, someone ran past her looking to be in a great hurry. That person was Harusuke.

"Man! I can't believe Usagi's sent me to get those stupid buns for her while she's in detention!" he complained. "I swear she owes me big time for this!"

As Harusuke ran by, An felt her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks flushed a bright pink immediately smitten with the boy.

 _"Those blue eyes... That blonde hair..."_ she thought. _"He's perfect. My ideal mate!"_

She was just about to go to the boy to talk to him, but then suddenly, An felt a powerful wave of weakness wrack her body. Her vision began to grow blurry, and she staggered, almost falling. She leaned against the lampost for support, but she couldn't remain standing for very long, and she felt that she couldn't breathe. Ail immediately rushed over to her.

"An! Are you alright?!" he cried. "Talk to me!"

"E-Energy," An spoke weakly. "I need energy."

* * *

Later that night, at the Tsukino house, Usagi was in her room talking to Naru on the phone while Luna tried her best to ignore their idle girl chat.

"Did you see the way that Seijuro looked at you?!" gushed Naru from the other end. "It was love at first sight!"

"I know, right?!" giggled Usagi. "Isn't it great?! Sometimes it can be a curse to be this cute and charming. That Seijuro has great taste!"

 _"Good grief. Usagi's bad habits are starting up again as usual,"_ she thought. _"But... what's this strange uneasiness I feel?"_

Then as Usagi continued to talk on the phone, there was a couple of knocks on the door along with a complaining voice which belonged to Harusuke.

"Hey! Would you mind keeping it down in there, Usagi?!" he yelled. "Some of us are trying to study and go to bed here!"

"Sorry, Harusuke!" apologized Usagi, now feeling a bit sheepish.

* * *

In the apartments, the vacant room now had furniture, a bookcase, and many other things all having vibrant colors of red, purple, and blue. However, there was a hidden secret in this room. Just in the back of the room, there was an automatic door which led to a different dimension thanks to Ail, and An's powers. Inside that dimension, a giant alien-like tree stood. It was bigger than your average tree, that rested on a rock of sorts, its roots wrapping all around it. Its branches were green and had no leaves which moved around like snakes, but its top was like a mushrooms colored blue and glowing red underneath.

Sitting on one of the branches was Ail playing his flute, and on another was An who had fallen unconscious. As Ail continued to play, another branch sprouted forth from the tree taking the shape of a little bulb at the end. It opened up, and a drop of sap fell out from it and dropped on An's forehead. An was suddenly enveloped in bright white light as energy surged through her body. Then the glow died down, and An woke up now rejuvenated. At the very same time, the branches surrounding the tree all began to droop and wither growing a bit brown.

"What's happening?" asked An worriedly.

"It's running low on the life energy we need to survive," explained Ail.

"Is that so?" said An. "Fortunately, this planet is filled with life energy. The life energy in humans is particularly new and fresh."

"We've roamed the galaxy searching for a new peaceful place to live," smiled Ail. "I feel this place will be our paradise." He then from his hand, Ail held up some cards appearing to be made of some crystal material. "An, I want you to choose a Cardian suitable for our mission. After all, your ability to see the future is the best in the universe."

An the pointed to a card that was somewhere in the middle making it hover into the air just over their heads. Then the card revealed an image of a strange female being with a red flower for a hand.

"Flowers are lovely and short-lived, but their life force is strong," said Ail.

"Yes, but they won't be enough to satisfy us," said An. "However, human beings, young girls who are in love, possess powerful energy."

"What a waste," said Ail, a bit surprised. "Won't boys work too?"

An gave Ail a small glare which made him concede immediately.

"Alright. I understand," said Ail. "We'll do as you say." He then looked up at the card floating just in front of it. "Appear before me, Cardian! I now summon you, Vampir!"

He then began to play on his flute once again as the card that An picked began to glow shrouded in light. Then the card suddenly morphed and changed shape of a strange humanoid monster. It appeared to be feminine, wore nothing but a furry miniskirt dress that was green, had pink skin, and its right hand was a red flower of some sort. It's evil eyes glowed green as it let out a hiss that signaled it was hungry. Hungry for Energy.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Juuban, Luna and Artemis met up on top of a building to discuss what has been happening over the past couple of days.

"So, Luna, anything new leads about that crater we saw the other day?" asked Artemis.

"Nothing so far. I tried finding any clues, but I didn't find anything," replied Luna. "But this much I know, just remembering that crater's giving me a terrible feeling. In fact, I've been bad vibes ever since we saw it the other day, and I'm not even a priestess like Rei."

"We'll just have to make sure we stay on our toes," said Artemis. "We'll never know what kind of freaky horrors that could be lurking around."

At that moment, the two cats heard a scream with horror and terror. Sensing that there was trouble, the two immediately took off running as fast as their paws could carry them. They soon came to an alley and came across a startling sight. A young woman was lying on the ground, her face sunken and thin and looked so weak that she was going to keel over.

"What happened to her?!" gasped Artemis.

"She's been drained of her energy!" Luna cried. "Those feelings I had were right on the mark!"

"Then if that's the case, should we restore everyone's memories and bring them back?" asked Artemis.

"Out of the question!" Luna spoke firmly. "They're finally living as ordinary people! We can't do that to them!"

Artemis then sighed, knowing Luna was right. "Then I guess we have no choice, but to handle it ourselves," he said.

At that moment, the two heard another scream. Knowing that it was another victim, the two raced away following the source of the scream hoping that they wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Vampir had just finished draining the energy of another helpless girl. When she had her fill, she let the girl go letting her fall helplessly to the ground. Then from a window from above her, another girl opened it, just hearing the scream and wondering what it was. That girl was Naru who was still on the phone with Usagi. Vampir looked at Naru, and her eyes flashed a predatory gleam having to have found her next target. Naru gasped in horror going stiff as a statue unable to move, as Vampir flew up the window just in front of her.

"Naru? What is it?!" Usagi asked from the phone. "What's going on over there?!"

"Please. Help me," Naru whispered to the phone.

Vampir then aimed with her flower, and two tendrils shot out from it, one wrapping around Naru's neck and the other around her chest pinning her arms. Vampir shrieked in delight as it began to drain Naru's energy making the girl cry out in agony. Just then, Artemis and Luna jumped through the open window coming to the rescue. The two were surprised to see Vampire not seeing anything like her.

"A monster?!" gasped Artemis.

"Sure seems like it," said Luna. "Though I've never seen anything like it before. And also, Naru sure does tend to get her energy drained a lot."

"This isn't the time to be impressed, Luna!" scolded Artemis. "We have to save her!"

Artemis then pounced at Vampir his claws extended and his teeth bared, but Vampir swung her arm, forcing him to dodge landing a few away on the floor. Artemis then pounced again. This time, Vampir swatted him away, knocking him to the floor. Luna now feeling angry attacked her too, but Vampir countered using her tendrils in an attempt to drain her energy. Luckily, Artemis pushed Luna out of the making the tendrils just miss her. As they struggled to catch their breath, Vampir closed in on them; her flower aimed directly for them.

"Damn it, this isn't good," groaned Artemis. "We're no match for her!"

At that moment, the felines heard voices, two of which were familiar.

"Naru, where are you?!"

"What's going on, you two?!"

"We think that Naru might be in trouble!"

Then the door to Naru's room swung open, and there standing in the doorway was Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru's mother, Mayumi. When the three of them saw Vampir, they immediately gawked at the monster in surprise as well as fear.

"What the heck is that thing?!" cried Harusuke.

"It's a monster!" shrieked Usagi. "If this is a nightmare, someone please wake me up!"

Mayumi, on the other hand, was so frightened, that she fainted falling onto the floor. As for Vampir, she hungrily licked her lips happy that she now had two more victims to take energy from. Usagi was trembling in fear as was Harusuke.

"Run, you two!" cried Luna. "Usagi! Harusuke! You both need to get out of here!"

"What the-! Why is Luna talking?!" cried Usagi. "This is getting weirder by the minute!"

"You're telling me!" agreed Harusuke. "First, there's a crazy monster, and now Luna can talk?! Whatever next?"

Then Usagi had a thought, and what she had in mind made her smirk. "I got it! Since this is a dream, I can do whatever I want," she said victoriously. "Therefore, I can make myself the strongest girl in the world!"

Luna, Artemis, and Harusuke all stared dumbly at Usagi as the ordango blonde stood bravely before Vampire assuming a particular pose she used to do.

"Alright, listen up, you monster!" Usagi spoke. "Stop bulling Naru, or else I'll punish you!" She then felt puzzled, once again feeling a sense of deja vu. "Wait a second. "I'll punish you"? Why phrase sound so familiar?"

Vampir seeing Usagi was open, made her tendrils shot forward and wrapped them around her waist and her neck. Luna tried to intervene, but Vampir swatted her away as she began to drain Usagi's energy. Seeing that her sister was in danger, Harusuke looked around, trying to find something he could use to get Vampir to let go. Then he saw it. Just behind the door, there was a chair with a doll sitting on it. Harusuke grabbed the chair and pointed at Vampir, preparing to hit her it.

"Let go of my sister!" he yelled. "Otherwise, I'm gonna scorch you!" Then he realized what he said which made him puzzled. "Hold on. Why would I say something that? And what's this sense of deja vu?"

Vampir swatting the chair away from the boy, and while letting go of Usagi's waist with one tendril, she then wrapped the tendril around Harusuke's neck squeezing as she began draining his energy too. Both of the teens struggled as they tried to get free, but the tendrils held them tightly. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Artemis leaped back into the fray jumping onto Vampir's shoulder and scratching her face furiously. Vampir shrieked in pain instinctively letting go of Usagi and Harusuke; her attention also focused on Artemis.

"What's the matter? Can't catch me?" mocked Artemis, shaking his tail. "Come and get me!"

Vampir hissed in fury as Artemis jumped out of the window, the monster following in hot pursuit. Luna, wracked with worry, was now in a difficult situation.

"What should I do?" she thought to herself. "If I don't do something quick, Artemis and a lot of other innocent people will be in danger!"

She then realized what she had to do. This would be going against the wishes of Usagi and the others, but she knew that there was no other choice. She then faced toward the Tsukino siblings, her crescent moon mark beginning to glow.

"I'm so sorry, you two, but there's no other choice," said Luna. "Usagi. Harusuke. Become Sailor Moon and Solaris again!"

From her forehead, two bright beams of light shot forth and shone right in the middle of Harusuke's and Usagi's foreheads. At that moment, memories began to flood their minds. Memories of them being with their friends, being Guardians, and most of all, the battle with Queen Beryl. The heartache, the pain, the horror of death, every single bit of it came flashing back to them. The two at first resisted feeling overwhelmed and wanting it to stop, but in an instant, that doubts faded as their memories then returned.

"Harusuke? Usagi? Can you two hear me?" Luna asked tentatively.

Harusuke and Usagi both looked at Luna, and the two of them smiled, happy to see their friend.

"Yeah. We read you loud and clear, Luna," said Harusuke.

"It's been a while since we've last talked, hasn't it, Luna?" Usagi spoke softly.

Luna's eyes sparkled as her face brimmed with joy. "Both of you are back!" she cried happily. "Your memories are back!" Then she spoke calmly to the two, realizing the danger that was happening. "Listen, the people of Juuban are in danger once again, so the two of you need to transform, and fast!"

Usagi and Harusuke then stood up, giving each other a firm nod.

"What do you say, Usagi?" Harusuke grinned. "Just like old times?"

"You bet, Bro," smiled Usagi. "Let's go!"

The two of them raised their hands, and both said their respective transformation phrases.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms, and pink ribbon wraps around her arms, turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun appears on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him, shining its light upon him. As Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. It shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Artemis was running as fast as he could hoping to stall Vampir as much as he could, but Vampir quickly caught up and knocked the white cat to the ground. Before the white cat had a chance to react, Vampir's tendrils shot forth from her flower and coiled around Artemis tightly as she began to drain his energy. Artemis could feel himself growing weaker and weaker, as Vampir smirked with triumph having to have caught her prey. Then...

"Let him go, you monster!"

Vampir then looked up upon hearing the pair of voices and saw two shadows standing on top of a building from above. The two shadows then stepped into the light, revealing themselves to be Sailor Moon and Solaris, now back in action.

"We were finally able to go back to being ordinary kids!" said Sailor Moon. "But now you dare to call us back to the battlefield without our consent, by attacking our friends?!"

"And not only that, but you also dare to attack young maidens in love so that you could have their energy?!" Solaris spoke. "You're not only inconsiderate, but you're also pure evil!"

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice. I am Solaris!"

"And now in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

Vampir seeing the two heroes, then let go of Artemis and then shot its tendrils at them. Sailor Moon and Solaris both jumped out of the way dodging them going in different directions. Vampir attacked again shooting her tendrils at the two waiting for one of them to mess up. Then as Sailor Moon jumped out of the way, one of the tendrils finally wrapped around her ankle, causing her to trip and fall. Vampir set to work once again draining the energy from Sailor Moon.

"No... I'm starting to feel weak again," Sailor Moon weakly cried as she tried to get up.

"No! Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris. "You let her go, you monster!"

He then rushed over to help her holding his hand out, and making a sword of light appear in his hand, and with a mighty swing, he cut through the tendrils making Vampir shriek in pain, and setting Sailor Moon free.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" he cried. "Let's finish this before she recovers!"

"Right!" said Sailor Moon.

The Moon Guardian then took off her tiara, turning it into a white disc while Solaris clapped his hands together, creating a ball of light, taking aim with his fist.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Sailor Moon then launched her attack as did Solaris The two combined into one creating a golden disc with a white hue on the edges. Vampir looked up in time for the combined attack to pierce her directly through her stomach.

"CLEANSING!" she shrieked as she exploded in a burst of light, now destroyed.

Vampir was no more, and all that remained was the card which gave birth to her. It let out a hiss, and some smoke as the image turned black. Sailor Moon and Solaris then gave each other a high-five.

"Yeah! It's great to be back!" Solaris cheered.

"You bet it is!" agreed Sailor Moon. "Although, I'm feeling a bit exhausted now."

Luna then went over to the Artemis who was battered, weary, but still alive. "Are you okay, Artemis?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I'll survive," said Artemis, grinning weakly. "I've been through worse."

Suddenly, they heard a strange voice.

"So you two are Sailor Moon, and Solaris? I had no idea that people like you two were on this planet."

Everyone looked up and saw where the voice came from, which was a projection of Ail and An.

"Who are you people?!" demanded Sailor Moon.

"I am Ail, one of the many Nomad nobles of the universe," the alien bluenette spoke.

"And I am An," the pinkette said.

"You two were the ones who sent that monster, weren't you?!" Solaris said, glaring.

"Yes, but that was nothing more but our way of saying hello," An giggled with a hint of malice.

"Very true," Ail agreed. "So I'd watch out if I were the two of you."

The two of them then laughed as their projection faded from view.

"Who the heck were those guys?" asked Solaris.

"I don't know," said Luna. "But it looks like those two are-"

Then Luna stopped taking notice of Sailor Moon. The Guardian of the Moon was now looking up at the sky, her eyes brimming with tears.

"S-Sailor Moon? Are you okay?" asked Luna worriedly.

Usagi could only stare up at the Moon and the twinkling stars. Solaris then gave a reassuring pat on her shoulder to comfort her, but her eyes never left sky as a single tear trickled down her cheek.

"Goodbye, ordinary life," she said quietly. "It was fun while it lasted."


	52. Chapter 51

Mamoru was walking around in the Juuban Shopping District going about his usual routine. He had just stopped before a crosswalk waiting for his turn to cross, when Usagi suddenly appeared glomping onto his arm.

"Hey there, Mamoru~." she greeted sweetly.

Mamoru was so startled that he felt his heart jump. "H-Hey! Let go! What's gotten into you?!"

"There's no need to act so surprised, Mamoru~," Usagi giggled. "You know perfectly well what's going on~."

"H-How could I not be surprised, Bun-Head," Mamoru spoke, feeling awkward. "And how do you even know my name anyway?"

"Oh, come on, there's nothing endearing about the name Bun-Head," Usagi said. "When we're out in public, you can call me Usagi."

Usagi then looked up at Mamou, batting her eyes, but Mamoru felt even more awkward and a little creeped out.

"O-Oh, is that your name?" he spoke, trying to keep a straight face. "Good to know, Usagi. It's nice to meet you."

Usagi felt confused. "What? You don't know who I am?" she gasped. "How could you ever forget me, Mamoru?"

Then Usagi remembered.

 _"That's right. Unlike me, Mamoru doesn't remember anything about his former life,"_ she thought. _"Which means, he also doesn't remember how much we loved each other back then as well!"_

Now feeling a bit sad, Usagi clung to Mamoru's arm a bit tighter, feeling her eyes about to brim with tears.

"Hey, do you have a fever or something?" asked Mamoru. "What's the matter with you?"

At that moment, they both heard a voice.

"Hey! Usagi! Usagi!"

Mamoru and Usagi looked up and saw Harusuke coming towards them sprinting as fast as he could. Seizing his chance as he felt Usagi's grip lessen, Mamoru pulled his arm free from Usagi's grip and sprinted off.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go to work!" he called. "I'm gonna be late!"

"Wait, you got a job?!" exclaimed Usagi. "What kind of work do you do?! Where do you have to go?!"

"That's none of your business!" Mamoru called back as he disappeared into the distance.

Usagi was just about to go after him, when Harusuke, having to have finally caught up, grabbed Usagi by her wrist stopping her. She failed around trying to get away, but Harusuke wouldn't let go.

"Harusuke, let me go!" begged Usagi. "Mamoru's getting away!"

"No, I won't! Because there's no point in trying to go after him," Harusuke spoke firmly. "Come on, Usagi. First of all, we're supposed to be at home having a meeting with Luna and Artemis. Secondly, you know Mamoru doesn't remember us, so why would you after him like a crazy person and freak him out. You want him to think you're some kind of stalker?" Then his face softened. "Look, I know that you want him to remember you, but now isn't a good time. For the moment, we should leave him be."

Usagi frowned as she looked towards the ground crestfallen. At that moment, Natsumi came walking by on the other side of the street. When she happened to see Harusuke and Usagi, her eyes went wide as they sparkled with delight.

"Oh! There's that cool guy from the other day!" she squealed. "I wonder if he remembers me?!"

And without taking a moment to think, Ann immediately raced into the middle of the street, only to get stuck in the middle as the ongoing traffic zoomed by, the cars honking loudly as she stood there. Harusuke and Usagi took notice of the girl, and couldn't believe their eyes.

"What the heck?!" cried Usagi. "It's that one girl from yesterday!"

"Hey! Tsukino! Don't go away just yet!" cried Natsumi. "I need to talk to you for a second!"

"How about you get out of the street before you get run over, first?!" yelled Harusuke.

He immediately ran into the street, and grabbed Natsumi by the hand and pulled her out of the way just as a large truck zoomed by honking loudly. Harusuke doubled over, holding his knees panting.

"Well, that's a few years shaved off of my life," he said, wiping his brow.

"Nice save, Harusuke," said Usagi. "That was close."

Natsumi then went up to Harusuke, getting really close to his face causing the boy to yelp in surprise.

"So, your name is Harusuke Tsukino? I didn't know that," she said, her eyes still sparkling with giddiness. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harusuke! My name is Natsumi Ginga!"

"Um... I-I kind of knew that, already. You are in our class," Harusuke stammered. "But it's nice to meet you, Natsumi."

Usagi then scowled feeling her overprotective sisterly instinct take over causing her to step in between the two as she glared at Natsumi.

"Hey, you! Just what do you think you're doing?!" she demanded. "Can't you see that you're bothering him?"

"What does it matter to you?" Natsumi countered. "I mean, is he your boyfriend?"

Harusuke and Usagi's eyes went wide as their faces went red with surprise.

"B-Boyfriend?!" they exclaimed.

"Of course, he's not my boyfriend!" Usagi cried. "Harusuke is-"

"Well, then that means he's fair game for both of us!" Natsumi interrupted. "Therefore, that means you're my rival!"

She then began to fantasize falling in love with Harusuke, picturing him as a hunky man.

 _"Oh, my dearest, Harusuke!"_ she thought. _"I, Natsumi Ginga, will pierce your heart and all of your passion_ receptor _points with my arrows of adoring love!"_

Harusuke then suddenly shivered, feeling a strange cold chill go down his spine as she and Usagi stared at the girl.

"She is such a weirdo," Usagi whispered to Harusuke.

"Normally, I'd say the pot is calling the kettle black," Harusuke whispered back. "But even I have to agree."

* * *

At the Tsukino house, Luna and Artemis were in Usagi's room talking to one another about the incoming danger that was Ail and Ann, and about restoring the other Guardians memories.

"We have no idea if we're up against a new enemy yet," Luna said. "But we do know that something bad is happening around here."

"But Minako and the other Guardians are finally leading such peaceful lives," protested Artemis. "You said it yourself, but I don't want to spoil all of that by bringing them back."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but how do you think we should deal with this situation?" asked Luna. "I'm worried about Usagi and Harusuke handling it all on their own."

At that moment, Usagi and Harusuke entered the room, Usagi now once again feeling sad about Mamoru.

"This is really bad," she whined as she sat on the floor. "Mamoru doesn't know who I am, and without his memories, he refuses to pay any attention to me."

"As I said, you can't just go up to him like when he doesn't remember you, Usagi," Harusuke said. "Besides, this isn't exactly the time to be worried about that right now."

"I know... but still," Usagi whimpered.

Luna and Artemis groaned.

"Now, I'm really starting to consider bringing back the memories of the others," said Luna.

Usagi then suddenly brightened up. "Wait! That's it!" she cried. "If you can restore me and Harusuke's memories, then you can restore Mamoru's too, right?!"

"I'm afraid that's now what we're talking about, Usagi," spoke Luna as she hopped onto the bed. "Artemis and I were just thinking about restoring the other Guardian's memories right now, so that you all be able to fight as a team again."

"What are you talking about?!" Usagi spoke, as she picked up a white ball spinning it around her finger. "Harusuke and I are quite able to protect the Earth by ourselves. In fact, I could probably do it alone. There's no need to get any of the others involved."

Artemis and Luna were surprised.

"Well, now, it seems that you've matured quite a bit from your battles with the Dark Kingdom," said Artemis, sounding impressed. "Not only that, but you also seem to be serious about your responsibilities."

"That's right!" grinned Usagi. "A couple of bad guys are no problem for me! I can stand on my own two feet!"

She then threw up the ball like she was serving it in volleyball, and gave it a hard spike. The ball bounced off the wall and recoiled smacking Usagi square in the face knocking her flat onto her back much to Luna and Artemis' disdain.

"Yeah... it looks to me that she's gonna need everybody," said Luna.

"I agree," sighed Artemis.

Then Harusuke spoke for what seemed to be for the first time in a while.

"Actually, maybe Usagi's got the right idea," he said. "Maybe we should handle this ourselves."

Luna, Artemis, and even Usagi all snapped their heads toward Harusuke staring at him. Then Luna and Artemis' jaws dropped to the floor as they both screamed.

"WHAT?!"

Usagi then placed a hand on Harusuke forehead, testing his temperature.

"Well, you don't have a fever or anything," she said. "So you're not sick. That's good news."

"Hey! I'm not sick," Harusuke spoke, feeling annoyed.

"But Harusuke, you just agreed to one of Usagi's ideas," spoke Luna. "Is something the matter with you?"

"I'm perfectly fine," said Harusuke. "I just thought that maybe Usagi and I could handle things on our own is all. I mean, there's no need to bring the other girls back when they're living peaceful lives. The least we'd want to do is expose them to danger."

"But Harusuke, what if Ail and Ann send a monster that you two can't handle?" asked Artemis. "You'd be fighting without any backup."

"Then we'll just have to manage," said Harusuke as he stood up. "Usagi and I have faced tougher situations, and we've got along just fine. Just have some faith in us and let us handle the baddies from now on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a shower."

And before anyone else could say anything more, Harusuke left the room shutting the door behind him leaving Usagi, Luna, and Artemis stupefied and confused.

* * *

Harusuke now stood outside of the room in the hallway. Now that he had his memories back, he could remember everything that had happened in the past. Including the final battle with Queen Beryl, he along with the other Guardians participated. Those thoughts alone made a knot form in his stomach, but the ones that made him feel even more nauseous, were when Makoto, Ami, Minako, Rei, and even Mamoru die.

"More than anything, I want to see my friends as well as fight alongside them again," he thought. "But maybe it's for the best that they don't remember. The last thing I want for them is to be exposed to danger again. Especially when they're living their lives the way they want. It's better this way."

He bit his lip and clenched his fists.

"Usagi and I can handle this on by ourselves," he said to himself. "There's no way that I'm going to lose those girls again. Never again."

He then walked away, heading towards the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside their apartment, while in the dimension where the Makai tree was, Ail was inspecting it watching as the leaves on it began to dry up and wither.

"The Makai tree's getting weak again," he murmured. "All the energy that was accumulated before is starting to run out."

An then appeared sitting next Ail. "So all that effort was a waste of time, huh?" she said. "And I'm going to need more energy too."

"There isn't much energy left, An. The Makai Tree is depleted," said Ail. "To replenish it, we'll need to steal some life energy from the humans on this planet."

"And, we'll need a lot of it," grinned An with a mischevious smile. "So let's get to it."

Ail then held up eight crystal cards in his hand, showing them to An. "Go on then, An. It's up to you to pick the right Cardian who will be best suited for this task to gather energy," he said.

An picked a card that was third to the right, throwing it into the air. The card flew high above before stopping in midair. It grew to a large size and revealed an image which was a demi-woman with red furry legs reminiscent of a cow, and had a pair of large horns protruding from its head.

"The Cardian, Minotauron, eh?" Ail hummed. "An excellent choice."

* * *

The next day, at a television station known as TV-Ashita, there was a group of directors reviewing pictures of girls who would be suited for an audition for a show on a TV monitor. Five of those pictures were of Usagi and the other Guardians as they went about their daily routines.

"We've narrowed down our search to these five girls for the role of Mikan Shiratori," said one of the directors pointing to his baton.

He then showed them the image with Usagi in it, but instead of pointing her out, he pointed out Naru instead. "I would prefer this girl over her. She seems more natural."

"I agree," said another director. "In fact, any one of these five could be perfect for these series."

"Thank you, sir," said the first director. "Truth be told, it wasn't easy to find them."

"Well, now that you have, let's bring them in for an audition and for from there," said a third. "Set up the appointments as soon as possible."

Another one of the directors had just turned on the light to get started with his orders, but he was surprised to see that he, along with the other directors, weren't alone. Standing in the back of the room, seeming to appear from out of nowhere were An and Ail.

"Hey! How did you two get in here?!" This is for executives only!" the first director exclaimed. "All extra casting is down the hall!"

"My mistake. I didn't know that," An apologized innocently.

Then by widening her eyes, An used her powers to send a powerful shockwave through the director's minds knocking all of them out simultaneously and instantly. An and Ail then looked up at the pictures of Usagi and the other girls.

"So what do you think of those girls?" asked An.

"I think they'll do nicely. They'll give us both a lot of energy," smiled Ail. "We could steal energy from these humans, but there's no need to stuff ourselves with a lesser grade. We'll be able to get a much higher quality from those other girls."

"I agree," nodded An. "In the meantime, we'll have them work for us for now. We can use them to turn their staff over to us."

The two then chuckled to each other as they began putting their plan into action.

* * *

The next day at school, Harusuke and Usagi were attending Class as usual, but when they came in, Naru was waiting for them with important news.

"Harusuke! Usagi! Come here! I got to tell you guys something!" Naru said excitedly.

"What's up, Naru?" Harusuke asked.

Naru then looked around, making sure that no one was listening, then she beckoned Harusuke and Usagi to come closer. The Tsukino Siblings did, and then Naru spoke low to them.

"You're not gonna believe this, but I got a call from TV Ashita," she whispered. "I got an audition for a role in a TV show!"

"What?! You're gonna be on TV!?" Usagi screeched in surprise.

Naru immediately covered Usagi's mouth. "Keep your voice down, Usagi!" she shushed. "You're going to attract attention!" Then Naru explained. "It's true, but I really can't say for sure. The talent scout that spotted me, wants me to go to some big audition down at the TV station later today."

"That's wonderful news, Naru!" congratulated Harusuke. "But I would have thought you'd be more excited about this. Why is that?"

Naru then frowned appearing to be worried. "Well, you see it's like this," she said. "Do you guys know that I have a knack for getting mixed up in strange situations? I get the feeling that it's another one of those."

Harusuke was stared at Naru, not expecting Naru's response. Usagi, however, was a bit more aloof.

"Stop worrying, Naru. It'll be alright," Usagi spoke, smiling. "And besides, it doesn't happen to you all that often. I'm sure you're gonna be just fine."

"Do you really think so?" asked Naru, cheering up a bit.

"Of course, I do!" Usagi said, giving her a thumbs up. "In fact. if you're still feeling worried, I could go with you if you like."

A wide smile spread to Naru's face as she stood up holding Usagi's hand.

"Oh, thank you, Usagi!" Naru spoke, feeling grateful. "You really are my best friend!"

But Usagi in truth had an ulterior motive for her kindness.

"Once I'm there, I bet I'll be able to get an audition too," she smirked to herself. "And once I get picked for the role, I'll be on my way to stardom!"

"Now, wait a minute, Usagi," Harusuke spoke, suspiciously glaring at her. "Why would you of all people make such an offer to Naru?"

"Well, she's my friend, Harusuke," Usagi grinned. "And friends always help each other whenever they need it, and Naru, of course, needs our help."

"Are you sure that you're not just cozying up to Naru so that you could get an audition as well?" Harusuke asked, raising a brow.

Usagi then gulped, her eyebrow beginning to twitch.

"Harusuke, hold on. Aren't you a bit too suspicious?" Naru asked. "Usagi would never do something that low. Right, Usagi?"

"Um, yeah. In fact, I'm offended, Harusuke," Usagi spoke, trying to be insulted. "I would never use Naru that way!"

"Then I guess you won't mind if I come with you and Naru," Harusuke spoke. "You know, because we're both Naru's good friends, and we would support her any way we can, and wouldn't let something as an audition make us greedy for stardom, right?"

Usagi trembled as she bit back the urge to say no, and without Harusuke and Naru noticing, she pinched wrist to make sure she restrained herself.

"N-No, we wouldn't," she said, with a strained smile. "Y-You can come along with us if you want to. After all, you're her friend too."

 _"Nice try, Usagi,"_ Harusuke thought. _"But I haven't grown up in the same household as you for nothing. I know you, and if you think I'm going to let you use Naru just for your own personal gain, then you've got another thing coming!"_

 _"Curse you, Harusuke!"_ Usagi thought to herself angrily. _"You're not going to get away with this!"_

* * *

A little while later, just outside of the TV station, Makoto had just walked up to the main entrance, when Ami arrived at the very same time.

"Oh, Miss Kino," Ami said.

"Well, what do you know? The rumors were true, after all," Makoto smiled. "Class Five's girl genius, Ami Mizuno, is going to audition for this TV show as well."

"Yes. Some person from the TV station called me and insisted that I come try my luck," explained Ami. "But I think I should probably turn down their offer. I don't know if I can take the time away from my studies."

"I'm sure that you can find a way to do both of them," said Makoto. "It would be such a waste if you did."

Then Minako and Rei came walking up.

"Um, excuse me," said Minako. "Are you two by any chance, here for the audition too?"

"Yes," replied Ami.

"We sure are," said Makoto.

"Then if that's the case, why don't we go together?" asked Rei. "I heard that these TV stations are pretty big and it's easy to get lost in them. But first, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Rei Hino."

"I'm Makoto Kino," the brunette ponytailed girl greeted.

"And I'm Ami Mizuno," the bluenette said.

"And I'm Minako Aino," the blonde greeted as well. "It's nice to meet all of you."

At that moment, every one of the girls felt a strange sense of deja vu flash through their minds, which made them puzzled.

"Say, is it possible that the four of us have met somewhere before?" asked Rei.

"No, this is a first," said Ami. "At least, I think so."

"But it is sort of strange," murmured Minako. "I get the feeling that we're not strangers."

"How strange," said Makoto. "I'm picking up the same vibe."

* * *

Inside of the TV station, a little before the four girls came inside up to the station, Usagi while carrying Luna, Harusuke, and Naru went inside. However, when they tried to get into the audition room, a security guard barred their way, preventing the Tsukino twins from entering.

"I'm sorry, but you two can't come in," the guard said. "Auditions only."

"Aww, what do you mean by that?!" complained Usagi.

"That's the rule," said the guard firmly. "You can't go inside unless you're on the list for an audition."

"Aw, come on. Can't you make an exception just this once?" Usagi begged.

"No can do," the guard said. "Now, you two go home."

"Sorry, you guys," apologized Naru. "I guess I'm on my own."

"It's alright, Naru," said Harusuke. "Just make sure you go in and do your best. We'll be fine."

Naru then reluctantly went inside. At that moment, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako came walking down the hallway. Usagi, Luna, and Harusuke were surprised but happy to see them. The guard then led the girls inside.

"Welcome. If you're here for the audition, please sign in and wait in this room," he said.

The four girls then went inside the room. Usagi was just about to call out to them, when Harusuke held her hand stopping her. Usagi looked at her brother only to have him shake his head. Usagi still felt happy.

"It seems that everyone's doing okay," she thought. "Thank goodness."

Harusuke just watched as the door shut. Then he turned around and smiled to himself.

"Thank goodness."

* * *

Inside of the audition room, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Naru all sat in chairs waiting for the director to come. Soon enough, the director arrived. However, unbeknownst to them at the time, the director was under the control of Ail and An, so the two aliens could spring their trap.

"Thank you all for coming," the director spoke. "We will now begin the audition process."

Ami then stood up. "Sir, I apologize, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to turn down this audition," she said. "I really don't have the time to be here, right now."

But the director didn't listen as he slid a curtain-like panel out of the way, revealing a large set. The setting seemed to take place in the middle of some ruins with a space filled sky with some moons here and there. The girls gasped with amazement and wonder as they stood up and walked onto the set. Then they realized that they weren't alone. Standing above them on top of a pillar were Ail and An who were pleased that they caught their prey.

"Take a good long look at this set, girls," Ail smirked deviously. "Do you like it?"

The girls were surprised to see the two, but Ami was a bit more worried about leaving the studio.

"Um, excuse me, sir," she said politely. "I'm afraid that I don't have the time to appear in a TV drama with my heavy study schedule. Thank you for calling me, but I need to go home and study right now."

She then bowed politely and turned to leave, but Ail put his flute to his lips, and An threw up the cardian she picked upward making it stop and hover in the air.

"You're not going anywhere!" he barked, as he began to play his flute.

"Cardian Minotauron, come forth!" commanded An.

The card grew bigger and bigger, and suddenly began to change shape turning into a monster that stood above them on top of a pillar. Minotauron was tall in appearance, wore a red jumpsuit that was decorated with strange skulls on her thighs, and on top shoulders that were like pads. She also had a long tail, short brown hair, red eyes, and a pair of long bull-like horns on top of her head. The five girls were surprised.

"What is that? Some kind of special effect?!" gasped Minako.

"I thought that we were auditioning for a family drama," Makoto spoke, feeling confused. "I wasn't expecting this to be some monster show."

Minotauron then suddenly disappeared and reappeared just in front of Ami, causing the girl to jump in alarm as the monster smirked predatorily at her.

"Guys, I don't think this is a special effect!" Ami cried. "This monster's real!"

"Go, Minotauron!" commanded Ail. "Absorb every drop if energy from these girls!"

Minotauron growled pawing the ground, and let out a loud bellow as she charged straight at them. The five girls immediately took off running trying to get away while Ail and An watched with interest.

"I enjoy the scream of young women!" cackled Ail. "They're more beautiful than any sound a musical instrument could make."

An then looked at Ail with an annoyed frown. "Stop playing around already, Ail," she complained. "Let's hurry up and steal their energy before it runs out."

"You've got to be kidding me, An," scoffed Ail. "Why should I waste this opportunity to enjoy such exquisite art like this?"

An then lost patience, so much so that she transformed into her human form.

"Honestly, I have no time for this nonsense!" she said crossly. "If that's how you feel, then I'm going to go gather energy somewhere else in my human form!"

And she disappeared in a huff.

* * *

Meanwhile, just outside of the room, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna were wondering around the building trying to find their way out of the building. Unfortunately for them, they found themselves going around in circles.

"Usagi, are you sure we're going the right way?" asked Harusuke.

"Of course I'm sure," said Usagi. "I may have been wrong the first few times, but this time I'm sure the exit's this way."

But Usagi would soon find out that she was wrong. They had just come down from the hallway, when they looked to the right, only to find themselves just in front of the audition room.

"Oh, dear..." Usagi spoke sheepishly.

"Usagi, what are you doing?!" Luna complained. "We're right back where we started!"

"I can't help it!" Usagi snapped. "This place is too big and confusing! It's hard to tell where I've been, not to mention where I'm going!"

"Well, maybe, if you've stopped and asked for directions, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Harusuke groaned. "Now we're completely lost in here!"

At that moment, An, now under her disguise as Natsumi, opened the door and came out of the audition room. Natsumi was surprised when she saw the three, particularly Usagi. As soon as the two saw each other, their eyes narrowed as they glared grimly at each other.

"Tsukino?! What are you doing here?!" Natsumi demanded.

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Usagi spoke, scowling.

"I don't have to answer to that!" An huffed snootily.

"Well, neither do I!" countered Usagi.

"Come on, you two. There's no reason to fight!" Harusuke spoke, trying to intervene. "Please calm down!"

Then suddenly from the hallway, someone came running right by them carrying a stack of papers and boxes in a great hurry, that someone turning out to be Mamoru.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Mamoru yelled as he disappeared.

Usagi, upon hearing his voice, immediately stopped glaring at An and looked where Mamoru ran.

"That was Mamoru just now!" she gasped. "Now that I think about it, he did mention something about a part-time job, so he must work here!"

She then took off running after him.

"Hey! Usagi! Come back here!" cried Harusuke. "You're going to end up getting lost again!"

But it was too late. Usagi had already disappeared. Not only that, but Harusuke's troubles were just getting started, for An had finally taken notice of him, her face filled with a love and sense of longing for him.

"Harusuke Tsukino! What a coincidense seeing you here~" she cooed. "It must have been destiny that we would meet like this!"

Harusuke finding this to be a major red flag, and not wanting to let Usagi get away, immediately took off running.

"Sorry, Natsumi, but I gotta find my sister before she gets herself lost again!" he called. "I don't have time for your games!"

"But come back, my darling!" Natsumi called. "I just want to talk to you!"

Luna could only watch with a look of exasperation as Harusuke disappeared down the hallway with Natsumi in hot pursuit. Then suddenly, she felt a tremendous chill run through her spine, causing her to shiver. The black feline looked behind her, only to find that the door from which Natsumi came through was open just a crack. From that crack, she could sense a large amount of evil energy coming from it, which made her worry.

"What is this eerie power that I'm sensing?" she thought.

She then walked inside of the room and stepped onto the set only to find Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Naru still being chased by Minotauron with Ail spectating. They ran as fast as they could, but Minotauron was getting closer and closer to them.

"It's no use!" panted Ami as she ran. "She's gonna get us for sure at this rate!"

"But where's the exit?!" gasped Minako. "I don't see one anywhere!"

Then there was trouble. Naru was so tired from running away, that she was on the brink of collapsing and almost out of breath. After a few seconds, she did, but Ami and Minako went over to help her, while Makoto and Rei stood their ground, ready to fight.

"I'm not sure if stand a chance against this monster," said Rei, spoke brandishing her purse. "But it's better than just running around!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" smirked Makoto as she took a fighting stance.

Rei then took aim and threw her purse directly into Minotauron's face stunning and blinding her, and seizing her chance, Rei took out an ofuda, and concentrated her spiritual powers.

"Rin-Pyo-To-Sha-Kai-Jin-Restu-Zai-Zen! EVIL SPIRIT, BE EXERCISED!"

She then threw the ofuda, making it stick right in the middle of Minotauron's forehead paralyzing her. Makoto then jumped into the fray grabbing a firm hold of her arm, and with a mighty heave as well as a loud yell, Makoto used her Herculean strength to throw the monster right into some pillars on the set with a mighty crash making the rubble collapse on the beast.

Luna was surprised as well as impressed, having to have seen everything. "Incredible!" she gasped. "Even without their Guardian powers, the girls are able to hold their own against evil!"

* * *

Back with Natsumi, she had lost Harusuke at some point in the hallway. The reason being was that her energy was running low and she was growing weaker and weaker by the second. Her vision was blurry, and she could hardly stand.

"I've... messed up..." she panted. "I've lost Harusuke... Must be because I'm running so low on energy. At this point... anyone will have to do..."

She then looked to her right and saw a door which turned out to be the dressing room of Mikan Shiratori herself. Seizing her chance, Natsumi went inside of the room, and before Mikan could to react, Natsumi drained Mikan dry, causing her to fall to the floor, weak and unable to move.

"Don't worry; you won't die," Nastumi spoke, smirking. "If you take a long rest, you'll get right back to normal."

She then quietly left the room to resume her search for Harusuke.

* * *

Minotauron seemed to be defeated, but at that moment, the monster broke free from the rubble by extending her large and powerful horns. Everyone prepared themselves, thinking that they would be attacked again, but they would soon be wrong. Minotauron jumped up high going above their head and landed just in front of Naru. Before anyone else could react, Minotauron extended her horns trapping Naru in between them and immediately began sucking away her energy. Seeing that Naru was in trouble, Luna jumped out and scratched right across Minotauron's face with her claws, causing her to scream in agony as she held her face, letting go of Naru. Naru having no energy left to stand flopped to the ground unconscious.

"What's a cat doing here?!" Ail gasped with surprise.

Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, Rei, Ami, Minako, and Makoto all rushed over to Naru.

"Come on, you guys!" urged Makoto. "We've got to hurry, and get out of here as soon as we can!"

"R-Right!" said Ami as she and the others helped Naru onto her back.

Ail was now getting frustrated. "Damn it! Where's An when I need her at a time like this?!" he hissed. "Minotauron! I'll leave the rest to you! Do your job and finish them off now!"

Minotauron let out a roar in response as Ail disappeared, and the girls took off running again. Luna could see that there was no way the girls could get out of this one. She knew that she had to help them.

"At this rate, everyone's going to be killed!" she cried. "I have no choice then! I'm gonna have to revive them as Sailor Guardians before it's too late!"

She was just about to do just that, when Usagi and Harusuke arrived on the set.

"This sure is a strange set," said Usagi. "Is this part of the show?"

"Something's telling me, no," said Harusuke.

"Usagi! Harusuke!" gasped Luna. "Boy, am I happy to see you guys! You both need to hurry and transform!"

"But what's going on, Luna?" asked Usagi. "I don't really understand."

"No time to explain now!" Luna said urgently. "Just do it!"

"There must be trouble," said Harusuke. "Do as she says, Usagi."

Usagi was now a bit sulky, but she did so along with Harusuke.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in a bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms, and pink ribbon wraps around her arms, turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun appears on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him, shining its light upon him. As Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. It shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a face guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Minotauron had chased the girls right into a dead end cornering them, and leaving no chance of escape. The monster aimed with her horns and preparing to attack them, when a pair of voices shouted out.

"Stop right there!"

Minotauron, as well as the girls, looked up, and in the mouth of a stone creature of sorts, there stood Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"I have no idea what's going on here," said Sailor Moon. "As a matter of fact, I'm totally clueless! But I can't forgive you for picking on these girls!"

"Especially since these girls were promised a chance to shine on this set!" Solaris added. "They had an opportunity to show off their talent and as well as their good looks for a special role, and you had to go and squander it!"

"And so, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

When the girls say the two heroes, they once again began to have a sense of deja vu. This time it was a lot stronger than before.

"Who are those two?" wondered Makoto.

"I feel like I'm close to remembering something," said Minako. "But I don't know what it is!"

Minotauron went on the attack extending her horns at the two. Sailor Moon and Solaris jumped, dodging the horns, and landed back on the ground.

"Alright, it's time to get this bull by the horns!" Solaris spoke, getting ready to fight, but Sailor Moon cut him off.

"Solaris! Hold on! We have to save her, not destroy her!" The Moon Guardian spoke, as she turned towards the Minotauron. "Don't worry! I'll turn you back to normal right now!"

Sailor Moon raised her hand thinking of summoning her Moon Stick and using Moon Healing Escalation, but nothing happened. Then she remembered.

"Oh, wait! That's right!" she gasped. "I forgot that I lost the Moon Stick back in the battle with Queen Beryl!"

"How could you forget something that important, Sailor Moon?!" Solaris cried incredulously. "And besides, this isn't the type of monster that needs to be healed!"

Minotauron then attacked extending her horns at them. The two heroes jumped out of the way dodging as Minotauron kept up the pressure. Solaris dodged the blows while trying to get close while Sailor Moon just dodged trying not to get pierced by the horns.

"What is wrong with her?!" complained Rei. "All that girl's doing is running away! She's so useless!" She then started walking towards the fight cracking her knuckles. "I guess it's up to me to handle this!" Then she stopped. "Wait a minute, why did I just say that?" she wondered.

Luna then realized what was going on. _"I think Rei's starting to remember!"_ she thought. _"And it's not just her... Watching Sailor Moon and_ _Solaris fight is causing all of the girls to regain their memories!"_

Then Minotauron extended her horns at Sailor Moon once again. This time, she was able to trap her in between them, pinning her to the wall. She then began to drain Sailor Moon's energy.

"No...! I'm... losing my strength," gasped Sailor Moon.

Seeing that Sailor Moon was trouble, Solaris rushed over to help.

"Let her go!" he yelled as he jumped into the air and punched Minotauron right in her face.

Minotauron screamed in pain, holding her face again, and let go of Sailor Moon, of which slumped against the wall, weak and barely able to stand. Solaris then rushed over to Sailor Moon trying to help her to her feet. However, Minotauron recovered from the punch, and was not happy at all. She let out a roar of rage and charged toward Solaris and Sailor Moon.

"Hey! Look out! She's coming at you!" yelled Makoto.

Solaris looked back and saw Minotauron coming, and knowing that there wasn't time to get out of the way in time, he pushed Sailor Moon out of the way. Minotauron barreled straight into Solaris crashing through the rocky wall pinning him between her horns, and using her strength as well as, holding him tightly with her horns, she lifted him into the air and began taking his energy too.

"No.. I can't... get loose!" Solaris spoke with gritted teeth as he struggled. "Losing... all of... my strength..."

Luna then came out of her hiding place, and rushed over to the other girls while looking towards the scene with worry.

"So much for handling it by themselves!" she sighed. "Now they really need help!"

Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako looked down at the cat very surprised.

"That cat just talked!" cried Minako, pointing.

"Just what in the world is going on?!" Rei asked.

Luna gulped cursing herself for talking in front of them, but then she sighed.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag so to speak," she said as she spoke to the girls. "Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, please! Sailor Moon and Solaris can't handle that monster by themselves! Please, you have to help them!"

"Help them? How?" asked Ami.

Luna's crescent moon mark began to glow, and she shone a beam of light onto each other their foreheads. Memories of the battle of Queen Beryl flashed in their minds as they began to remember who they were as well as Solaris and Sailor Moon.

"Usagi and Harusuke... No, Sailor Moon and Solaris!" murmured Rei.

"I remember everything now!" gasped Minako.

"We're Guardians," said Makoto. "The four Guardians that protect the Princess and Prince of the Moon!"

"How could we have forgotten something that important?!" cried Ami.

The four then whipped out their transformation pens and sprang into action.

"MERCURY POWER...!"

"MARS POWER...!"

"JUPITER POWER...!"

"VENUS POWER...!"

"MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
__

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Minako._

 _ _The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as streams of yellow stars begin to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the stream of stars forms a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground forming a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were orange and her bow being bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she strikes her signature pose.__

* * *

Sailor Moon struggled to her feet, and she saw Solaris was in trouble. She wanted to help, but she was too weak to take even a single step. To make things worse, Solaris was in danger of falling unconscious. His vision was growing blurry and he found it difficult to breathe. But then...

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Sailor Mercury fired a blast of bubbles blanketing the whole area with fog blinding and confusing Minotauron. While that was happening, Sailor Mars jumped into the air and pulled Solaris free from her horns to safety. After that, Sailor Jupiter unleashed a blast of lightning at the monster. Minotauron roared in agony as the attack not only caused damage, but it also paralyzed her, making her unable to move.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Mars then unleashed a powerful blast of fire while Sailor Venus fired a beam of light. The attacks combined into one creating a beam of light cloaked with flames. The attack blasted Minotauron into oblivion as she screamed in agony as she transformed back into a card, the image turning black hissing black smoke.

Ail and An who at some point, came back, couldn't believe their eyes.

"Curses! I had no idea there were six Guardians!" Ail growled in anger.

"Don't worry! We'll get them next time!" An said.

And the two disappeared in retreat.

Sailor Moon and Solaris who managed to get their strength back turned back towards their friends, not believing their eyes.

"I don't believe it!" Sailor Moon cried, joyfully. "You guys are back!"

"Of course we're back, dummy," Sailor Mars smiled. "Honestly, you two really thought that you could handle things by yourselves?"

"That's why we're here," said Sailor Jupiter. "After all, we can leave you two alone."

* * *

The next day, at the Hikawa Shrine, the Guardians as well as Luna and Artemis all met up to celebrate their reunion, and to discuss the news about the auditions.

"I heard that Mikan Shiratori collapsed from exhaustion," said Minako. "So the TV drama has been canceled."

"Well, that's too bad," said Ami. "But at the same time, it's a relief for me because I can now focus on my studies."

"That aside, it sucks that we've got to put up fighting alongside Usagi again," grumbled Rei. "I'd much rather do that TV drama."

"I'm sorry, everyone," apologized Luna. "If Usagi had been a bit more competent, you could have continued to live in peace."

"I have to apologize as well," said Harusuke. "I know that Usagi's... well, Usagi, I thought I'd be more than enough to protect her, and was even against bringing you girls back, but it was too much for even me to handle."

"Don't worry about it," said Makoto, patting Harusuke's shoulder. "It couldn't be helped. Besides, a new enemy has appeared, so it's our mission to defend Earth. Right, gang?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Usagi, on the other hand, was feeling bright and cheerful, not even paying attention in the least.

"That's right! But I'd much rather play!" she giggled. "That and all we have to do now is bring back Mamoru's memories!"

Harusuke and Luna groaned sweatdropping.

"Again, how in the name of everything holy, is Usagi, my sister, again?" Harusuke sighed.

"Well, at least she didn't forget about being a dork," Luna spoke flatly.


	53. Chapter 52

It was night time in Juuban. Usagi, Harusuke, and Makoto all met up with Ami just outside of her cram school.

"Come on, Ami! Pretty please?" begged Usagi as she nuzzled her cheek on Ami's shoulder. "Take pity on your poor, lost, little Usagi, and tell me the questions and answers on tomorrow's big test? Pretty please?"

As she continued to beg, a couple of people noticed her and couldn't help, but snigger at Usagi, much Ami's embarrassment. Makoto and Harusuke however, didn't say a word, pretending that they didn't know her. Ami then looked at Usagi, and the ordango blonde's eyes sparkled, thinking that she had finally given in. At the same time, Makoto whipped out a small notebook, her pencil at the ready. However, Ami's face was stern as she yanked her arm away.

"Now you listen here, Usagi!" Ami spoke firmly. "Even if I were to give you all the right answers, if you don't understand them, it would only end up hurting you later in life."

"But the big test from hell is tomorrow, and it's going to hurt more! I'm always failing those big tests!" whined Usagi. "I'm like a "drowning person trying to grasp at a string rope"!"

"First of all, you mean you're grasping at straws," Harusuke corrected. "Secondly, you should listen to Ami, Usagi. She's made up your mind, and you have to accept it. Besides, if you got time to beg, then you got time to study of which was what I've been trying to tell you."

"Yeah. You're asking way too much of Ami," added Makoto, patting her shoulder. "You should just accept it and move on."

"And what about you, Mako?" Usagi spoke, glaring. "Explain why you're here too!"

Makoto gulped as she scratched her cheek. "Well, I figured if I asked Ami some questions, then acing tomorrow's test would be easy," she said.

"So basically, your reason is the same as Usagi's," Harusuke sighed. "I might've known."

Now Ami was cross. "Just listen to the both of you!" she scolded. "We're going to be third-year students next year. When it comes to your studies, you both need to get serious!"

Makoto then sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she said, apologetically. "I feel ashamed now..."

"Well, when that time comes, we'll all figure something out!" Usagi spoke brightly. "No need to worry."

"I don't need to worry because unlike you two, I study," Harusuke said. "So don't even think of lumping me with you two."

Suddenly, there was a loud scream, which made them jump. Thinking that there was trouble, Makoto and Harusuke rushed down the hill from the school, and saw what was going on. A young boy with short brown hair in a school uniform was staring down at a strange creature which made him terrified. The beast was practically a pink humanoid lion that was colored pink, had razor claws and sharp teeth, piercing green eyes, and a billowing white mane. Also, just above it was a strange wheel of which you'd see from a spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty.

The beast then roared as the wheel began to spin around and around. At that moment, a beam of shot out from it, and zapped the boy causing him to scream in agony as his energy was being drained and seeing this Makoto and Harusuke immediately jumped out intervening.

"Stop right there!" Makoto yelled.

"Leave him alone!" Harusuke shouted.

The boy then saw Makoto. "No, Mako! You and your friend have to stay away from that thing!"

Makoto looked at the boy back, and gasped recognizing him. "Kenji?! Is that you?!"

At that moment, the beast roared at it pounced straight towards Makoto and Harusuke. Harusuke immediately stepped in between Makoto and the monster to protect her, but then, Kenji rushed on over and knocked Makoto and Harusuke out of the way just time. However, he put so much force to knock them down; he ended up going over the edge of the hill and fell to the ground below in a sickening thud.

"No! Kenji!" Makoto shouted.

The pink lion beast then roared as it prepared to pounce at Makoto again. Harusuke raised his hand about to transform, but then, Ami and Usagi finally caught to them. The lion looked up, seeing them, and thinking that they were too many witnesses around, it disappeared in a flash of green light. The moment it was gone, Makoto immediately rushed over to Kenji. He had fallen unconscious, and due to the trauma that he suffered from the fall, his head was oozing blood.

"Kenji! Can you hear me?!" Makoto begged, as she lifted him. "Please say something!"

"Is he alright?!" Usagi asked worriedly.

Harusuke rushed over and checked Kenji. He then gasped and looked towards Ami and Usagi, his face full of alarm. "Call nine, one, one! He's in bad shape! Hurry!"

* * *

A few moments later, Kenji was rushed to the hospital with Usagi and the others by his side. Nurses rushed around doing their best to save Kenji, but they soon encountered a big problem.

"He needs three units of Type O blood now!" shouted the head nurse.

"We don't have enough, Type O blood, Head Nurse!" cried another nurse.

"Then prep him with what we've got, now!" yelled the head nurse. "We're racing against time!"

Then Makoto had an idea. "My blood is Type O! Please use my blood!"

Everyone was surprised, but the head nurse wasted no time.

"Please! Lie down on the stretcher!" she ordered. Then she turned to the other nurse. "Hurry! Get me a kit on the double!"

"Yes, Nurse!" said the other nurse as she raced away.

* * *

Back in their dimension with the Makai Tree, the lion beast, had made its back to Ail and An's place. Ail was playing his flute controlling the monster, and the spinning wheel reappeared above the beast. It let out a roar, and the spinning wheel began releasing all the energy it took from Kenji into the Makai Tree. When it did, the tree started to glow in a bright light bathing Ail and An with its glow, filling them with strength and energy, and its leaves blooming with vitality. The glow eventually died down, and the lion beast reverted into a card and flew to Ail's hand just as he finished playing.

"The spinning wheel that spins out happiness and misfortune, and no one can avoid the fate they are dealt," Ail smirked with triumph.

"I concur," agreed An. "We safely lived through another day, which is good fortune for us."

"But we can't just relax, An," went on Ail. "The ones who call themselves the Guardians, that little boy, and those lovely girls-"

"Lovely?" puzzled An.

Ail then cleared his throat quickly, correcting himself. "I mean that boy, and those five frightening girls are powerful enemies, so we must be cautious," he said.

"If that's the case, then we should think of every human on this planet as our enemy," said An. "Therefore, we not only have to be careful, but we can't allow those earthlings to know who we are."

"That's right, An," nodded Ail. Then, he went over to An and held her hand tenderly. "By the way, you know that you're the only one I can trust, right An?"

"Of course I do, Ail," An smiled sweetly. "You are everything to me."

The two gazed at each other with longing eyes, then they both shared a kiss confirming their love for each other.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Usagi and the others were still at the hospital. Makoto was still lying on her stretch, giving Kenji her blood via IV as he slept peacefully.

"Mako, are you all right?" asked Ami.

"If you start feeling anemic, I can give blood too," said Usagi. "After all, I'm a Type O."

"Thank you, but you all have a test tomorrow," said Makoto. "You three should probably be heading home."

"Like we'd leave you here all by yourself," Harusuke spoke gently. "Besides, you're more important than some test."

"That's right. We'll be fine staying here with you," agreed Ami. "Besides, I've been studying all week, so there's really no need for me to study."

"Same with me," nodded Usagi. "Besides, cramming this late won't do any good."

"So Mako, can you tell us about Kenji?" asked Harusuke. "I mean what kind of guy is he?"

Makoto then smiled. "A very special guy," she said, as she looked at Kenji. "He's always been there for me, no matter what happened. That's the kind of person he is. There was this one time when I had been dumped for the umpteenth time; he was there to comfort me. On that rainy day, he was the one who offered me his umbrella. You see, he and I were childhood friends, and whenever I was having a hard time, Kenji was there for me. He always cared about me when I really need it. Just like today, even though his life was in danger, he was determined to save me first."

Usagi stared at Makoto, filled with admiration. "Wow! So does that mean that you and Kenji are in love?!" she asked eagerly.

Harusuke then bopped Usagi on the head, causing her to yelp.

"Way to wreck the mood, you dummy," he spoke scolding. "Besides, you shouldn't be asking something like that, right now!"

Makoto smiled kindly. "No. It's okay. Besides, it's different from that," she said softly. "Actually, Kenji's way more precious to me than any boyfriend could ever be."

Usagi, Harusuke, and Ami all stared at Makoto in amazement not expecting to see this side of her. One thing's for sure, Makoto seemed to be very close to Kenji, and she truly cared about him as a best friend.

* * *

Later that night, back the Tsukino house in her room, Usagi was busily at work drawing a series of pictures of herself as Princess Serenity, and Mamoru as Prince Endymion in an attempt to restore his memory. As she doodled, she couldn't stop thinking about Makoto and Kenji, which made her feel all the more inspired.

"I feel the same way about Mamoru, too!" she spoke with determination. "Now, I need to figure out how to restore his memory."

Then Luna came up to her.

"Sorry to interrupt your study session," the black feline said. "But we're having a meeting tomorrow at Hikawa Shrine to talk about what happened today."

Usagi didn't hear Luna, nor did she even notice she was in the room. Feeling a bit curious as to why she was so focused, Luna then hopped onto the table. She then saw the photos that Usagi had drawn, nearly making her eyes pop out.

"You're doodling instead of studying?!" Luna groaned. Then she hung in her head, shaking it. "You're so going flunk another test."

Usagi still didn't hear her, as she looked out of her window still thinking about Makoto and Kenji.

 _"Oh, Mako. I sure hope Kenji feels better soon,"_ she thought to herself.

* * *

In his room, Harusuke was busily at work studying, just stopping to take a break. He stretched his arms and then relaxed against the chair, staring up at the ceiling. As he did, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier on, particularly, what Makoto had said about Kenji.

 _ **"...it's different from that. Actually, Kenji's more precious to me than any boyfriend could ever be."**_

 _"More precious than a boyfriend, huh?"_ Harusuke thought to himself. _"I've never heard those words come out from Makoto's mouth before. It makes me wonder how close those two are."_ _  
_

At that moment, a memory flashed in Harusuke's mind. It was the memory of when he and Suzette, or rather Zoisite, were going out on their date. The thought alone made Solaris suddenly cringe as he shook his head rapidly, trying to get that thought out of his head.

"What the... Why am I thinking about that all of a sudden?" Harusuke wondered to himself. "Especially that particular memory."

He then looked out the window gazing up towards the sky as he thought about Makoto feeling worried.

 _"Makoto must have be very tired after giving up so much blood,"_ he thought. _"I sure hope she feels better tomorrow. Because if we end up fighting that monster again, there's a strong possibility that she's going to want to fight for revenge, but if her body isn't up to full strength..."_

Then Harusuke remembered back when Makoto died at the hands of Neprhite in the battle of the Dark Kingdom. The thought alone made him shiver and his heart palpitate a little. He clutched his hand in his hands as he bit his lip trying to calm himself down. He took a few deep breaths easing his heart, then when he calmed down a little, he looked back up towards the star filled sky.

"Mako... please get better soon," he said to himself. "And if you're not up to full strength, I'll do whatever I can to protect you and help you avenge Kenji. I promise you."

* * *

The next day, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako, along with Luna and Artemis all met up at the Hikawa Shrine for their meeting.

"Here's what we know about the enemy so far," said Luna. "They appear to be after the life of energy of humans, just like the Dark Kingdom."

"And it can't possibly be them, because it was destroyed," said Artemis. "So we have reason to believe due to the recent events that there's another evil presence on the loose out there."

"I agree," said Rei thoughtfully. "And to add to that, their aura may be evil, but it's completely different."

"I'm thinking maybe all this has something to do with that strange meteor that people saw fall two weeks ago," Ami added. "Remember that giant crater? Something for sure made it, but there was nothing there."

Makoto then suddenly punched a wooden beam that shook from the impact, making everyone jump. "I don't care who they are!" she snapped fiercely. "Anyone who dares hurt my friends, I'll tear them apart!"

"That's all fine, Mako, but please don't destroy my place," Rei begged awkwardly.

"Speaking of which, how's Kenji doing, Mako?" asked Ami softly. "Is he doing any better?"

Makoto's anger was then replaced with sadness. "He's still at the hospital, confined to his bed," she said quietly.

Luna then noticed that two certain someones hadn't arrived for their meeting. "What's keeping, Usagi? I told her she had to be here. And Harusuke's missing too."

"Well, they do have a test," said Minako. "So maybe Usagi's at home studying with Harusuke and..." She then trailed off realizing. "On second thought, Usagi's not doing that, is she?"

Luna shook her head in response.

"And as usual, Harusuke's trying her best to put up with her, isn't he?" asked Rei.

Luna could only nod.

* * *

Back in town, Harusuke and Usagi were racing towards Hikawa Shrine as fast as they could.

"Oh, man! We're so late!" panted Usagi, as she ran. "How could I have been so stupid?!"

"Well, I tried to tell you, but you being the person that you are, didn't bother to pay attention to me!" Harusuke wheezed. "Why couldn't you have written yourself a reminder on your hand or something?!"

"Give me a break, Harusuke!" snapped Usagi. "If I want to be yelled at, I would have gone to Rei!"

Then the two looked up ahead. There just a few feet away, walking casually, was Mamoru. The moment Usagi saw her, she immediately forgot about being late, and screech to a halt. Mamoru then noticed the two.

"Well, if it isn't Bun-Head and her brother, Harusuke," Mamoru said. "What's up, you two?"

"Mamoru, listen to me. You've got to remember," Usagi pleaded. "Do you still not remember who I am?"

Mamoru raised a brow feeling confused, and Harusuke shook his head, pinching his nose. He was just about to try and reel Usagi back, but then Usagi dug into her bookbag and whipped out the pictures she had drawn, much to Mamoru's and Harusuke's surprise.

"Here, maybe this will help you remember," Usagi said, as she began her story. "Once upon a time, there was an Earth Prince named Endymion. The prince was in love with the Moon Princess, whose name was Serenity. But they were attacked by the evil Dark Kingdom, and the two of them became separated which made Serenity sad. Then Endymion disguised himself as Tuxedo Mask, and he protected Serenity from all the evil forces, and then the two of them-"

At that moment, someone appearing from seemingly out of nowhere cut Usagi off pushing her pictures down. It was Natsumi. Usagi was cross when she saw Natsumi.

"What's the big idea?!" Usagi snapped. "I wasn't finished yet!"

"That is such a ridiculous story!" Natsumi spoke. "I'm thinking that you're a bit too old for fairy tales, you silly little girl."

Usagi was angrier than ever, and was ready to reap her a new one, but Harusuke held her back with a hand trying to prevent her. Then Natsumi turned to Harusuke smiling sweetly.

"Hi there, Harusuke. There was something I wanted to ask you," she said. "I was wondering if the two of us could go out and do something together. I know a great disco that's close by here."

"First of all, I'm not really much of a dancer, Natsumi," said Harusuke flatly. "Secondly, that has to be one of the strangest offers I've ever heard. You do know that disco died ages ago, right?"

Natsumi gulped not knowing that, but she didn't give in.

"Well, then maybe we could go out for karaoke?" she asked. "I'm a pretty good singer!"

She then demonstrated by singing a few lines from a song of which sounded terrible. Harusuke wanted to cover his ears, but he didn't want to be rude. Usagi however, was even more cross at Natsumi, wanting to tell her to stay away from her brother, but that anger quickly vanished, for she noticed at some point Mamoru had wisely disappeared during the ensuing chaos. She then saw him in the distance, walking away as fast as he could until he was out of sight. Usagi now felt sad.

 _"Oh, Mamoru, Your memory of our past still hasn't come back,"_ she thought miserably. _"What if he never gets comes back? What if the Mamoru I know and love is lost forever?"_

She felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears as she was about to cry. At that moment, a red happened to peek out just in front of her face, which made her heart jump.

 _"Tuxedo Mask?!"_ she thought.

But to her shock as well as her disappointment, it wasn't Tuxedo Mask at all. It was Natsumi's brother, Seijuuro who was holding a bouquet of roses.

"Usagi, tears like that don't suit a face as lovely as yours," Seijuuro spoke kindly. "I came here today because I have something important to tell you."

Usagi looked up at Seijuuro feeling puzzled, but gave him her attention.

"I would like to congratulate you, Usagi," smiled Seijuuro. "For you have won my heart. I love you, and I would like you to please accept my love."

Usagi gasped in surprise. "S-Seijuuro? Did... you just say your love?" she stammered.

"Yes I did," Seijuuro continued in a passionate voice. "The love we share is as eternal as the universe. Won't you please come with me to beyond the stars?"

He held out the flowers to Usagi and put on his most sophisticated and sweetest face. Usagi was now blushing bright red, her heart skipping a beat, and feeling very flattered by Seijuuro and his charm. She reached out about to take the roses from his hands, but at that moment, while still trying to shoo Natsumi away, Harusuke saw what was going on, and immediately rushed on over.

"Now hold it right there!" he snapped. "Just what do you think you're doing, Seijuuro?!"

"I'm simply having a conversation with Usagi," Seijuuro said coolly. "Nothing you needn't worry about."

"When it comes to you being around Usagi with a bouquet of roses, that's when I start to get worried," Harusuke spoke glaring. He then grabbed Usagi by the hand and started pulling her along. "I'm sorry to tell you two, but Usagi an I have somewhere that we need to be. Right, Usagi?"

"U-Um, yeah. Sure!" Usagi agreed, snapping out of her daze. "We're in a rush, and we have to go! See you!"

And the Tsukinos raced away leaving Natsumi and Seijuuro behind. The two were a bit disappointed that their advances failed, but they weren't ready to give up on the two just yet.

 _"The more she turns me away, the more intense my love becomes,"_ Seijuuro thought to himself. _"Usagi..."_

 _"... Harusuke. Before you know it, you will be all mine,"_ Natsumi smirked to herself. _"It's only a matter of time."_

Then at that moment, Natsumi and Seijuuro had finally taken notice of one another, and jumped in surprise.

"Wait, what are you doing here?!" the two exclaimed pointing at each other.

* * *

Back at the shrine, the other girls were inside the temple in front of the Great Flame. Rei using her spiritual powers as a priestess, was focusing intently on the flames trying to figure out where the Cardian would strike next. At that moment, her eyes snapped open as the fire began showing an image of the Cardian in question which made everyone gasp.

"That's it!" Makoto cried. "That's the monster that attacked Kenji!"

"It's giving off an extremely evil aura," Rei spoke. "Not only that, but I think it's about to go after its next prey! Let's go!"

"Damn it! I don't care what that thing is!" Makoto spoke, her hands balling into fists. "I'll make it regret hurting Kenji!"

* * *

It was already dusk when Usagi and Harusuke had finally arrived at Hikawa Shrine. They both were panting heavily and felt a bit tired.

"Geez, what was that about, Harusuke?" gasped Usagi. "I'm out of breath here."

"We were running late, and we couldn't afford to waste any more time," Harusuke panted. "Besides, those two are nuttier than fruit loops! Especially that womanizer, Seijuuro! If he ever dares to try that stunt again, I'm gonna-"

Then they both heard the pitter patter of running feet, which was coming from the top of the stairs. The Tsukino siblings looked up, and they saw their friends transformed and ready for battle as they came running down the stairs going past them.

"What the- What's going on girls?!" Harusuke asked.

"Why is everyone transformed?" wondered Usagi.

Sailor Mercury then stopped. "Usagi! Harusuke! We need you two!" she spoke urgently. "Come on!"

"But where are we going?" asked Usagi.

"No time to explain! Hurry!" said Sailor Mercury, as she took off running again.

"There must be trouble," Harusuke spoke. "Come on, Usagi! Let's go!"

He then rushed on ahead, leaving Usagi by herself.

"Look, guys, I know that it's my fault for being late," she said in a pouty frown. "But you could at least tell us where we're going."

"Just transform, you blockhead!" snapped Sailor Mars crossly. "Get with the program, or we're leaving you behind!"

Usagi jumped feeling a bit started, and she and Harusuke immediately transformed.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms, and pink ribbon wraps around her arms, turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him, shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke opens his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

When they finished transforming, Sailor Moon and Solaris rushed after their comrades as they ran as fast as they could.

"I can feel the evil aura getting stronger!" called out Sailor Mars. "It's coming from Juuban Park!"

"That makes sense. It's very dark over there," said Sailor Mercury. "Over there, it can attack its victims without being seen. A perfect place for the element of surprise!"

Then as they grew closer to Juuban Park, Sailor Jupiter suddenly felt a powerful surge of weakness shoot through her body, almost causing her to faint. Luckily, she was able to lean against a telephone pole for support, but she was out of breath and very weak. This did not go unnoticed by Sailor Moon and Solaris, and they went over to check on her.

"Sailor Jupiter, are you alright?!" asked Sailor Moon worriedly.

Sailor Jupiter shook her head, trying to get the weakness out of her system as she regained some of her strength.

"I'm fine," she spoke bravely. "C'mon, we have to go."

"Hold on a minute, Jupiter. You still haven't fully recovered from giving your blood to Kenji last night," he said with a hint of concern. "Not to mention that you didn't get such sleep because of that either."

"Yeah! Your body's just not ready for this," said Sailor Moon. "You really should go back home and rest."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," said Sailor Jupiter. "There's no need for-"

"It's too dangerous to fight in your condition!" Sailor Moon spoke firmly. "You need to go home! I mean it! We all know that I'm not as tough as you are, but I promise I'll do my best to fight that monster. So please, go home or else you might die!"

Sailor Jupiter was surprised. "Y-You'd both would do that for me?" she asked quietly staring.

"Yeah. And that goes for me too," said Solaris, who was begging too. "You already died once back in the fight with the Dark Kingdom. We don't want to see you die again! So please, don't fight! Just rest and let us handle that monster!"

Sailor Jupiter could see in their eyes that Sailor Moon and Solaris were anxious about her safety, which touched her heart.

"Thank you both very much for caring and worrying about me," she spoke kindly. "But I have to do this. I can't allow that monster to hurt anyone else like Kenji. I'm going to take that thing down if it's the last thing I do!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris could now see that there was no way of talking Sailor Jupiter out of fighting.

"Alright then, we get it," Sailor Moon said, resigning. "We won't try and stop you anymore, but you better not overdo it okay?"

Sailor Jupiter smiled. "I won't, I promise," she said. "Now let's get going you two!"

She then took off running ahead of them, leaving Solaris and Sailor Moon behind watching her go. Solaris then patted Sailor Moon's shoulder gently which made her look up at him.

"It'll be okay, Sailor Moon," Solaris said. "If all else fails, we'll jump in and help Sailor Jupiter. Okay?"

Sailor Moon paused for a second or two, then she replied with a nod. Then the two heroes raced after her towards Juuban Park.

* * *

At the park, the Cardian was closing on a helpless couple with the spinning wheel shimmering above it, preparing to drain their energy. Then...

"Hold it right there!"

The beast looked behind itself and saw the Guardians who had just arrived just in time.

"My friends and I are cramming as hard as we can for tomorrow's test!" Sailor Jupiter spoke, as she gunned straight for the monster. "Interfering with that is unforgivable!"

"Sailor Jupiter, wait!" cried Sailor Mercury.

But Sailor Jupiter was already attacking. She extended her antenna preparing to unleash her Supreme Thunder attack, but then, the Cardian unleashed a powerful blast from his mouth, which hit Sailor Jupiter, knocking her backward to the ground, unconscious. Sailor Moon and Solaris immediately went over to help their friend while Sailor Mars jumped into the fray whipping out an ofuda and throwing it at the beast.

"EVIL SPIRIT, BE EXERCISED!"

However, the beast saw the paper tag coming for her and with a quick swipe of her paw, sliced it to ribbons. Sailor Venus then tried to attack next.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

But before she could fire it, the Cardian unleashed another powerful blast from its mouth, blasting Venus, Mars, and Mercury all at once knocking them all to the ground, down and out.

"No! Sailor Mercury! Mars! Venus!" cried Sailor Moon.

"That's insane!" gasped Solaris. "That thing took out all three of them with a single attack! Just how strong is that thing?!"

The two then stood bravely before that monster as it looked at them.

"How dare you attack innocent people without any explanation!" scolded the Guardian of the Moon. "I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"If you mess with those innocent people, then you're messing with us!" Solaris spoke bravely. "I am Solaris! And in the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

The beast wasn't intimidated as it fired another beam from its mouth. Sailor Moon and Solaris immediately separated, jumping out of the way from the blast. The Cardian cut off Sailor Moon's escape route and licked its chops cornering her.

"No! Sailor Moon!" cried Solaris, as he tried to get over to help her.

"St-stay away from me!" yelped Sailor Moon.

The Cardian didn't listen as she brandished her claws, preparing to pounce. But then, something shot down from above striking the ground between them causing everyone to stop. Sticking from the ground was a single white rose.

"A white rose?!" gasped Sailor Moon. "C-Could it be?!"

"It can't be!" Solaris spoke.

Everyone looked up wondering where the rose came from and they saw someone standing on top of a tree branch. However, it wasn't Tuxedo Mask. Instead, it was a man that wore a clad of white Arabian Robes with a mask and cape matching in color, and a saber on his belt.

"Tonight's moon is perfect to express one's love," the man said. "Despicable monsters like that one don't suit an evening such as this."

Sailor Moon and Solaris stared at the newcomer in amazement, Sailor Moon, in particular, couldn't help but stare with awe and some slight giddiness.

"C-Could it be?" she murmured. "Is it possible? Could it be Endymion?"

She then called out to him. "Tell me, who are you?"

"I am known as the Moonlight Knight," the man proclaimed.

Sailor Moon couldn't help but blush with amazement feeling smitten with the Moonlight Knight. The Cardian who had enough let out a roar and jumped towards the Moonlight Knight wanting to make her prey.

"Hey! Watch it!" yelled Solaris. "That thing's coming right for you!"

But the Moonlight Knight had already leaped into the air dodging the Cardian, and saw the spinning wheel hovering in the air. He took out his saber from his belt and took careful aim.

"The wheel of misfortune stops here!" he shouted, as he threw his saber at the wheel.

His saber shot forward slicing through the air and struck quick and true, destroying the spinning wheel. The beast roared in agony as it convulsed and writhed having its power source destroyed. It fell the ground in a heap while the Moonlight Knight landed safely back on his branch.

"Amazing," said Solaris with wonder. "He took out that Cardian with a single hit by taking out that wheel. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Thank you, Moonlight Knight," Sailor Moon said, gratefully.

"Sailor Moon, when the time is right, we will be able to talk again," said the Moonlight Knight. "I look forward to that day. Until then, Adieu."

And with a wave of his cape, he vanished from sight. Sailor Moon felt even more smitten with him than ever before, while Solaris felt a bit annoyed for being ignored.

Sailor Jupiter then woke up having to have somewhat recovered from the previous attack.

"Damn it," she groaned, as she held her head. "What just happened?"

Then she saw Sailor Moon and Solaris along with the fallen Cardian. The Cardian began to stir, until it finally got back up eyeing Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"Sailor Moon! Solaris! Look out!" yelled Sailor Jupiter.

Hearing Sailor Jupiter's warning, the two looked back in time to see the beast pounce straight for them. Reacting quickly, Solaris immediately pushed Sailor Moon out of the way as the lion-like creature pinned him to the ground letting out a triumphant roar. Solaris struggled as he tried to get it off of him, but he couldn't.

"Get off of me, you giant furball!" Solaris yelled.

Sailor Moon seeing that Solaris was in trouble, tried to go over and help him, but the Cardian fired another blast preventing her. Sailor Moon dodged the blow, but the attack was so powerful that she was blown backward landing on the ground stunning her. Sailor Jupiter tried to get back up to help her friends, but she faltered to her knees, feeling a dizzy spell come on again. The Cardian looked back at Solaris; it's green eyes gleaming with hunger and revenge, as it bared its fangs preparing to bite its prey.

Sailor Jupiter saw Sailor Moon on the ground, Solaris in trouble, and also thought about Kenji. Those thoughts alone sent her into a rage which filled her with adrenaline and strength.

"How dare you... HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIENDS?!" she roared. "YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY UNFORGIVEABLE!"

Her antenna extended from her tiara and she began to spark with lightning.

"JUPITER, MY GUARDIAN PLANET! BRING FORTH A STORM! SUMMON THE CLOUDS! AND BRING DOWN YOUR THUNDER! JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

She then unleashed a powerful green blast of lightning at the Cardian using every ounce of her rage and power. The _at":tack_ hit its mark as the Cardian shrieked loudy as it was shocked by the attack. The Cardian was then reverted back into a card its image turning black, and finally taken down. Sailor Jupiter now completely spent, fell flat on bum exhausted, but was glad that the Cardian was destroyed. Sailor Moon and Solaris then went over to her.

"Sailor Jupiter, are you okay?" asked Sailor Moon worriedly.

Sailor Jupiter then smiled. "I'm all right, but I'm glad you two are okay."

"You saved us, Jupiter," said Solaris placing a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you so much. We'll never forget this."

Sailor Moon then embraced Sailor Jupiter in a hug. "You bet we won't!"

Then Sailor Venus, Mars, and Mercury all regained conscious as well. They were a bit surprised that the fight was over, but we glad that everyone came out okay.

* * *

The next day, Kenji was finally released from the hospital, and was now leaving for home with his mother. Makoto, Ami, Usagi, and Harusuke all watched as he went.

"I'm really glad that Kenji's all better now," said Ami.

"Yeah. You got to hand it to the guy," said Harusuke. "He's not only brave, but he's also a trooper."

"Say, Mako, aren't you gonna go and say something to him?" asked Usagi. "I mean you were worried about him more than any of us."

Makoto shook her head. "No. There's no reason to," she said. "You see, Kenji has always watched over me from afar. So now, I'll do the same for him today."

Harusuke looked at Makoto for a brief moment; then he looked back towards Kenji.

 _"I could really learn a thing or two from Kenji,"_ he thought. _"If I'm gonna be able to protect the girls, I'd have to be as brave and willing as he is if not more."_

* * *

That night, Usagi sat alone on her bed looking out her window, the sky dark with only the twinkling of stars and the glowing crescent moon for light. She was still thinking about Makoto and Kenji which amazed her in some ways, but also made her curious and puzzled too.

 _"I don't really get the relationship between Mako and Kenji,"_ she thought. _"But I can't help but wonder. Can a boy and a girl have a friendship that's more powerful than romantic love?"  
_

She then started to think about the Moonlight Knight.

 _"Moonlight Knight has to be Endymion,"_ she thought. _"But if it is, why didn't he stay and... I'm confused..."_

Then suddenly, a page filled with math problems appeared in front of her face, which made Usagi jump interrupting her thoughts. The page that she turned out to come from Usagi's math book which was being held by Luna, who wore a mischevious grin on her features.

"Hey Usagi, don't you have to study for tomorrow?" she asked cheekily. "Do you know the answer to this problem?"

Usagi stared at the problem blankly feeling like she was reading something from a foreign country. Then she let out a wail of frustration.

"I don't have a clue!" she cried. "That math test is gonna be way harder than figuring out how boys and girls relate to each other!"

Just hang in there, Usagi. You'll understand the relationship between boy and girl soon enough. And maybe... you'll pass on your math test too. ^^;


	54. Chapter 53

It was another peaceful morning in the Tsukino household. Usagi was sleeping peacefully in her bed, wanting to sleep in because she had no school. However, her quiet morning would soon be interrupted, by her mother Ikuko, who burst into the room.

"Usagi!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Wake up! How long do you intend to stay in bed?! It's time to get up!"

But Usagi groaned in her sleep pulling the covers over her head. Ikuko then grabbed a firm hold of Usagi's bed and tried to yank it off of her sleeping form, but Usagi not wanting to get up or back down, clung tightly to the blankets trying to pull them back. However, thanks to the strength of Mom on her side, Ikuko won their little tug of war ripping the sheets off of Usagi causing her to fall face fire into Luna's pillow on the floor causing the cat to jump up yowling in surprise.

"Aww! Come on, Mom!" complained Usagi. "There's no school today!"

"Don't you give me that excuse," Ikuko spoke scolding. "It's a lovely day, and you should be up enjoying it. Your father, Shingo, and Harusuke are already out."

"But I'm still sleepy!" whined Usagi, as she began throwing a tantrum. "Stop being so mean, Mom! Give me back my blanket!"

Then after spending her energy, Usagi grabbed her pillow from her bed and plopped her face into going back to sleep, while Luna sighed, shaking her head exasperated.

* * *

Inside the dimension with the Makai Tree, An was there inspecting the current state of the tree. For the moment, the tree seemed to be doing okay, but it was still wilting slightly as some of the leaves began to fall. An then left the dimension and back into the room where Ail was sitting at a table looking at a piece of paper.

"We haven't been able to collect as much energy from the Makai Tree as I had hoped no thanks to those Guardians interfering," said An.

At that moment, Ail entered via the doorway. "We both are very aware that the Makai Tree is the source of our life energy," said Ail, not looking up from his paper. "And if it withers, then we too will slowly wither and die. Which is why I think I have an idea for our next plan."

He then placed the piece of paper on the table, showing it to An. It had a picture of two men wielding guns and shooting monsters with heading on top in bold letters.

" "Virtual Reality Theatre, now open in Juuban District," " An read.

"Doesn't that seem like a charming spot for a Cardian to bare its energy-zapping fangs?" Ail asked, with a smirk.

An smirked back in agreement. "Well, why don't we take a trip into town, Ail?" she spoke. "And while we're there, we can seek out some new energy."

* * *

In the Juuban District, Usagi and Luna had just arrived at the Virtual Reality Theatre. Usagi gazed up at the large sign in amazement as it emitted large flashes of colorful light.

"Wow. So this is that virtual thingy where the games are supposed to look real, but they really aren't real or something?" Usagi asked Luna.

"It's called a Virtual Reality Theatre," deadpanned Luna. "I thought you of all people would know that."

"Of course, I know that!" Usagi pouted huffily. "It's just basically a huge arcade." She then was filled with determination and pride. "Guess it's time for me to show off the gaming skills that earned me the title, "The Demon of the Arcade"!"

She then raced off to stand in line, while Luna held on for dear life on her shoulder. As she did, she couldn't help but look back, noticing that a couple of other people weren't around.

"I invited Rei and the other girls to join, but I guess they aren't here yet," said Luna. "And I even told Harusuke, but I guess he had other plans."

They soon found the line going inside, which was very long. Then as Usagi was about to step into line, she noticed something. All of the people that were waiting in line were mostly couples, and that alone made her a bit jealous as well as lonely.

"All I see are nothing but couples," she sighed. "Luna, let's just skip it, okay? I mean it's just pretend-war, anyway."

"But that was the whole idea of being here, Usagi!" protested Luna. "You still haven't regained your sense of duty as a Guardian, and this will help you build up your fighting spirit."

"But I don't want to work on my fighting skills!" Usagi groaned.

She was about to start complaining, but then her mood soon changed when she realized something which made her blush.

"However, I would reconsider if I were here on a date with Mamoru!" she spoke giddily.

Now Luna was the one groaning. Then, Usagi's eyes narrowed at Luna as she glared at her, and before Luna could react, Usagi yanked her off of her shoulder and held her out in front of her in her hands beginning to shake her.

"Hey, Luna. You actually know how to restore Mamoru's memories, don't you?" Usagi said accusingly. "Tell me, right now! C'mon! Out with it!"

All Luna could do was yowl in protest, not being able to respond. At that moment, Usagi heard someone from behind her.

"Hey, don't take your frustration out on that poor little cat."

Usagi jumped her cheeks, turning pink, recognizing the voice immediately. She looked behind her, and sure enough, she saw Mamoru walking towards her.

"It's not the cat's fault you can't get a date," went on Mamoru teasingly. "If you don't have anything better to do, why don't you go to the library and do some studying like a good middle-schooler, Bun-Head?"

"It's none of your business!" Usagi snapped crossly. "I could get a date if I wanted to!"

"Sure, you could," chuckled Mamoru.

He then walked past Usagi who was now fuming, but then Usagi looked back towards Mamoru and realized that he was walking towards the end of the line to the theatre as well.

"Well, look at that! From the looks of things, he plans to go in alone too!" Usagi spoke, a grin slowly working its way to her cheeks. "Which means this is my chance!"

She then rolled up her sleeves filled with a fiery determination.

"Alright! I won't stop trying until I succeed!" Usagi spoke, as she took off running after Mamoru.

Luna watched Usagi run off dumbfounded and surprised. _"Why can't she show this kind of initiative during battle?!"_ she thought.

* * *

In another part of the line going into the theatre, Seijuuro and Natsumi had arrived ready to put their plan into action. Seijuuro went ahead towards the entrance, when an usher stopped him.

"Um, excuse me, sir, but you can't just cut in line," he said politely. "You have to wait just like everyone else."

Seijuuro looked at the usher and then shot a strange beam of purple light from his eyes shooting into the usher's hypnotizing him. The usher was now under his control. No sooner than this happened, there was a loud slap, and Natsumi's voice was heard, sharp and very angry.

"What do you think you're doing?! I have no intention of going out with you!"

Seijuuro looked behind him, and saw an irritated Natsumi glaring at a high school student who was holding his cheek in pain. From the looks of things, the high school student was trying to flirt with Natsumi, but Natsumi wouldn't have it and was so angry that she slapped him across the cheek. The high school student looked at Natsumi and scowled her.

"You little brat!" he scoffed. "Don't act like you're all that! You should be so lucky!"

This made Natsumi even angrier. She was just about to take action, when a calm but firm voice was heard.

"Why don't you stop being so tough and trying to pick up girls that don't want to go out with you? It's pitiful for a high-schooler like you."

Natsumi and the high school boy looked, and they both saw Harusuke who had just arrived.

The high school boy scowled at Harusuke. "What did you say to me?" he growled.

"I think you and I both know you heard me," Harusuke spoke. "Or have you gone deaf in the ears?"

The high school boy then stomped over to Harusuke until his face was inches away from his, but Harusuke didn't take a single step back refusing to back down. The two glared grimly at each other, until finally, the high school boy lost his nerve. With a click of his tongue, he turned on his heel and walked away, but not before giving Harusuke an akanbe face before running off. As soon as he was gone, Harusuke let out a sigh with relief, but his relief was short-lived as Natsumi immediately glomped onto him tightly.

"Harusuke! You came to my rescue!" Natsumi spoke gleefully. "I owe you such a debt of gratitude!"

"Um... yeah. Sure. No problem," Harusuke spoke awkwardly scratching his head. "You don't need to pay me back or anything."

"And as my way of saying thanks, I'll be your date today!"

"Well... I uh... "stammered Harusuke, now feeling flustered.

 _"Seriously! Out of all the people I had to save, it had to be Natsumi?!"_ he thought. _"And to add to that, she now wants to be my date?! So much for going by myself to do some independent training."_

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing, Natsumi?!" demanded an angry voice.

At that moment, Usagi and Mamoru came up just happening to come by. When Mamoru saw Natsumi hugging Harusuke, a sly grin crept up his cheeks.

"Wow, Harusuke. Who would have guessed that you'd get yourself a girlfriend," he teased. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Hey! She's not my girlfriend!" Harusuke protested. "I just saw that she needed help, and she just came onto me, OK?!"

Seijuuro now had also come up, feeling a bit jealous and cross that Natsumi was hugging Harusuke so tightly.

"And just what do you think you're doing, Natsumi?" Seijuuro asked, his eyebrow twitching.

Natsumi then let go of Harusuke giggling innocently. "Oh, hello, dear brother," she said. "I was thanking Harusuke for saving me, by taking him on a date, that's all. Nothing too crazy or anything."

Seijuuro took notice of Usagi who was next to Mamoru, which surprised him, but also made him glad to see her. Haarusuke saw Mamoru too, and thinking that Natsumi would try to ask him out again, he got an idea. He quickly slid over to Mamoru and introduced him.

"Say, Seijuuro. Natsumi. This is Mamoru, a friend of mine," he spoke, trying to be formal. "He and I were planning to go the event together, but then Natsumi came along, and stuff happened. So I figured, that since he was here along, the five of us could go together as a group."

"If that's the case, then I'm going as well!" Usagi spoke defiantly. "There's no way I'm gonna miss out on this! Someone's got to make sure that a certain someone doesn't try anything on my brother!"

Natsumi glared at Usagi fuming as the ordango blonde stuck out her tongue.

"Now wait just a minute," protested Mamoru. "I'm actually busy, so-"

But before he could say anything more, Harusuke yanked Mamoru's arm and pulled him aside.

"Hey, just what do you think you're doing, Harusuke?!" Mamoru demanded. "You're acting as crazy as Bun-Head!"

"Just listen to me for a minute, Mamoru!" Harusuke whispered harshly. "You gotta back me up here! Just go along with Natsumi and me, so people won't think that we're on a date! That's all!"

"Why can't you just tell her no then?!" Mamoru whispered back. "Just say no and tell her to back off!"

"Don't you think I've tried that?!" Harusuke snapped whispering. "Just stay with us for now, okay?! Do that, and I'll do whatever you ask!"

Harusuke then looked back to Natsumi, Seijuuro, and Usagi.

"Hey, you guys! Mamoru's coming with us! So what do you say we get going?" he called.

"Sounds good to me!" cheered Usagi. "Let's go!"

Then Usagi, a rather displeased Mamoru, and Harusuke walked towards the lines while Natsumi and Seijuuro hung back a few feet away from them. Seijuuro glanced at Natsumi and spoke low enough for her to hear.

"Natsumi, this isn't a game!" he spoke sternly.

"Don't worry. It's fine," Natsumi smiled. "Besides, it will attract less attention this way."

She then walked on ahead, leaving Seijuuro by himself.

"I'm not too sure about that," Seijuuro muttered. But then he smiled. "However, maybe this arrangement isn't so bad, after all."

He then caught up with the group, and the five walked towards the entrance skipping the line. At first, some of the people were cross that the five were going ahead of them, but the usher that Seijuuro hypnotized, calmed them down.

"These are Special VIP guests," he said. "Therefore, they're allowed to go in."

"How lucky are we?" Usagi spoke happily. "This is going to be so great!"

The five of them then went inside the theatre.

* * *

Inside, there were several rows of small cars, each one having a pair of joysticks for shooting the virtual monsters on display. Harusuke and Natsumi sat in one car, Usagi and Mamoru sat in another, and Seijuuro sat by himself. The projection soon got started showing moving buildings appearing that they were making their way into town, but then at that moment, a giant monster suddenly appeared on the screen, which looked like a green mechanical dragon. Upon seeing it, everyone in the theatre fired at the creature it was destroyed with a powerful kaboom which made the cars shake and lights flashing all around. Natsumi pretended to be scared as she clung to Harusuke's arm.

"Harusuke, I'm so scared!" Natsumi cried. "Please! Save me!"

"Hey! Get your hands off of him!" Usagi barked crossly from her car. "You're being rude and very unladylike!"

"He was just comforting me, so calm down!" Natsumi shot back. "Mind your own business!"

Some of the people looked towards them as the two yelled at each other, which made Harusuke blush with embarrassment.

 _"Oh, great. Just what I didn't want. More unwanted attention,"_ Harusuke thought, sighing. _"Can things get any worse?"_

But they could. At that moment, Harusuke and Usagi heard a familiar voice which came from a car in front of them.

"Usagi? Harusuke? Is that you two?"

Usagi and Harusuke looked toward the car, and to their surprise, they saw their father, Kenji, and Shingo too.

"Dad?! Shingo?! What the heck are you two doing here?!" Harusuke asked. "I would have thought this would be the last place you two would be!"

Usagi then leaned out of her car towards Shingo and wrapped her arm around his neck in a slight headlock. "Shingo, did you talk Dad into bringing you here?" Usagi demanded. "You know this isn't a place for little kids!"

"Stop bothering me! I'm doing fine!" Shingo protested, as he tried to break free. "Besides, these high-tech games are over your head, anyway!"

Usagi then punched Shingo on the head, making him yelp in pain. "Don't be such a wise guy!" she snapped. "Besides, that's not for you to decide!"

"Usagi! Be careful!" Harusuke cried. "If you're leaning over your car like that, the next time it shakes, you'll be sent flying!"

But Harusuke's warning came too late. At that moment, another monster appeared, which everyone shot. When it destroyed, the cars began to shake violently again, and Usagi was sent flying out of her car. Thinking quickly, Seijuuro jumped up and caught Usagi just before she fell out. When Natsumi saw this, she immediately stopped clinging to Harusuke, and glared at Seijuuro crossly.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Brother?!" she demanded.

"I-It was an accident!" Seijuuro stammered putting distance away from Usagi. "It just happened!"

"So sorry about that!" Usagi spoke, laughing awkwardly. "It just sorta happened!"

Kenji then whispered to Usagi. "Listen, I don't know what you're doing with those boys, but Daddy trusts you, you hear me?" He also turned to Harusuke. "And that goes for you too, Harusuke. Although, I didn't know that you would be able to get such a pretty girlfriend."

Usagi and Harusuke groaned in annoyance.

"It's not like that, Dad!" the two of them protested.

Mamoru could only pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighed in annoyance. "How in the heck did I get involved with these people?" he moaned.

* * *

Outside of the theatre, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako had arrived at some point and were now waiting in line for their turn. As they waited, Makoto couldn't help but feel a little impatient.

"How long are we gonna have to wait to get in?" Makoto moaned.

"Hopefully, it won't be much longer," smiled Minako. "You know the saying: "Good things come to those who stay." "

"I think you mean, "Good things come to those who wait." " corrected Ami.

* * *

Back inside, the attendees were now equipped with battle gear with lasers, so that they could go around shooting monsters. Shingo and Kenji went inside first, while Usagi's group followed a little bit after. As they walked around, Shingo couldn't help but pretend to be a superhero.

"I'm the cool grade-school boy who fights for justice, Sneaker Shingo!" Shingo proclaimed. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

At that moment, a projector of three bats appeared, and reacting quickly, Shingo and Kenji fired their ray guns and took them out in no time at all.

"All right! We got em, Dad!" Shingo cheered. "Nice shooting!"

"Not too bad from you old man, eh?" Kenji winked.

Then he looked back at Usagi and Harusuke and gave them a thumbs up and a wink, which made the two sigh in annoyance before going on ahead.

"Good grief," Harusuke sighed. "Dad's being overprotective and getting the wrong idea, as usual."

"And here he was going on about trusting us, when in reality he doesn't," Usagi spoke, annoyed.

Then as the ventured further, Natsumi caught sight of a strange green alien at popped up. She then pointed her gun and took it out immediately. When she did, she let out a squeal in delight and clung to both Mamoru and Harusuke's arms.

"I did it! I did it!" Natsumi cheered. "I got the monster! Do you guys see me?!"

Harusuke, Mamoru, and Usagi all glared at Natsumi a little irritated, and Seijuuro was glaring especially at Natsumi not liking the way she was clinging to the two boys.

But Natsumi reassured him. "Don't worry, Ail. It's all part of the act," she whispered to him. "We have to look like we're only here to have fun like everyone else."

Seijuuro didn't so sure about that.

Then another monster appeared, and Harusuke and Mamoru aimed with their gun take it out. However, someone else beat them to the punch taking out the monster instantly with one blast. That, someone, was Seijuuro who had a smug grin on his face. Mamoru's eyes narrowed at Seijuuro, taking it as a challenge, while Harusuke stepped back a little not wanting to get in the middle of it. The two gazed grimly at each other like a pair of cowboys at high noon, as several other projections of monsters appeared all around them. At that moment, the two began firing their guns with quick precision and skill each one taking out one after another, trying to prove who was more skilled. Usagi, Harusuke, and Natsumi watched the two go at it with amazement.

"Awesome!" Usagi gushed with glee. "They're both so cool!"

Harusuke then noticed several other monsters that appeared just behind the two. Before they had a chance to react, Harusuke leaped into the fray, and fired a few blasts from his gun taking them all out in a manner of seconds.

"Alright, Harusuke!" Natsumi cheered. "Just what I'd expect from my guy! He's a natural!"

Feeling pumped about the three boys showing off their skills, Usagi wanted to join in.

"Alright! I'm joining in too!" Usagi spoke bravely. "I've got natural skills too!"

Then as another projection appeared just to her left, Usagi fired her gun, but unfortunately for her, she missed her mark, which made Natsumi snigger.

"Nice try, Tsukino," Natsumi mocked. "Too bad, you missed."

"I just need a little more practice is all," Usagi spoke innocently. "I'm so barbaric as to go shooting for fun."

"That's a shame, but of course in all things, winning is what really counts," Natsumi grinned snootily. "So you might as well admit defeat right now, because you're clearly not a winner."

Now Usagi was mad. "What was that?!" she growled crossly.

The two gazed grimly at each other, neither one backing down. But then a monster suddenly appeared just behind the two, and the two jumped screaming with fright, Natsumi ending up bumping into Harusuke as he shot at it taking it out. Natsumi then once again clung to Harusuke giving him a love-sick look.

"Oh, this is so nice," she said sweetly. "I'd love to stay like this for a little longer."

Now Harusuke was fed up. "OK. That is enough," he spoke as he gently pushed her away. "You need to stop right now, Natsumi."

Natsumi looked hurt, and was about to cling to him again, but then Mamoru stepped in.

"You can't make people like you by forcing yourself upon them every chance you get," Mamoru scolded. "Harusuke feels bothered, so give him some space."

Usagi then gave both boys pats on their backs. "Well spoken, you two!" she said nodding. "Good for you, Harusuke and Mamoru."

Then another projection suddenly appeared behind Usagi, causing her to turn around and see it. Usagi let out a scream and was so frightened that she took off, running as fast as her feet could carry her.

"Bun-Head, come back!" yelled Mamoru. "You're gonna get lost in there!"

"Quick, after her!" Harusuke cried. "Let's catch her before that happens!"

Harusuke and Mamoru then ran after Usagi leaving Natsumi and Seijuuro by themselves. Natsumi was feeling a bit cross, but she wasn't for very long. She then pointed her finger at the projection that scared Usagi and fired a blast destroying it.

"Love is a game that must be won, right?" Natsumi spoke while looking at Seijuuro. "If that's the case, then I play to win."

Seijuuro angrily stared at Natsumi in silence, not saying a word.

Natsumi then draped her body on Seijuuro, starting to feel a little weak. "My body seeks energy," she moaned. "I'm getting close to my limit..."

"That's why I said this isn't a game!" Seijuuro snapped scolding. "Yet, here you are acting like it is!"

"Now, come on, Ail. Don't say that," Natsumi spoke sweetly before getting off of him. "Now then, it's time to take action!"

Seijuuro and Natsumi then transformed into their original forms, and Ail presented An with another hand of crystal cards.

"Now, choose an appropriate Cardian fo this place," Ail spoke.

An then pointed with her finger, and made the card at the end float sharply upward making it hover in the air. Ail then took out his flute, preparing to play.

"Now, Cardian Hellant!" Ail commanded. "I call upon you to appear!"

He then began to play his flute, and the card began to glow springing to life as it turned into a monster.

It had green skin, wearing a skimpy and brown swimsuit that covered just her nethers with large furry shoulder pads and strange white exoskeleton-like garb that wrapped around her back and covered her chest. Its eyes were red with yellow sclera and had brown hair that jutted upwards and pointed in three directions. She also had a yellow tiara that was in the shape of a dragonfly with a red gem in the middle of her forehead, and the stinger of an ant on her bum.

When Hellant awoke, she let out a yell, signaling that she was ready to steal energy, and she took off searching for her first victim.

* * *

Shingo and Kenji were still walking around trying to find some for targets to shoot, but they couldn't find any. Not only that, but the two found themselves somewhat lost, not knowing where they were.

"Something's wrong, Dad," said Shingo. "I feel like we've been walking in circles."

"And we lost track of Usagi and Harusuke," said Kenji. "I wonder where those two could have gone?"

Then the two heard a strange noise just ahead of them. The sound of people groaning and yelling in agony. Feeling a bit curious as to what the cause of it was, Shingo and Kenji went to investigate. They had just turned around a corner, when they saw a shocking and dreadful sight.

Hellant, who had just found a group of people, was sucking away at their energy using its tentacles that came from its hair and the wrists on her hands. Some of the people tried to fight back, thinking that Hellant was just a projection, but their guns had no effect and eventually collapsed, unconscious.

"Holy cow!" cried Shingo, in amazement. "That monster looks so real!"

"Yeah... Maybe a little too real," Kenji spoke nervously.

Hellant then took notice of Shingo and Kenji and growled, causing Shingo and Kenji to grow afraid. Then with a roar, Hellant charged at the two intending on making them its next victims.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harusuke and Mamoru managed to catch up with Usagi, and were making they way inside while Mamoru gave Usagi some pointers and Harusuke hung back not wanting to get in their way. Usagi was still having trouble shooting the monsters, missing her mark every time.

"Darn it all! I hate this!" Usagi complained. "Why can't I hit them?!"

"You could try opening your eyes when you shoot," Mamoru pointed out as he shot the monsters with ease.

Usagi couldn't help but feel impressed as well as giddy. "Thank you so much!" she gushed. "You're so cool, Mamoru!"

Mamoru then took Usagi's hand, grasping it tightly. "Come on, Bun-Head!" he said. "You and I are gonna go for the highest score!"

The two then ran ahead as Mamoru fired his gun destroying monsters left and right, with Harusuke toiling behind them.

"Geez! All of a sudden, Mamoru's gotten into this," Harusuke panted as he followed. "But I suppose this is fine. After all, this is what Usagi's been wanting, right? At least the two of them are having fun. Kinda makes me wish I was with one of the girls in here. Then we'd have a double date to something. As if."

Then the three heard a voice.

"Someone! Please, help! Usagi! Harusuke!"

Upon hearing the voice, Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru screeched to a halt and looked back to see a worried Shingo running up to them.

"Shingo! What are you doing here?" Usagi snapped crossly. "Go bother someone else would you?!"

"No, you don't understand!" Shingo protested. "Dad's in big trouble!"

"What happened, Shingo?" asked Harusuke.

"There's something weird about one of the virtual monsters!" Shingo cried. "The guns don't work on it, and everyone's dropping like flies back there!"

Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru became concerned, and could see that Shingo was serious. Then Mamoru turned to Usagi and Harusuke.

"You guys stay here," Mamoru spoke. "I'll go check it out!"

"I'm coming with you!" said Shingo. "I can show you the way, but we got to hurry and save my Dad!"

"We're coming with you!" said Harusuke.

"Yeah! We wanna save Dad, too!" agreed Usagi.

"No. You stay here, Usagi. Leave it to us men," said Shingo. "And Harusuke, you stay here and protect Usagi."

And Shingo and Mamoru took off leaving Usagi and Harusuke behind, a bit taken aback.

"What was that about?!" complained Usagi. "Just how helpless does he think we are? Especially since he made me blow my big chance with Mamoru!"

"There's no time to be thinking about that right now, Usagi," said Harusuke. "If Dad's in trouble, then we have to help. Not to mention that Shingo and Mamoru could get hurt."

The Tsukino siblings then ran down the corridor hoping that their Dad, as well as Shingo and Mamoru, would be alright.

* * *

Hellant now had Kenji cornered, the poor man trembling in fear, and with Ail and An watching from afar. Kenji tried to fight back by firing his gun, but since Hellant was real, it didn't work. Hellant then used one of her tentacles to take it away, forcing Kenji to take off running trying to get away. Unfortunately, his weapon was attached to his gear, which caused him to fall flat on his back like a dog with a leash.

"Don't worry, we won't take your life," said Ail. "We'll just put you in a nice, long sleep."

Hellant then extended another one of her tentacles about to drain Kenji of his energy, when Mamoru and Shingo arrived just in time. Seeing that Kenji was in trouble, Mamoru took off the backpack piece of his gear and threw it nailing Hellant on the back of its head making her yell and hold her head in pain. Feeling angry, Hellant took one look at Shingo and Mamoru and extended her tentacles swinging them around like a whip, but Mamoru tackled Shingo to the ground, dodging the incoming attack in the nick of time.

"Shingo! Run!" yelled Kenji. "Get out of here!"

"No! We won't leave you, Dad!" Shingo yelled as he and Mamoru got up.

Hellant hissed and was about to use her tentacles again, but then Kenji saw an emergency cabinet containing two fire extinguishers as well as a hose. Thinking quickly, Kenji grabbed one of the extinguishers and threw it nailing Hellant smack on her head with a clang causing her to get even angrier as she turned back towards Kenji.

"A parent's duty is to always protect the children that he loves," Kenji shouted, as he took the other extinguishers and aimed with the nozzle. "Now come and get me you monster!"

Hellant then roared as she did just that, hungry for revenge. When she was close enough, Kenji squeezed the trigger and blasted Hellant with fire extinguisher hoping to have had some effect. A thick cloud of white blanketed the area, and Kenji was hoping that what he did had to have had done something.

Unfortunately, it didn't do anything.

Hellant stepped out of the cloud unharmed and used her tentacles to grab all three of the boys holding them in the air, squeezing tightly. At that moment, Harusuke and Usagi arrived and saw them.

"Dad! Shingo! Mamoru!" Harusuke gasped.

"They need help!" Usagi cried, turning to her brother. "Let's go, Harusuke!"

Harusuke answered with a nod. "Right!"

The two then raised their hands, and did what they did best.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out wrapping her upper torso and midsection and then became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms, and pink ribbon wraps around her arms, turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

Hellant squeezed the Mamoru, Shingo, and Kenjii tight in her tentacles, and then threw them across the room, making them smack against the wall and slumping to the floor. Shingo and Kenji were knocked unconscious, but Mamoru was still awake as he struggled back to his feet. Seeing that Shingo and Kenji were unconscious and Hellant who was prowling towards them, Mamoru bravely stepped in front of them putting up his fists, ready to fight. Hellant was about to resume her assault, when a pair of voices were heard.

"Stop it!"

Everyone looked towards an entryway, and out stepped Sailor Moon and Solaris.

"Well, well, well," Ail smirked. "Sailor Moon and Solaris are here."

"How dare you bully those who are precious to us?!" Sailor Moon barked crossly.

"And to add to that, you spoiled the grand opening for those who wanted the experience of a virtual reality theatre!" Solaris added crossly. "We will not accept your apologies nor will we tolerate such unforgivable actions!"

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon!" The Moon Guardian proclaimed. "And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!" The Sun Knight proclaimed. "And in the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

"Silence, you nuisances!" An snapped, clearly fed up. "Hellant, pound those two into the ground already!"

Hellant's tentacles extended whipping around at a rapid pace, but Sailor Moon and Solaris wouldn't back down. Sailor Moon took off her tiara, transforming it into a white disk and aimed for Hellant.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

She then threw the white disk at Hellant, making it zip through the air. However, something unexpected happened. No sooner than Sailor Moon fired her attack, it immediately changed back into her tiara, falling to the floor with a metallic clatter. Sailor Moon and Solaris were shocked.

"No way!" gasped Sailor Moon. "My Tiara..."

"The Moon Tiara Action failed?!" Solaris cried. "But how?! Why?!"

He turned back towards Hellant and punched his hands together, then he created a ball of light in his hands and aimed with his fist.

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Solaris then punched the ball of light, making it shoot towards Hellant, but to his surprise, Hellant using its tentacles destroyed his attack in a single whip as she continued to swing them around.

"No way! My Sunshine Meteor didn't affect her either!" Solaris cried.

"Look, I don't know who you two are," said Mamoru. "But if you're both going to fight, you got to do better than that!"

Hellant cackled evilly and let out a roar as she was about to give a mighty swing of her tentacles, but then, a white rose whizzed by her face making her flinch and pierced the ground just behind her. Everyone looked up from above, and there standing on top of a pillar, was the Moonlight Knight.

"Even in a world of wicked shadows," The Moonlight Knight spoke. "A beautiful flower of love will blossom."

"Who are you?!" demanded Ail.

"I am the white wind that brings color to the darkness. I am the Moonlight Knight!" the Arabian-clad warrior proclaimed.

"Oh my gosh! It's the Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon gushed giddily.

"Oh, great. Another weirdo's appeared," Mamoru groaned.

"And here we go with the lovesick crap," Solaris sighed.

Then the two of them realized something. The Moonlight Knight and Mamoru were in the same room at the same time. The two of them were confused as well as surprised. Usagi especially.

 _"They're both together at the same time?!"_ Usagi thought. _"That means_ _Mamoru isn't the Moonlight Knight?!"_

The Moonlight Knight then touched down on the ground and glanced at Mamoru. "Let me say that I admire your courage, but no mortal human is a match for them. Please stand aside."

Mamoru did so and said nothing more. The Moonlight Knight then looked at Hellant and stepped up, drawing his sword from its sheath pointing it at the creature. Hellant taking it as a challenge yelled as it charged at him.

"A true knight knows when there is a valid reason to fight," The Moonlight Knight said. "However, I must punish those who harm the innocent!"

The Arabian-clad warrior jumped into the air and shot towards Hellant just as it was extending her tenatcles from her head, and using his skills as well as his speed; he swiped at her tentacles three times in a split second before landing in a crouch behind her. A few seconds passed as everyone stared at the two not sure what had happened, then as the Moonlight Knight sheathed his blade with single click, Hellant screamed in pain as then ends of the three tentacles on her head fell off having to have been cut. The Moonlight Knight was standing tall, but not for long. Hellant still had the tentacles on her wrists of which she used to wrap around the Moonlight Knight's body lifting him up in the air. The Moonlight Knight struggled as he tried to get free, but Hellant held him tight.

"Crap! That thing's got him!" cried Solaris.

"Let him go!" yelled Sailor Moon.

But Hellant wouldn't let go squeezing him tighter. Then...

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

A familiar blast of bubbles made a fog blanket the area confusing Hellant, and a blast of fire burned her tentacles setting Moonlight Knight free. The other Guardians had come to the rescue along with Luna.

"Looks like we got here in the nick of time!" Sailor Jupiter said.

"What's been going on, you two?" asked Sailor Mars. "It should be taking this long to take out a Cardian, right?"

Sailor Moon then explained looking miserable. "Girls... It's awful," she said, her voice cracking and her eyes filling with tears. "My tiara... isn't working anymore."

The other Guardians all looked at Sailor Moon in surprise as the Moon Guardian sank to her knees crying.

Solaris then gave her a reassuring hug to comfort her. "It's not just her. My Sunshine Meteor didn't work either," he spoke bitterly. "We couldn't do anything against this Cardian."

Luna was surprised. "The Tiara and the Sunshine Meteor failed?!" she murmured with shock. "How can that be?!"

Sailor Mercury then went over to Sailor Moon to comfort her. "Don't cry, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Venus then saw Sailor Moon's tiara on the ground. She picked it up and brought it over to her. "You need to pull yourself together, Sailor Moon," she spoke kindly. "It's going to be okay."

Sailor Moon took her tiara back and tearfully nodded. Sailor Venus then faced Hellant along with the other Guardians.

"We'll be taking over for Sailor Moon, so you'll be fighting us instead!" the Guardian of Venus spoke bravely as she took aim with her finger. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

Sailor Jupiter also joined in, her antenna extending from her tiara. "JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

Sailor Venus fired a powerful beam of light, while Sailor Jupiter released a powerful wave of lightning.

With Sailor Jupiter's attack shocking and paralyzing it, and Sailor Venus' piercing directly in her midsection, Hellant was destroyed reverting into a card, hissing out a puff of smoke. Seeing that their Cardian was defeated, Ail and An glared at the two Guardians.

"You're going to pay for this!" Ail hissed coldly, as he and An faded in retreat.

The Guardians then heard the Moonlight Knight from above.

"Good work, Guardians. Even in battle, your friendship glowed beautifully. Adieu."

He then disappeared, leaving Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus feeling curious about him, and Sailor Moon a bit sad knowing that the Moonlight Knight wasn't Mamoru, and Solaris feeling a bit sorry for his sister.

Mamoru, on the other hand, was confused as he was amazed. "Who are you people?" he wondered.

None of the Guardians replied, nor did they not know how to respond. Then there was a loud commotion causing Mamoru to look back. A crowd of the other players was rushing towards the scene searching around for any others that were injured. Mamoru then looked back and was surprised to see that all the Guardians had mysteriously disappeared. He looked around trying to see where they had gone, but he couldn't see them anywhere.

* * *

After a while, everyone made it back safely back to the Tsukino house, but not completely unscathed in the case of Shingo and Kenji. The two of them were covered in bruises and cuts thanks to Hellant, and Ikuko had been busy dressing their wounds, just finishing her husband. As she got started in Shingo, the boy couldn't help but let out a shriek of pain as Ikuko applied the medicine.

"That hurts a lot!" Shingo yelled.

"Well, that is what you get for not playing outdoors and enjoying the sunshine," scolded Ikuko.

"Well, how were supposed to know that their equipment would malfunction?" Kenji said.

The only two Tsukinos who didn't say a word were Usagi and Harusuke, the two of which were still a bit shaken for what had transpired. Most especially when their attacks failed, and in Usagi's case finding out that Mamoru not being Moonlight Knight.

Harusuke then looked across at his sister. "Usagi, are you feeling, OK?"

Usagi then looked up as she held Luna in her arms. "No. I'm not alright," she spoke miserably. "My tiara has stopped working, and Mamoru's not the Moonlight Knight. I just... I just don't know what to do anymore!"

Luna and Harusuke felt sorry for Usagi and were worried, but at the moment, there was nothing they could do. All they could do right now was be there for her as they waited for the next battle.


	55. Chapter 54

In the space with the Makai tree, Ail and An were there discussing their next plan of action to gather energy, An telling Ail about one of the most important and famous events that occur around this time of year.

"Cherry blossom viewing?" puzzled Ail.

"That's right. It's an annual seasonal event for the people on this planet," explained An. "It seems to go on all day and all night for them, and I also understand that humans use a lot of energy during events like these."

"Now that you mention it, I've heard stories about something like that. Back when our tribe was prosperous, the Makai tree had beautiful blossoms on it as well," said Ail thoughtfully. He took a few seconds to think about An's proposal, then he smiled. "Blossoms, eh? I think we can gather a lot of human energy while they're viewing these cherry blossoms."

* * *

In Juuban Park, the cherry blossom viewing event was well underway. Every single top of the trees was colored with a beautiful shade of pink, the blossoms in full bloom as the petals rained down, giving it a splendid atmosphere. There were lots of people around the trees, picnicking and having a wonderful time eating and drinking while admiring the beautiful flowers.

Usagi and her group along with Ms. Haruna and Natsumi, were making their way through the park trying to find a place to sit for the flower viewing. Usagi couldn't help but feel all but cheerful as she merrily skipped along while singing a little tune.

"Make way, Make way! Usagi's coming through!" she sang.

"Say, Ms. Haruna, thank you so much for being our chaperone for today," said Minako. "You've done so much for us, and we're not even your students."

"Not to mention that you're always so busy," added Ami gratefully. "I almost feel bad for taking you away from school to be here with us."

"It's no trouble at all," smiled Ms. Haruan kindly. "I was happy to do it."

"I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to help you convince the principal to let us do this," Harusuke spoke. "We really appreciate what you've done for us, Ms. Haruna. I only wish there were some way to pay you back."

"Don't worry about it, Harusuke. Really," Ms. Haruna spoke kindly. "It was honestly no trouble at all."

"I think that we should all just forget about school for today," said Makoto brightly.

"That's right," agreed Rei. "Right now, we're just a happy bunch of people enjoying the cherry blossoms."

The group continued making their way through the park until they came across an open area. Then they heard a voice call out to them.

"Hey, you guys! Over here!"

Everyone then turned their attention towards an open area and much to their surprise, sitting just underneath a tree was Umino, who was a large blanket spread out just big enough for all of them to sit on.

"Thank you very much for saving us this spot, Umino," said Ms. Haruna.

"Truth be told, I'm surprised that you were able to find one," said Usagi.

"Now that I think about it, I'm a bit curious myself," said Naru. "Have you been waiting long?"

Umino then adjusted his eyes and smirked with pride. "Actually, I've been here since last night," he spoke proudly. "Eight o'clock to be precise."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed, their jaws agape with disbelief.

"You got to be kidding me!" cried Harusuke. "You mean to tell us that you've been waiting in this spot all night?!"

"But isn't it still cold outside at night this time of year?" asked Ami.

"I was just fine," Umino spoke smugly. "Because I had a secret weapon." He then whipped out a big zip-up sleeping bag, wrapping himself inside and zipping it up to his chin. "My trusty sleeping bag was able to keep me toasty warm all night."

"That was really smart of you, Umino," said Ms. Haruna politely. "But you really didn't have to go that far, you know."

"Well, I'm happy to help all of you," said Umino importantly. "I was doing this for everyone, but it was my duty to do this for Naru."

Naru was surprised. "You... did this for me?" she asked.

Umino smiled. "Yes! It was all for you, my dearest Naru!" he said.

At first, Naru seemed to be touched, but then she zipped up Umino's sleeping bag, encasing him inside it completely. Naru then turned to the others.

"Come on, everyone! Let's have our lunch now!" she said brightly.

"Yeah! Let's eat!" said all of the girls.

As all of the girls sat down unpacking their lunches, Umino struggled about inside his sleeping bag trying to get free.

"Come on, Naru! Zipping me up in here was totally uncalled for!" Umino complained in his sleeping bag. "I did this all for you, you know!"

i"Man, that's cold,"/i Harusuke thought, feeling sorry for Umino. i"And I thought the Cardians were mean."/i

After a while, everyone was enjoying themselves eating whatever food they brought to their picnic. Umino, at some point, was finally released from his prison that was his sleeping bag thanks to Harusuke, but his feelings were a little hurt.

"How could you, Naru?! That was so mean!" Umino sobbed comically. "I was only trying to make you happy!"

"I'm sorry, Umino. It was just a little joke!" apologized Naru. "Here. Let me make it up to you."

She then presented Umino with a fully loaded bento which to Umino, looked like a sparkling treasure.

"Th-this is all for me?!" Umino gasped with amazement.

"Of course it is," smiled Naru. "Sorry if it doesn't' look any good."

"Are you kidding?!" Umino cried joyfully. "This looks like the best lunch in the universe! I shall treasure every bit of it!"

"Oh, stop exaggerating," Naru spoke, feeling awkward. "But thank you for the compliment anyway."

Usagi couldn't help but admire everyone's lunches with hungry eyes and her mouth drooling. "Oh, wow! All of your lunches look so yummy!" she squealed with delight.

Rei then looked at Usagi's lunch, which was three riceballs that looked a bit smushed and poorly made. "Your lunch looks like you must've dropped it on the floor," she said rudely.

The odango blonde scowled at Rei as she looked at the food that she brought, which was a hamburger, some fries, and a drink from a fast food place called Rcdonalds.

"You shut up. I made my rice balls with tender loving care," she said with a huff. "Unlike you, I actually took my time and made my food!"

Rei growled in anger, feeling a bit insulted as she huffily started eating. Usagi then looked across to Makoto's lunch. She couldn't help but stare intently at it feeling tempted to eat some food from it.

"As usual, your lunch is looking delicious, Mako," Usagi said to her.

"Glad you think so, Usagi," smiled Makoto, sweatdropping. "Say... you're welcome to have some if you want to."

Usagi's face then brightened. "Really? Thank you, Mako!"

As Usagi took a few bites from Makoto's lunch, she then took notice of Ami's and Minako's which once again caused her to stare intently at them too.

"Ami, your lunch and Minako's sandwiches look really tasty as well," she said hungrily.

"Well... you can have some if you want," Ami said.

"Eat as much as you like," added Minako.

"Thank you so much!" Usagi spoke happily.

She was just about to help herself, when Harusuke smacked her lightly on the hand, causing her to retract it in pain.

"Ow! That hurt!" complained Usagi. "Harusuke! What'd you do that for?!"

"You're sponging food from the others, Usagi!" scolded Harusuke. "That's not only insensitive, but that's very rude! You need to eat the food that you prepared instead of mooching!"

"But everyone else's food looks so yummy!" whined Usagi. "I can't help myself!"

Harusuke then sighed as he presented his boxed lunch before her. "Honestly. You're like a bottomless pit. If you must sponge food from somebody, at least take some of mine."

"OK! Thanks, Harusuke!" Usagi said brightly immediately cheering up. "You're such a good brother!"

She then took a few bites from Harusuke's lunch and began to enjoy herself. Harusuke then took notice of Natsumi who had been quiet the whole time. While he may have had a few instances where Natsumi creeped him out, it didn't mean that he hated her or anything. So, he decided to try and be friendly to her.

"Hey, Natsumi. Where's your lunch?" Harusuke wondered. "If you're hungry, then you're free to have some of my lunch."

"Thank you very much, Harusuke darling, but I'm alright," Natsumi said, smiling brightly. "Besides, I feed on energy, not food."

Harusuke raised a brow feeling confused. "What... do you mean by that?" he asked.

Natsumi then blushed bright red releasing what she said. "Oh! Nothing!" she said hurriedly.

Usagi then cut in having to have overheard. "Oh! I get it! You were planning to eat off of everyone else's plates, right?"

"That was your plan, Usagi," Rei scoffed snootily, as she munched on some chicken. "And that's what you'd call mooching."

"Oh yeah? Well, from what I can see, you're eating some of Mako's lunch too," Usagi scowled. "And if that's not mooching, I don't know what is."

"Just shut it," Rei growled through gritted teeth. "Why don't you just stuff your face with those ugly rice balls?"

Usagi was angry, now feeling hungry for something other than food, revenge. She then took one of the sandwiches and then grabbed a bottle that had "Extra Hot Mustard" on the label and spread it on the top of the sandwich smirking devilishly. She then put on a sweet face and handed the sandwich to Rei.

"Here you go, Rei," Usagi said. "You should really try this sandwich. It's delicious."

Rei was surprised but happily accepted it. "Well, thank you. This is very generous, and unlike you!" she said gratefully, as she then took a bite of the sandwich.

No sooner than she did, her face turned a bright shade of pink, eventually turning red as the spicy taste of the mustard overwhelmed her mouth. With a loud shriek and thanks to the mustard being so hot, a giant torrent of flame erupted from Rei's mouth as she shot to her feet startling everyone. Seeing this, Harusuke immediately grabbed a can of iced tea and handed it to Rei of which took the cup and gulped it down dousing the flames of spiciness from her mouth. However, Rei's lips had now turned into a bright red color and were very swollen.

When Usagi saw Rei in her state, she burst into a fit of laughter, thinking that she looked very funny. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Rei had now become enraged and pounced on Usagi as the two began to brawl.

"You're so unbelievable!" shrieked Rei. "Were you trying to burst my appendix for eating that?!"

"Well, that's what you get for being so mean!" Usagi shrieked back.

Harusuke along with everyone else groaned as the two continued to fight, while Ms. Haruna tried her best not to yell.

"Don't get mad, don't get mad," Ms. Haruna told herself. "After all, we're not at school."

"Just hang in there, Ms. Haruna," Harusuke spoke pinching his nose. "Just try to endure it until those two get it out of their system.

* * *

After a while, the group decided to split up to take some time to admire the scenery.

"Alright, everyone!" said Ms. Haruna, importantly. "You all get a free period hour period starting now."

Everyone stared at Ms. Haruna a bit taken aback from what she just said to them.

Usagi then spoke quietly to her teacher. "Um... Ms. Haruna? We're not in school, right now."

Ms. Haruna then blushed. "Oh! Yeah... Right," she spoke sheepishly. "I forgot."

Everyone then laughed.

"I guess this is what you would call, a conditioned reflex," Ami chuckled.

"Hey, you guys, there selling delicious buns at that stand over there," Usagi said, pointing.

"Come on, Usagi. You just ate," sighed Harusuke. "I mean- where do you put it all?!"

"Besides, don't you think it's weird for a bun-head to be eating other buns?" Rei asked snootily.

"You're being mean again!" complained Usagi. "Why do you have to be like that?!"

"Now, now, you two. Cut it out," Harusuke soothed. "Can't you two go through one day without fighting?"

As this continued, a few yards away from them as well as hiding from behind a tree, Seijuuro was watching from afar admiring Usagi in particular. The more he stared at his beloved, the more his heart began to soar.

"How beautiful," Seijuuro sighed wistfully.

Natsumi then suddenly appeared behind Seijuuro feeling a bit jealous as well as hurt.

"So you really think that Usagi's beautiful?" Natsumi asked bitterly.

"No, you misunderstand. I wasn't referring to Usagi, at all," Seijuuro spoke, quickly correcting himself. "I was simply commenting on the beauty of these cherry blossoms."

Natsumi huffed not believing Seijuuro in the slightest as she went behind a tree and came out as An while Seijuuro transformed to Ail as well.

"That doesn't really matter now. That all can wait," An said. "Right now, let's focus on extracting some fresh energy from these humans."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," agreed Ail.

The two then hid themselves, away from prying eyes, and Ail held up a hand of cardian cards before An, and An using her powers made a card in the middle begin to glow as it shot up high into the air. Ail then took out his flute beginning to play, making the card shine even brighter as it sprung to live.

* * *

Back in the real world, Umino and Naru were by themselves admiring the petals as they fell to the ground. Naru held up her hand as a single petal fell in the middle of it.

"Wow... This is so nice," Naru mused. "It's so peaceful here."

"Cherry blossom may be pretty," said Umino. "But to me, you look even more beautiful than they ever could."

Naru's cheeks flushed pink as she clenched her hand into a fist, feeling a bit irritated. "Don't you ever get embarrassed by saying that kind of stuff to me?" she asked, losing patience.

Umino now looked serious. "No, it doesn't," he said firmly. "I'm only saying what's really in my heart."

Naru's loss of patience lessened a bit as she looked at Umino a bit flattered by his compliment. But then, something caught her eye, which made her freeze with fright. Wondering what Naru was looking at, Umino looked back behind him. Before them, was a tree that wasn't like the others. It was colored black, completely lifeless, and was emitting strange and dark energy.

At first, Umino and Naru didn't know what to make of this strange tree, but then suddenly a glowing white circle appeared below their feet enveloping them in its light draining them both of their energy. As quickly as it came, it vanished a few seconds later.

Ms. Haruna then arrived carrying some drinks for her, Naru, and Umino to share. But when she did, a horrible sight met her eyes, causing her skin to go pale from the shock. Umino and Naru lied on the ground, unconscious and not moving. Ms. Haruna immediately dropped the cans and rushed over to help them.

"Umino! Ms. Osaka! Wake up!" Ms. Haruna begged as she gently shook them. "Please! Wake up, you two!"

But Naru and Umino didn't reply, which made Ms. Haruna all the more worried. Then, she felt the presence of someone behind her causing her to turn around. Before her, was a beautiful yet frightening young woman.

Her skin was white as a sheet with long blue hair, emerald green eyes, and red lipstick. She also wore a beautiful pink kimono with red trimmings at the ends of it.

Thinking that she was here to help, Ms. Haruno desperately clung to her.

"Please! I beg you!" Ms. Haruna pleased, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Can you go get someone?! We need help!"

But unfortunately for Ms. Haruna, the woman wasn't there to help her. She was in truth the Cardian that Ail and An sent, and was ready to have her for her next victim.

* * *

A little while later, Ms. Haruna, Umino, and Naru were found by Usagi and the gang and were rushed to the office and called a doctor to come over and have them looked over. Usagi, Luna, and Artemis were with the three of which were now sleeping peacefully on the sofas wrapped in blankets.

"So, are they going to be okay, doctor?" asked Usagi.

"I think with a little bit of rest, they should be fine," the doctor said. "But this is very strange, though. I can't figure out what's going on here."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Usagi.

The doctor then explained. "You're like the tenth group today that's had their friends suddenly pass out," he said.

"You're kidding! That many?!" gasped Usagi with shock.

"Yeah. And it's way too early in the year for heat stroke," the doctor said. "I wonder just what could be ailing these people."

Luna and Artemis looked at each other, the two cats feeling a bit suspicious. The two of them then looked at Usagi and Luna made a motion towards the door. Usagi saw this, and after thanking the doctor one last time, they all left the office so they could speak privately.

"All those people fainting for no reason is definitely no coincidence," said Luna. "I think we all know what's really going on here."

"It's got to be a Cardian," said Artemis. "There's no other explanation."

"So you think that Naru and the others have had their energy stolen?" asked Usagi.

"Without a doubt," said Artemis. "Based on how weak they are, I'm positive that's what's happening."

"The others are checking out where Ms. Haruna and the others were attacked," said Luna. "Let's all hurry and meet up with them."

Usagi nodded in agreement, and the three went on their way.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harusuke and the girls had just arrived at the site and were looking around checking for anything suspicious.

"So, this is where Ms. Haruna and the others collapsed, right?" asked Makoto.

"I'm pretty sure this is where it happened," said Harusuke. "At least according to eyewitnesses."

"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual around here," said Ami.

"Still, keep your guard up everyone," spoke Minako. "And be ready to transform if necessary."

Then as they continued to search, Rei felt a chill go down her spine as the wind suddenly blew sharply across the trees, sensing danger. She then saw there the evil presence was coming from. A few feet away from them, she saw the black leafless tree.

"There! I sense it!" Rei gasped, pointing. "There's an evil aura coming from that tree!"

Everyone jumped upon Rei's warning, but it was already too late. From the tree, the same woman that Ms. Haruna saw slowly began to emerge from its tree, its green eyes flashing red. Then before anyone could react, a large white circle appeared all around them blasting them with a powerful energy.

* * *

Usagi, Luna, and Artemis were racing to the rescue, running as fast as they could. Then they all heard five familiar screams.

"That was everyone!" cried Artemis as he ran. "They're in trouble!"

"Usagi! You have to transform!" yelled Luna.

The blond odango blonde didn't waste any time as she held up her had in the air.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi was enveloped in bright light. Her body shone with rainbow colors as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it shone pink and pink ribbon shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a blue collar with white stripes. Usagi crosses her arms, and pink ribbon wraps around her arms, turning into a pair of long white gloves. Pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a small gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead. A gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with a pair of red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Sailor Moon had arrived on the scene and what she saw made her gasp in shock and horror. Harusuke, Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako were all trapped in their own pillars of light trying to break free, but only grew weaker and weaker.

"They're energy's being taken by that cherry blossom tree!" yelled Artemis.

Sure enough, the Cardian emerged from the tree cackling evilly. When she saw Sailor Moon, she stepped out from the tree and then shot straight for her with the intent to kill. Sailor Moon was able to jump out of the way just in the knick of time, but the cardian left behind a large trench in its wake which made the Moon Guardian's face pale from shock and fright from her incredible strength.

"Sailor Moon! You have to fight!" yelled Luna. "You're the only one who can stop her!"

"I know that!" Sailor Moon spoke snapped out of her daze.

She then took off her tiara and then aimed, transforming it into a white disc and threw it.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The white disc shot through the air right towards the Cardian, but just like before back when Sailor Moon was fighting Hellant, the Moon Tiara Action lost power turning back into a tiara allowing the Cardian to swat it away much to Sailor Moon's disbelief.

"No! It's not working again!" Sailor Moon cried.

"Be careful, Sailor Moon!" cried Ami as she struggled.

"Don't look into her eyes!" yelled Rei, falling to her knees.

Sailor Moon looked back. "Her eyes?!" she gasped. "What do you mean?!

But Sailor Moon looking back would be her biggest mistake as the Cardian shot straight towards her once again.

"Sailor Moon, look out!" yelled Harusuke. "She's coming straight for you again!"

Sailor Moon looked back only for the Cardian to barrel straight into her with her incredible speed and then tackling her to the ground skidding to a stop. Sailor Moon then inadvertently looked up right into the Cardian's eyes, which also was a big mistake. A large white circle encircled the two as Sailor Moon now began to have her energy drained from her too.

Then the worst possible outcome happened.

It could have been because of the overwhelming power of the Cardian, or maybe it could have been Usagi having the energy being drained from it.

Anyhow, Sailor Moon's brooch suddenly cracked and then shattered, causing her outfit to revert to her civilian clothes much to her disbelief, now back to being Usagi

"No! My transformation!" Usagi cried. "This can't be happening!"

Now feeling energized with power, the Cardian began to hover its arms transforming into cherry blossom branches as the white area around Usagi grew bigger and glowed brighter. The ordango girl struggled to her feet, not wanting to give up the fight, but as she did, she suddenly began to sink into the light of the area like it was quicksand.

"Usagi!" the girls cried.

"Sis!" yelled Harusuke. "You've got to get out of there!"

Usagi tried her best to get free, but her body continued to sink into the light as it swallowed up half of her body. "I'm sorry, everyone!" Usagi cried. "I... couldn't save everyone! I'm sorry!" she cried.

Luna then immediately rushed on over desperate to help her.

"Luna! Come back here!" yelled Artemis.

But Luna didn't care. As Usagi sank deeper, Luna clamped on hard on the sleeve on Usagi's arm desperately trying to pull her out, but to no avail.

"Luna! Get away from here, now!" Usagi yelled. "Save yourself!"

But the black cat refused as she pulled hard, desperately trying to save Usagi. However, it was no use as Usagi along with Luna were swallowed entirely into the light, as it faded away leaving only the Cardian left around.

"No! Usagi! Luna!" cried Artemis.

Everyone who was trapped stared at where Usagi and Luna were once were not believing what had just happened as Harusuke let out a bellow filled with despair and horror.

"USAGI! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

* * *

Back in the Makai Tree's dimension, Ail and An watched as the tree began to glow with life as the leaves on its branches sprung with vitality.

"It would appear that the Makai Tree is gathering a lot of energy," said Ail with triumph.

"Now it's only a matter of time before our precious tree will be completely rejuvenated," An smiled.

"Hear me now, Reci!" commanded Ail. "Continue to gather more energy!"

* * *

In a strange white void, Usagi found herself falling while carrying Luna in her arms not sure what was up or down.

"What'll we do now, Luna?" Usagi spoke telepathically. "I can't transform, and my brooch is broken. How did things get like this?"

"Usagi, even though you've become a Sailor Guardian again," Luna spoke back. "Deep down, you still desire a normal life."

"Yes... I want to be a regular middle-school girl," Usagi said. "What's wrong with that?"

"I think that might be the reason why your tiara has failed," said Luna. "I'm afraid as long as you feel that way, you'll never be able to use your Moon Tiara Action, much less be Sailor Moon."

"Then... how can I save everyone?!" wondered Usagi in a panic. "Tell me how?!"

Then feeling a switch flip on inside of her brain, Usagi opened her eyes and found herself in a strange space that was magenta themed and had several shining stars that surrounded her.

"Where am I?" Usagi wondered. "I wonder... am I dead?"

She then looked down at Luna who was still unconscious in her arms.

"Luna, I'm so sorry," Usagi spoke, her eyes filling with tears of regret. "You're so small, and yet you're still so loyal to me, even though I cause you nothing but trouble." She then hugged Luna close and tight. "Please forgive me. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this."

At that moment, Usagi heard a voice.

"Princess... Fear not. You are not dead, at least not yet."

Usagi looked up as something began to appear before her. At first, it was a cluster of strange bubbles and sparkles of light. Then they revealed themselves to be someone that Usagi did not expect to see again.

"Q-Queen Serenity!" Usagi gasped.

"Right now, we are inside of your mind, my daughter," Queen Serenity explained, smiling kindly. "And from what I can see, you still need me for advice, am I right? Tell me, how can I help you?"

"Please, Queen Serenity! I do need your help!" begged Usagi. "I need to find a way to save everyone! If you know how I can do that, please tell me!"

Queen Serenity understood, and there was a brilliant flash of light that overtook Usagi's vision blinding her. When she became aware again, she found that she and Luna were no longer in the void. Now, they were standing in what appeared to be a room of the once-prosperous Moon Kingdom with the image of Queen Serenity in her full size, and Usagi now Princess Serenity.

"My daughter, please hold out your brooch," said Queen Serenity.

Princess Serenity was puzzled, but she did as her mother asked and held out the broken brooch in her hand. When she did, a bright shining light suddenly appeared above them, glowing brightly as it slowly descended towards them. At first, Princess Serenity had no idea what the light was, but as the light grew closer to her and her mother, she recognized what the light was, which turned out to be a familiar-looking gem that shone like silver and surprised her when she realized this.

"It's... the Silver Crystal!" Princess Serenity gasped. "I... I thought it lost!"

Queen Serenity smiled. "Your heartfelt and strong desire to protect your brother and your friends has formed the Silver Crystal," she explained.

The Silver Crystal floated over the broken brooch in Princess Serenity's hands and when it made contact, the brooch transformed and changed the crystal and itself becoming one.

The brooch had now taken the appearance of a make-up compact that was colored pink with gold trims, a gold star on top and had the symbol of the moon on it matching in color. It also had gems that represented each of the other guardians that encircled the moon clockwise, A red one for Mars on top, yellow on the right for Venus, blue on the bottom for Mercury, and a green on the left for Jupiter.

"My brooch... it's... like new!" murmured Princess Serenity with wonder.

Queen Serenity then turned towards Luna who at some point had woken up and had joined the two girls.

"Luna, please continue to help our Princess," the Queen of the Moon said. "She'll need you."

"Yes, my queen," acknowledged Luna bowing.

Queen Serenity then turned to her daughter. "Listen well, Princess. The Silver Crystal no longer possess the power it once had," she said. "But because you cherish your friends as well as your family, and desire to protect those around you, I know that it will allow you to its energy to do good and reactivate its powers again."

Princess Serenity's eyes filled with tears of joy as she beamed at her mother.

"Thank you, Queen Serenity. With the Silver Crystal's power, now I can save everyone!" Princess Serenity spoke now filled with a new determination. "Thank you so much... Mother."

Queen Serenity smiled as Princes Serenity turned on her heel and took off ready to head back to the battlefield.

"One more thing, Usagi," Queen Serenity called out. "Say these words to activate your new power; "Moon Crystal Power Make Up." "

Princess Serenity took one last look at her mother, and she said her new transformation phrase with gusto.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed it a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does it a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons came out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappear as more pink ribbons wrap around her arms and hands, forming her white gloves and her red boots around her calves and feet. As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

At this point, Harusuke and the others had passed out their energy completely drained, and encased in a tree unable to do anything. Artemis had been trying his best to try and fight Reci on his own, but the white cat stood no chance as he continued to take a beating by the creature.

"It's no use!" panted Artemis weakly. "There's no way I can stop her all by myself!"

Reci gave a predatory growl as it went for the finishing blow, but then from above, a bright shining light flared from above illuminating the area catching it and Artemis by surprise. Artemis then looked up and saw where the light was coming from, which was the full moon, now shining brightly than it ever did before.

"What's going on?!" Artemis wondered. "Why is the moon shining so brightly?!"

Then, he heard a familiar feminine voice.

"Sweet buns, pork buns, spending time with friends and family!" it said. "Those are the things that make spring wonderful! It's a season for living, not for hurting!"

Artemis and Reci looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from, and from the ground a few feet away from him and the Cardian, the area suddenly began to glow forming a large circle, and from that area, a certain heroine began to emerge from the ground along with Luna as she continued her speech.

"Cherry blossoms viewing is one of the happiest times of the year for people, you monster!" she spoke. "How dare you interfere with it like a drunken old man?!"

When Sailor Moon and Luna fully emerged, the glow disappeared as the Guardian of the Moon stood bravely before Reci.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she proclaimed. "And now, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Artemis couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "I don't believe it!" he cried. "Sailor Moon! Luna! You're both okay!"

"Hey there, Artemis!" Luna called. "I'm impressed that you were able to hold back that Cardian!"

Reci not believing that Sailor Moon was still alive, immediately went on the attack transforming her hands into cherry blossom branches, and then firing a rapid flurry of petals. Sailor Moon ducked and dodged the incoming attack by jumping to her right. Reci blasted her again and again, but Sailor Moon continued albeit just barely. She soon found herself back to back against a tree as Reci fired a storm of petals again. Sailor Moon ducked just as the blast blew a hole right into the trunk of the tree above her head.

"Hang in there, Sailor Moon!" yelled Luna. "You're the only one who can save the others!"

"I know!" Sailor Moon called back. "You don't have to tell me!"

Reci still seeing that Sailor Moon was still alive shot straight towards her going for the kill, turning the cherry blossom branches that were her hands into long sharp claws. Sailor Moon instinctively shut her eyes thinking that she was done for, but then a white rose shot out from above and hit Reci square in the face, blinding her with its petals. Sailor Moon looked up and saw who had saved her. It was the Moonlight Knight.

"Tonight is a wonderful night for admiring the beauty of flowers," the Moonlight Knight said. "Cherry blossoms are so short-lived. Therefore, I will not allow you and your filthy hands to sully them!"

"Moonlight Knight! It's you!" Sailor Moon gasped happily. "Thank you!"

The Moonlight Knight then looked over at the Sailor Guardian. "Sailor Moon, you're the only one who can save everyone," he said. "Finish this."

At that moment, the moon from up above began to shine once again as something fell towards Sailor Moon. The object that fell was a long pink and strange pink rod that had a red jewel at the bottom, and three gold stars were almost at the top with a gold heart with wings. At the very top of the rod, there was a red sphere encircled with a gold crescent moon with a tiny gold and red crown on top of it.

Sailor Moon caught the rod and gazed at it in amazement. "What... is this thing?" she wondered.

Then she heard the voice of Queen Serenity. "That is the Cutie Moon Rod," the voice said. "Use it to light the flame of hope for the future!"

Sailor Moon got back up on her feet, armed with this new weapon as Reci managed to recover. She then let out a roar as she gave Sailor Moon a death glare with the intent to kill as she shot towards her. But Sailor Moon not backing down, raised her Cutie Moon Rod high as the crown on top played a quick melody and began glowing. She aimed for the Cardian, and then unleashed a new and powerful attack.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

She pointed her Cutie Moon Rod at the Cardian and unleashed a powerful blast of light and sparkles at it. Reci screeched in agony as the blast swallowed her, destroying her and turning her back into a card.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sailor Moon and the Moonlight Knight rejoined the others, making sure that they were all alright after being freed from their prison.

"I'm so glad that you're all okay," Sailor Moon spoke, feeling relieved.

"Not as glad as we are to see you're okay," Harusuke spoke, hugging Sailor Moon. " We thought that you were gone!"

The Moonlight Knight smiled from behind his mask. "Sailor Moon, you really did well on your own, tonight," he spoke proudly. "Even cherry blossoms are no match for a courageous young girl like you. Adieu..."

He then turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing into the night.

"Thank you, Moonlight Knight," Sailor Moon murmured happily.

"We're the ones who should be thanking you, Sailor Moon," Ami spoke gratefully. "You really saved the day."

Everyone else heartily agreed, and Sailor Moon couldn't help but blush with embarrassment, but was also full of pride.

"Looks like Sailor Moon has moved another step forward," smiled Luna.

"Indeed, but she still has to work hard," said Artemis. "This is only just the beginning."

"That may be so, but personally it would have been better for everyone if she saved us a little sooner," Rei spoke snidely.

Now Sailor Moon was angry. "There you go being mean again!" she snapped crossly as she stomped over to Rei. "Why can't you be nice for one single day?!"

Sailor Moon and Rei both made akanbe faces while glaring crossly at each other while everyone else watched exasperated at the two.

"And just like that, those two are fighting again," Harusuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Good grief."

"Yeah... Perhaps she hasn't matured that much after all," groaned Luna.

As Sailor Moon and Rei turned away from each other with a huff, Sailor Moon just so happened to look up at the moon. As gazed up at it, she couldn't help but think about her mother, who helped her in her time of need, which made a smile tug at her lips.

 _"Queen Serenity... Mother... Thank you..."_


	56. Chapter 55

It was a peaceful morning at Aino residence. Minako was still fast asleep along with Artemis unaware of the morning sun shining through their window. Minako was having a pleasant dream of her old crush, Alan, and as she dreamt, she hugged a sleeping Artemis tightly. Artemis let out a yowl of surprise and pain-causing Minako to wake up with a start. She sleepily sat up now half-awake holding up Artemis by the scruff of his neck. She also realized that Artemis was holding her alarm clock, which showed that it was eight-ten. When she saw the time, she wasn't half-asleep anymore, her eyes going wide as she let out a scream that was enough to shatter a window.

"I'm late!" Minako shrieked, now in a full panic. "Why does this always happen to me?!"

She hurriedly got out of bed and practically ripped her clothes off trying to get dressed as fast as she could despite Artemis being the room. As Artemis watched her get ready sighing with exasperation as she did.

"Man, I'm going to be late again, Artemis! I told you a thousand times, stop turning off my alarm clock!" Minako cried as she put on her skirt. She then noticed Artemis was staring and realizing that he was male, threw her pajamas at him. "And what're you looking at you pervert?!"

Artemis sighed at he popped his head out of Minako's pajamas. "Well, looks like it's going to be another one of those mornings," he said to himself. "I know that Usagi's the queen of tardiness, but Minako can a little bit more dependable."

* * *

Minako was soon dressed and she along with Artemis were running as fast as they could hoping that Minako would make it on time for school. Then, Minako saw a wall and got an idea.

"A shortcut!" Minako cried. "This should save a little time!"

And with a hop, skip, and a jump, Minako and Artemis jumped over the wall, only for Minako to land on her bun right on top of Artemis.

"Whew! That was a close one," Minako panted. "I think I should be able to get there on time now."

Artemis groaned as he pulled himself out from under the girl. "Geez! You're heavy!" he complained.

Minako felt insulted and was just about to yell at the white cat, but then she heard a voice coming from somewhere nearby.

"Let me through!" it demanded. "I'm not going to give you my badge!"

Minako then got up and raced around the corner, and saw where the voice came from skidding to a stop. A few feet away from, just between a mailbox and a telephone pole was a little girl with two older boys. The girl was small appearing to be a kindergartener having brown hair styled in pigtails while the boys were bigger than her, one wearing a green shirt with brown shorts, and the other wearing blue pants with an orange jacket.

"Come on, you loser. Hand over your badge right now," said the green-shirted kid.

"No, I won't!" said the little girl. "Go away and let me through!"

"Give it now!" scowled the orange jacket kid. "Hand over the badge now or else!"

"Hey! What do you two think you're doing?!" Minako yelled, as she charged straight for them. "Leave her alone, you bullies!"

The two boys feeling frightened took off running as Minako ran up to the girl who was now crying.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Minako asked, consoling her. "It's alright."

The girl then looked up, revealing to have not been crying at all, smiling as she laughed a bit. "Yeah. I know that," she said. "But thank you for your help."

Minako was surprised and even a little impressed. "W-Wow. Those were fake tears?" asked Minako. "That's pretty good acting, kid."

"Thank you, Miss," smiled the girl. "Say, since you're here, can I ask you to walk with me over to the bus stop?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the time," apologized Minako. "I'm already going to be late for school."

"Nope. Take me now," insisted the girl.

"But I just told you that I couldn't," Minako spoke, trying to be polite. "I'm sorry."

At that moment, the girl turned on the crocodile tears as she began to wail. "This lady is bullying me!" she cried.

Minako then sighed, now not having a choice or a way out of this situation. She then scooped up the little girl in her arms and took off running as fast as she could until she eventually made it to the bus that was en route to Shiba Kindergarten. The bus driver thanked Minako, and it drove away with the little girl waving goodbye from the back window. Minako was happy to help, but she felt exhausted.

"Man, kids these days sure are different," Minako panted.

"Minako, I don't know if you'll be able to make it on time now," said Artemis worriedly. "Do you still want to try anyway?"

"Yeah. We might as well," said Minako. "Let's hurry."

The two then went on their way, sprinting down the sidewalk hoping that it wasn't too late. Then as Minako ran, she caught sight of a certain odango blonde who was also running late just up ahead of her. She soon caught up with her.

"Hey, Usagi!" Minako greeted.

"Oh, hey, Minako!" Usagi greeted back. "I guess you overslept too, huh?"

"Yeah, I did," Minako spoke, sheepishly. "It's as they say, "In spring, no sheep's a sheep that mows no lawn." "

"Minako. It's "In spring one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn"!" corrected Artemis as he ran.

"Well, I guess you could say that too," Minako spoke, feeling a bit silly. She then saw that the sidewalk went into two separate directions. Anyway, my school's the other way, so I'll see you later, Usagi!"

"Okay, bye!" said Usagi.

And so, Usagi kept running straight ahead while Minako hurriedly went to the right.

Soon enough, Minako had finally reached her school. However, she was already too late. The front gates were closed, and the bell was already beginning to ring.

"Aw man," Minako groaned.

"Well, it was worth a try," Artemis sighed in defeat. "And this is one of your better days."

* * *

At Juuban Junior High School, Minako wasn't the only one who ended up being late. Usagi ended up late too, and was now standing in the hallway as punishment while holding a pail filled with water and a sign hung around her neck that read: I am always late for school. She felt miserable.

"It really sucks having to stand here the whole time until recess," Usagi groaned as she looked out the window. "Although, I wonder if Minako made it to school on time?"

Just then, Seijuuro appeared radiating with his usual suave and confidence. "Usagi, the sadness in your eyes as well as your melancholy face only makes you all the more beautiful," he said.

"O-Oh, Seijuuro," Usagi spoke, her cheeks tinged with pink. "Thank you for saying so... I guess."

Seijuuro then held out his hands, closing his eyes as he went on. "Now, I want us to feel the depth of our love!" he spoke with passion. "Come into my arms, dear Usagi! Let me hold you so that we can exchange our love!"

However, Usagi did not come to Seijuuro, for right then, Natsumi now stood right in front of him scowling daggers at him. Seijuuro then opened one eye and saw her instinctively gulping.

"And just what the heck do you think you're doing, Brother?" Natsumi asked, her voice as cold as ice.

Thinking quickly, Seijuuro started doing some side stretches. "I'm just exercising!" he said as he continued. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!"

He then walked away, continuing to count as he kept pretending that he was doing stretch exercises. Natsumi and Usagi watched him leave and looked at each other. Usagi gave Natsumi an awkward smile trying to be friendly, but Natsumi turned away in a huff not having it at all.

 _"Those two are the strangest brother and sister ever,"_ Usagi thought to herself.

* * *

A little later, Seijuuro and Natsumi met up on the rooftops at the school to discuss their next scheme.

"Alright then, let's talk about our next plan to gather energy," said Seijuuro.

But Natsumi was still angry. "Don't change the subject!" she snapped. "What did you think you were doing flirting with that girl?! You have got to stop going after her like that!"

"Don't get the wrong idea," Seijuuro spoke innocently. "It's all a part of my plan."

"And just what plan would that be?" Natsumi asked, raising a brow. "Anyway, you'll be interested to know that this time, we're going after a much younger fresher source of energy."

Seijuuro smirked with interest. "Fresher energy, eh? Interesting."

* * *

Later that evening, after school, Minako and Artemis were walking back home. They were looking forward to getting some rest after the tiresome day they just had. Then as they walked on reaching the intersection of the sideway, they saw someone not too far away from them also walking home. It was Harusuke.

"Hey! Harusuke!" Minako called waving.

Harusuke looked up and saw the two and waited for them to catch up. "Well, if it isn't Minako and Artemis," he said, greeting back. "What's up, you guys?"

"We were just on our way back home," said Minako. "You by yourself?"

"Yep. As usual, Usagi's got detention for being late," Harusuke said. "So I was just on my home."

"Guess Minako wasn't the only one who was late," Artemis said. "Although, I'm not surprised that Usagi's late though."

Harusuke was a bit surprised to hear this. "Minako? You were late for class too?" he asked. "I didn't think you'd be the type of girl to be late for school."

"Hey, give me a break. Nobody's perfect," Minako spoke. "Besides, somebody turned off my alarm clock even though I specifically told him not to."

Artemis sighed, not saying another word.

"Anyway, you want to walk home together?" asked Minako. "Both of our houses go this way anyway."

"Sure thing," smiled Harusuke. "I could use some company anyway."

The three then went on their way together. As they did, they talked about their day at school. Just then, as they walked past a playground, they heard some voices belonging to some children.

"Is too! Sailor Moon is real!"

"Is not!"

"If she's real, then where does she live?"

"I don't know, but she does exist! There is a Sailor Moon!"

"You've never even seen her, so how would you know?!"

Harusuke, Minako, and Artemis looked, and they saw the same little girl that Minako and Artemis encountered this morning with three other boys.

"Hey, it's that girl again," gasped Minako.

"And it looks like she's getting bullied again, too," said Artemis.

"Wait, you two met her before?" wondered Harusuke. "When was this?"

"I'll explain later," said Minako. "Right now, let's go help her."

Harusuke and Minako then rushed over to the girl's side.

"Hey, stop that, right now," scolded Minako. "Didn't anyone teach you boys how to be nice?"

"This is a kid's argument only!" said one of the boys. "So stay out of this, old lady!"

Minako now felt insulted. "Old lady?" she repeated, her eyebrow twitching.

"Yeah, don't you have better things to do, like finding a boyfriend, Old lady?" mocked the second boy.

"I guess she can't with that face, huh?" laughed a third.

The three boys then laughed, and Minako grew all the more angry, her face in a smirking rage-filled expression. "Who are you calling old?!" she growled menacingly.

But then Harusuke calmly placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Now, now, Minako. Just calm down a minute," he said calmly. "Let me handle this."

Harusuke then on hunched down so that he was eye level with the boys and spoke calmly but firmly to them. "Now listen here, boys. I don't appreciate the way that you've been talking to my friend, and I don't like how you've been bullying this girl. So I'd appreciate it if you all would stop being so rude. Because if you don't..." He then gave them a frightening glare while flashing a slasher-like smile. "I just might have to find a way to punish you boys. Got that~?"

The boys faces turned white as sheets and not wasting another second scurried away. Minako and Artemis were surprised as well as impressed.

"Wow, Harusuke. How'd you do that?" asked Minako.

"Let's just say I learned a couple of things from my Mom," Harusuke spoke.

"But seriously though, what is it with kids these days?" Minako said now grumbling. "Calling me an old maid, no respect at all."

 _"It's because you talk and act that makes you seem like an old maid,"_ Harusuke and Artemis thought.

"Thanks a lot, you guys," the little girl spoke gratefully. She turned to Minako. "And it's nice to see you again too, Miss."

"No problem," smiled Minako. "But what were you and those boys arguing about uh..."

"My name's Mie," said the little girl. "I'm in the Tulip class at Shiba Kindergarten."

"Nice to meet, Mie. My name's Minako," the blonde girl said, picking up her white cat. "And this is Artemis, and this guy's my friend, Harusuke."

Artemis meowed in greeting and Harusuke gave a friendly wave.

"It's nice to meet you, Artemis. Harusuke," Mie said, smiling.

Then Minako noticed something on Mie's shirt as did Harusuke. Pinned on top of it was a small badge to Sailor Moon's likeness.

"I see that you like Sailor Moon, Mie," said Minako. "Then, does that mean that you like Sailor Venus, too?"

"I do like Sailor Moon," Mie said. "But I've never heard of Sailor Venus though."

Minako and Artemis then hung their heads with disappointment.

"Yeah, I figured as much," sighed Minako.

Harusuke felt a bit bad for Minako, so he then pointed to a bench nearby. "Let's go sit over that bench of there," he said. "Maybe you can tell us why those boys were bullying you."

So they went over to the bench and sat down. Mie then spoke up.

"Can I ask you both something?" she asked. "There is a Sailor Moon, isn't there?"

Harusuke and Minako looked at each other and hummed deep in thought.

"Well, that's a hard question to answer," said Harusuke.

"So... I guess what you're saying is, she's doesn't exist, after all," Mie spoke, sadly.

"No, actually it's the opposite," Minako said. "You believe that she exists, right, Mie?"

Mie nodded in response.

"Then she exists," smiled Minako. "Believing is the most important thing that you can do."

Mie smiled, feeling much happier. "Thanks, you two! I will," she said. "Say, Minako, Harusuke, have you two ever seen Sailor Moon?"

"We've not only seen her, but we've met her too," Minako replied proudly. "I also know that Sailor Moon's also got a partner named Solaris looking out for her."

Mie's eyes went wide with wonder and astonishment while Harusuke and Artemis gulped nervously.

"That's amazing!" Mie gasped, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "Then, could you two come to show-and-tell at my kindergarten tomorrow and tell all the boys that? No seems to believe me."

Harusuke was about to object, but Minako cut him off.

"Sure. We'll be there," Minako said with determination. "We'll teach those big-mouthed kids to believe in something and how to be innocent again!"

 _"Say what?!"_ Harusuke and Artemis internally screamed.

Mie was excited, now feeling as determined as Minako. "Yeah! If they don't start believing now, they're going to regret it when they grow up and yearn for their lost innocence, right?"

Minako, Harusuke, and even Artemis all looked at Mie not expecting those kinds of words to come out of her mouth.

"Is it just me, or is this girl more mature than we expected?" Harusuke whispered to Minako.

"Yeah, but that's what makes her cute," Minako whispered back, smiling.

* * *

Back with the Makai Tree, An and Ail were checking on it to see if it was staying alive. Unfortunately, the tree once again began to wither, its leaves drying up and crumbling.

"The situation's looking bad," said Ail. "We seem to be running low and energy again." He looked An. "So what energy source are going to target this time?" he asked her.

Above them, several pictures of children playing in the playground appeared as An explained.

"The fresh, juicy energy of children," said An. "They're filled with innocence and enthusiasm and also have energy that's ripe for the picking."

"How interesting," said Ail as he once again held up a hand of six cardian cards. "It's time to choose now, An. Pick a Cardian that's just right for the job."

An flicked her finger and made the fourth card shoot upwards, hovering in the air, growing to a large size, and revealing the Cardian for their mission. She had spiky orange hair, yellow skin, and a pair of large white wings, and also wore a battle-styled toga outfit. Ail then readied his flute, putting it to his lips.

"Now, come forth! Cardian Gigaros!" commanded Ail as he began to play his beautiful melody.

The card began to glow as the image of the card suddenly sprang to life. The card then morphed and changed turning into the Cardian that they chose for their mission, ready to steal energy.

* * *

Outside in the real world, a bus was making its way home, the destination being Kari Kindergarten. The kids inside were singing a merry tune as they waited for their stop home unaware of the incoming danger coming for them. As the bus entered the tunnel, there was suddenly an explosion on the roof of the bus immediately blowing a hole on it causing the bus to come to a screeching a halt as something came through the hole on the roof.

That something was Gigaros.

The kids cried and screamed in terror as the Cardian set to work draining every single child of their energy.

* * *

The Makai tree suddenly sprang to life, unleashed a white glow as it absorbed the energy that Gigaros had stolen much to Ail and An's amazement.

"This is wonderful!" Ail spoke, smirking. "What incredible energy! Even more so than I expected!"

* * *

The next day, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Luna were all at the Hikawa Shrine. Usagi was reading manga while the others were reading a newspaper article about what had happened to the kids of Kari Kindergarten.

"They've struck again!" Luna said, grimly. "This time the enemy's now draining the energy from children!"

"This is just awful!" Rei gasped, appalled. "Targeting little children like that!"

"I'll say! It's absolutely unforgivable!" Makoto agreed, crossly.

Ami then began to type on her little mini-computer calculating their next move. "Luna, I've analyzed which kindergarten they're most likely to strike next."

"And which kindergarten do you think it is?" asked Luna.

"There's a sixty-seven percent probability that it will be at Shiba Kindergarten," Ami replied.

"Then here's what we'll do," said Luna. "One of you is going to have go into the school undercover, help protect those kids at the kindergarten."

Then a hysterical fit of laughter rudely interrupted Luna causing her to groan in exasperation and everyone else to look at where it was coming from. Usagi was having the time of her life reading her manga and utterly oblivious as to what everyone else was discussing.

"Hey, you guys! You've got to check this out!" Usagi laughed, showing them the page. "It's hilarious!"

Everyone stared just at Usagi, even Luna. The odango blonde wasn't laughing anymore, confused as to why everyone was staring at her. At last, Rei broke the silence.

"Usagi, good luck today," said Rei.

"We're counting on you, Usagi," added Makoto. "Don't let us down."

"Umm... what are you guys talking about?" Usagi asked, feeling puzzled.

"Just make us proud, okay?" said Ami.

"But I still don't get what you're talking about!" Usagi said, feeling panicked.

* * *

At the Shiba Kindergarten, Harusuke, Minako, and Artemis had arrived there in time for Mie's show-and-tell. Minako was telling the other kids all about Sailor Moon. Solaris, and Sailor Venus, hoping to convince them that they exist, much to Harusuke's and Artemis' chargin.

"... and in conclusion, Sailor Moon, Solaris, and Sailor Venus really do exist," finished Minako.

The boy of which was one of the boys that was bullying Mie, raised a brow skeptically. "Whatever, I won't believe it until I see them with my own eyes."

The other kids agreed, nodding their heads.

"But what's important is believing that they exist," said Mie.

"If you believe hard enough, then you'll meet them," added Minako.

"Get real. You guys should be more realistic and rational," said the first boy.

"Be honest, are you and your boyfriend going through some tough times, Miss?" asked the second boy.

"What makes you ask that?" asked Minako.

"Because it sounds like you're in denial," said the second boy.

"Yeah. Adults are really lucky," said the first boy. "They get to project all their troubles and confusion on to kids and then run off to play in their own imaginary world."

Minako and Mie didn't know what else to say. Minako felt a little bit cross, but she made sure to retain her composure.

 _"I would like to tell those brats a thing or two, but I can't be hard on them,"_ thought Minako. _"Now that I think about it, that's what Usagi would do if she was in my place."_

 _"She should have never have gotten involved in this,"_ Artemis sighed internally.

Harusuke, who had been keeping quiet throughout the time, felt sorry for Minako and Mie and wanted to help them. At first, he had no idea how to, but then he got an idea.

"You know, it's honestly too bad that you kids have such a shallow way of thinking," he said. "If you want my opinion, I believe in Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus. I've always had for a long time now, and do you want to know why?"

The children remained quiet, while Mie looked at Harusuke curiously wanting to know as did Minako and Artemis.

Harusuke then smiled, giving his response. "It's because Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus saved my life."

Mie gasped as did some of the other children while Mie's bullies, however, were still skeptical rolling their eyes. Minako and Artemis looked at Harusuke, wondering what he was up to, but Harusuke smiled as he began his tale.

"You see, it happened not too long ago, a couple of months in fact," continued Harusuke. "I know this may seem hard to believe to you kids, but this is true. I was going about my way as usual in town, when suddenly, I was attacked by four monsters that surrounded me. They were all scary and wanted to do nothing more but hurt me, so ran away knowing that I couldn't take them on all by myself. I ran, and I ran until I was cornered by them. It really felt like it was the end for me, but then... a pretty guardian in a sailor uniform along with her band of heroes came to my rescue. Sailor Moon used her Moon Tiara Action, and Sailor Venus fired a beam that she called the Venus Crescent Beam. The four monsters were tough, but the Sailor Guardians were tougher, and defeated the all the monsters to save my life."

By now, most of the children were deeply immersed in Harusuke's story staring at him in amazement and wonder.

"So? What happened next?" asked Mie.

"Afterwards, I thanked the Sailor Guardians for saving my life, and they told me something that I would never forget for as long as I live," said Harusuke, placing a hand on his chest. "They told me, that whenever I was in trouble, they would always be there for me no matter what as long as I believed in them. Ever since that faithful day, I've always believed in the Sailor Guardians and I always will no matter what. I know I can't force you kids into believe in something the way I do, but it's how I feel. You're all free to chose who to believe in or not, but Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus are not delusions. They're heroes who will be there for you whenever you need help. All you need is some belief and a little faith."

When Harusuke finished his story, all of the children applauded cheering, including Mie. Even two of Mie's bullies, excluding the ring leader couldn't help but applaud. Harusuke looked back at Minako, who was staring at him dumbfounded, and gave her a wink. Minako then smiled blushing a little and then gave Harusuke a nod as well as a silent thank you.

At that moment, the teacher of the kindergarten came up. "All right, everybody, it's time to go home," she called.

"What? That's no fun," complained one girl.

"We want to hear another story about Sailor Moon," said a boy.

"You mustn't give the young man and lady a hard time," said the teacher kindly. "Also, I'm afraid that I won't be able to ride the bus with you today.

The children groaned in disappointment, but then Minako spoke up.

"Teacher, if it's okay with you, we'd be happy to keep them company on the bus today," Minako suggested.

"Well... Are you sure?" asked the teacher. "I don't want to put you both through the trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," smiled Harusuke. "It would be our pleasure."

"Yay! Let's go home together!" cheered Mie. "This will be so much fun!"

"Alright, you two, if you insist," said the leader of Mie's bullies. "Since Teacher can't come, then I guess you'll both have to do."

Minako, Harusuke, as the teacher could only be silent, exasperated by this little snarker.

* * *

As everyone got on board of the bus, Usagi and Luna were waiting just outside of the gate.

"That's the bus, Usagi," said Luna.

"Yeah, sure looks like it," said Usagi. "But... why am I doing this alone again?"

"You're the only one who can use the Transformation Pen," replied Luna. "I would contact Harusuke, but I haven't been able to contact him."

"That may be so, but you and the others didn't have to be mean and give me the cold shoulder!" pouted Usagi. "And what should I do if a monster really does attack the school bus?!"

"Just hurry, Usagi!" snapped Luna.

Usagi then took out her Transformation Pen and then set to work.

"MOON POWER! Turn me into a gentle yet glamorous and fashionable kindergarten teacher!"

Usagi's hair was now short up to her shoulders and now wore a pink sweater with the sleeves rolled up, purple pants, and blue sneakers.

The bus had just started to pull away approaching the gates, when Usagi came up the door waving her hand to stop the driver.

"Hi, sorry, I'm late!" Usagi said. "I'm the new substitute teacher that's supposed to join you today."

Harusuke, Artemis, and Minako looked at Usagi and were surprised to see her, and when Usagi saw them, she was surprised too.

"Usagi, is that you?" Harusuke and Minako said at the same time.

"Harusuke? Minako?" Usagi spoke.

* * *

Eventually, the bus was on the move again with Usagi being its newest passenger. When she got on, she immediately went over to her friends, relieved to see them.

"Thank goodness the two of you are here," Usagi said. "It's actually quite a relief."

"So what's up, Usagi?" asked Minako.

"Did something happen?" wondered Artemis.

"Well, yes. But at the same time it hasn't," said Usagi.

"Is it a Cardian?" asked Harusuke.

"Yes, but we can't be sure of anything just yet," said Usagi. "Until then, we have to stay on guard."

As the bus rolled on, Minako and Usagi then decided to entertain the kids by singing a particular theme song belonging to a Guardian. The kids sang along with them, while Harusuke and Artemis sat by themselves feeling a bit embarrassed as well as awkward.

"Just what the heck are those two doing?" Artemis whispered to Harusuke.

"I don't know," Harusuke whispered back. "Just let them be. At least it can't get any weirder."

The bus started going into a tunnel of which was the same tunnel that the Kari bus was attacked. It drove deeper and deeper into the darkness with only the headlights shining their way through. Then the driver gasped for something was standing in the middle of the street in front of the bus.

It was Cardian Gigaros once again.

The driver feeling startled, slammed on the brakes making the bus skid to stop, and Gigaros jumped smashing through the front window shattering the glass, and startling everyone inside. The driver tried to get away feeling frightened, but Gigaros prevented him by grabbing him by the throat and draining his energy until he was unconscious. All the kids immediately ran to the back for cover feeling scared, while Usagi, Harusuke, Minako, and Artemis stood bravely in front ready to protect them from harm.

"So you've finally shown yourself, monster!" Usagi spoke bravely. "We've been expecting you!"

Mie went over Minako clinging to her skirt in fear. "Minako, what's going on?" she whimpered fearfully. "I'm scared."

Minako wrapped her arms around Mie, giving her a hug. "It's going to be alright," she reassured. "She always comes to the rescue when you need her the most, remember?"

"Wh-who does?" asked Mie.

"You know who, Mie," Harusuke spoke gently. "The person who you believe in the most."

Mie's fear disappeared as a smile spread on her cheeks. "Sailor Moon!"

"That's right!" agreed Usagi. "Sailor Moon, as well as the Guardians, are on their way, and they'll come and save us!"

She then looked back towards Gigaros as the Cardian slowly walked towards them chuckling menacingly.

"Let's do this, Artemis!" cried Usagi. "We have to protect these kids!"

Usagi and Artemis then charged at Gigaros hoping to at least buy some time until Usagi could transform. However, Gigaros swatted them away at the same time knocking Usagi out of the bus and Artemis to the floor.

Usagi groaned wracked with pain as she pulled herself up from the concrete. "Man... it never gets any easier being a superhero, but at least now I have a chance."

Seizing her opportunity, she then took out her brooch. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed it a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does it a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons came out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappear as more pink ribbons wrap around her arms and hands, forming her white gloves and her red boots around her calves and feet._ _As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

Artemis and Harusuke were trying their best to hold off Gigaros, but the Cardian was too strong for them as they got knocked down to the floor. Gigaros cackled with glee ready to make everyone on the bus her next victims, but then...

"Stop right there, you monster!"

Gigaros stopped and looked outside as did the kids and they all saw someone particularly a sailor guardian standing outside much to their disbelief and Mie's delight.

"Those children represent our dreams for the future! Attacking them and making us worry about who'll take care of us when we retire is unforgivable!" she said crossly. "I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"It's her! It's Sailor Moon!" cried Mie, joyfully. "I told you that she's real!"

"I don't believe it!" Mie's bully gasped. "She really does exist!"

Sailor Moon looked at the children and gave them a wink while making a peace sign. "Sorry, I'm late kids," she said. "But don't worry. I'll take care of this monster for you now, and send you on your way home."

Gigaros then came out of the bus via the broken window and squared off against Sailor Moon.

"Alright, you big winged bully! Let's go!" Sailor Moon spoke, putting up her fists. "Bring it on!"

Gigaros let out a shriek as she spread her wings taking flight into the air. She rapidly flapped those giant wings and unleashed several green tornadoes at Sailor Moon. The Pretty Moon Guardian yelped as she jumped to dodge them, but it was clear she needed help too. Harusuke and Minako saw this, and while the children were all by the window watching the battle, they slipped away out of the bus so that they could transform too.

"Say, are you sure Sailor Moon's going to be alright?" Mie's bully asked Mie. "She doesn't look that strong to me."

"I don't know," said Mie. "But Sailor Moon needs help!"

Sailor Moon soon found her back against the wall as Gigaros closed in on her. She extended the nails on her hands and prepared to pounce, but at that moment...

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

A familiar ball and beam of light shot forth and blasted Gigaros throwing her backward. Sailor Moon looked up and saw her comrades standing on top of the bus.

"Sailor Venus! Solaris!" she gasped.

The children then looked up and were amazed when they saw the two heroes.

"Those two must be the ones Minako talked about!" Mie gasped with wonder. "Sailor Moon and Solaris!"

"Wow! They both look so cool!" Mie's bully said.

"You okay, Sailor Moon?" asked Sailor Venus as she and Solaris jumped down.

"You bet I am, now that you're both here," said Sailor Moon.

"Come on, you two. What do you say that we send this monster packing?" Solaris spoke, taking a stance.

Sailor Moon and Venus nodded in agreement. Gigaros had now gotten back up on her feet, furious that two more Guardians were impeding on her mission. She went on the attack once again, unleashing a powerful gust of wind from her wings. The three heroes dodged it, and Sailor Venus used her signature attack again.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

But this time, Gigaros saw the attack coming and swatted away the Crescent Beam like a fly and a fly swatter.

Sailor Venus was shocked. "No way! My Crescent Beam didn't even faze her!"

Solaris and Sailor Moon then jumped into the fray hoping that they would somehow find a way to back up their friend, but Gigaros once unleashed her gusts of wind blasting all three of the guardians away knocking them flat on the ground. Not wanting to give up on them, the children began to cheer as Sailor Venus struggled to her feet.

 _"There's got be a way to beat this thing!"_ Sailor Venus thought. _"But how?!"_

Gigaros then shot forward targeting Sailor Venus and prepared to slash her with her claws, but then a white rose came shooting from out of nowhere piercing the ground just in front of Gigaros causing her to stop. Everyone turned towards the side of the bus of which where the rose came from and standing there was the Moonlight Knight.

"Once beyond the tunnel of frustration, there is a land of light overflowing with hope," the Moonlight Knight said. "You can overcome any hardship as long as you believe in yourself."

"Believe in myself?" wondered Sailor Venus. "What do you mean?"

The Moonlight Knight then gestured towards Mie and the children who were still cheering wildly. "Just take a look. You three have some mighty allies who believe in you," he said with passion. "Don't you see how their belief in you can give you strength?"

The Guardians then looked over at Mie and the others and saw how loudly they were cheering for her and her friends. They were amazed. Sailor Venus then stood up now filled with motivation and drive.

"These kids taught me a lesson today," the Guardian of Venus spoke. "Believing in yourself is what's important, and that's what I'm going to do to protect them!"

She then let out a mighty yell as her body began to glow in bright yellow light much to Solaris and Sailor Moon's surprise. Gigaros, not backing down prepared to strike again charging straight at her again with her claws, but Sailor Venus bravely stood her ground as she unleashed a powerful attack.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"

She then unleashed a powerful beam of light which split into multiple beams at once. Gigaros shrieked in pain and agony as she felt every single beam blast her, severely wounding and weakening her. Seizing her chance, Sailor Moon summoned forth the Cutie Moon Rod and unleashed a powerful burst of light to land the finishing blow.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

The attack bathed Gigaros in its light and with one more final agonizing scream, she reverted into a card destroyed and no longer a threat. The children cheered, and the Moonlight Knight smiled with pride from beneath his mask.

 _"Well done, Sailor Venus,"_ he thought. _"You've discovered the importance of believing in yourself."_

And with a wave of his cape, he vanished from sight.

Sailor Venus stood there, a bit in shock as to what she had just done as Solaris, Sailor Moon, and Artemus went up to her.

"Sailor Venus, you were amazing!" Solaris spoke excitedly. "I've never seen you use an attack like that before!"

"Yeah! What was that?!" asked Sailor Moon. "And where did that come from?! That was awesome!"

"The Crescent Beam Shower..." murmured Sailor Venus, dubiously. "And... I don't know. It just happened."

"I think I can explain," said Artemis, who was smiling with pride. "It's one of your hidden and latent powers that was unlocked." He then looked towards them. "And I think we have them to thank for it."

Sailor Venus then looked towards the children, particularly at Mie, and she could only smile. "Yeah. We won because those kids believed in us," she said. "And we owe them a lot."

* * *

A little while later, Minako and Harusuke were with Mie at the playground again, Mie finished her story about her encounter with Sailor Moon and the others.

"Minako, Harusuke, Sailor Moon was really cool, wasn't she?" asked Mie eagerly.

"Yeah. She sure was," agreed Minako.

"The coolest superhero you've ever seen," added Harusuke chuckling.

"And you know what? I think both Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Solaris are cool," Mie went on eagerly. "I think I might become a fan of Sailor Venus and Solaris! In fact, those two are so awesome; they should become a couple!"

"A-A couple?!" Minako and Harusuke said together.

"Yeah! They're so awesome, and they're great when they work together!" went on Mie. "They would make the coolest duo superheroes ever!"

Minako and Harusuke looked at each other for a brief second; then they looked away their cheeks turning pink.

"No way. I don't think that's ever going to happen," they both said together.

"Geez. Kids today seem a lot more mature than they look," Minako whispered to Harusuke.

"Yeah. No kidding," Harusuke whispered back. "Makes me kinda wonder who are the kids and who are the adults."

Artemis could only chuckle as the three continued to spend their time on the playground unaware that as they did, Harusuke's bracelet glowed a little, a yellow flash going across it.


	57. Chapter 56

An and Ail were standing on the roof of their apartment outside, contemplating another plan to steal energy. This time, they were looking at numerous projections at various babies, either crying, playing with toys, or crawling around exploring the world.

"Human babies may be young, but they are full of life," commented Ail. "And are also full of strong, fresh energy."

"So they will be our next target then," agreed An.

Ail once again held up a hand of eight Cardian Cards and presented them to An. "Then, please select a Cardian that would be suitable for our plan."

An then pointed her finger and using her abilities, made the third card in his hand sharply fly upward stopping in midair. The card grew to a large size as it revealed the image of the next Cardian they would send. She was light purple-skinned, with long flowing blue hair, and wore a dress of sorts that was in bright colors of yellow and orange. Ail then readied his flute, putting it to his lips.

"Now! Come forth, Cardian Amaderasu!" he commanded as he then began to play.

At the sound of his flute, the card began to glow as it came to life as Cardian Amaderasu revealed herself, ready to serve her masters wishes.

* * *

At the Juuban Municipal Nursery School, there were lots of babies and toddlers roaming around playing and having a good time. At that time, a young woman had just arrived to pick her baby, of which smiled, happy to see her.

"Hey there, Manami," the woman spoke as took the baby in her arms. "Were you a good baby today?"

A caretaker then went up to her. "Oh, you were," she cooed affectionately. "You were such a good baby today."

The baby's mother smiled. "Now, say bye-bye to Nanny, Manami."

The baby in question looked at the Nanny and clenched and unclenched his hand as a wave while speaking. "Bah bah."

"Aww. Still too early to speak, huh?" the caretaker chuckled. "But don't worry, very soon you'll be talking like a grown-up in no time."

At that time, Usagi, Harusuke, and Ami happened to be walking by just coming home from school. When they saw Manami, they couldn't help but stop and admire the baby.

"Aww! How cute!" Usagi spoke, gushing.

"And what's your name?" Ami asked the baby.

"It's Manami," replied the mom. "And thank you for saying so."

"Manami, eh?" said Harusuke. "That's a pretty unique and pretty name. Suits her too."

Then suddenly, a bright light shone throughout the area, causing everyone to shield their eyes, making the area red from its glow.

"What's going on?!" cried Usagi.

"I don't know!" yelled Ami.

Harusuke then looked up to where the light was coming from and gasped. Hovering from above, just in front of the sun, he could make out a humanoid figure. However, he knew exactly what it was upon squinting his eyes.

"It's a Cardian!" he cried.

Amaderasu held out her hands, making a strange black and blue orb in them. From that orb, multiple single strands of hair-like thread shot out wrapped themselves around all of the babies and caretakers in the area, and began to drain their energy rapidly. Seeing the threads coming towards her as well, Manami's mom immediately turned around shielding her baby from harm as the threads wrapped around her as well, draining her energy too. Usagi, Harusuke, and Ami were horrified. Not wanting to see, this terrible sight and wanting to help, Harusuke was about to rush forward, but Ami stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Harusuke, don't!" Ami yelled. "If you touch those threads, your energy will be drained too!"

"But we can't just do nothing!" Harusuke yelled back.

Then with her work finished and having to have collected a large amount of energy, Amaderasu retracted her threads and then disappeared along with the red glow. Bodies laid everywhere, babies and adults alike, unconscious and nonresponsive. The only one who was still conscious was Manami who was now crawling out from beneath her mother's unconscious body

"This is awful!" Harusuke cried. "How can any monster be that cruel?!"

"What should we do?!" Usagi wailed.

At that moment, Mamoru came rushing to the scene, having to have heard the commotion. "Call an ambulance!" he yelled. "We need to get these people help!"

* * *

Back with the Makai Tree, it had just received the energy that Amaderasu had taken from everyone at the nursery and was once again growing, full of life, much to Ail and An's delight.

"Our plan seems to be a huge success," chuckled Ail.

"I'll say it has," agreed An. "Let's steal some more life energy from those newborns."

"We shall, but we should also proceed with caution," warned Ail. "Those Guardians have a nasty habit at appearing when you least expect them."

* * *

At the Azabu General Hospital, Usagi, Harusuke, and Mamoru were all in a room where Manami's mother and some of the other victims of the atttack were recovering. The adults were all on strechers sleeping while the babies were inside baby chambers also sleeping while being hooked up to monitors and breathing tubes. They were all waiting for Ami come back and give them an update on their condition. Ami soon returned.

"So what did the doctor say?" asked Usagi worriedly.

"The babies will be able to leave the hospital in about a week," Ami said.

"But what about Manami?" asked Mamoru. "Is she ok?"

Ami then looked across to Manami who was awake and carefree while sucking on her pacifier. "They said there's nothing really wrong with her," said Ami. "It must have been because her mother protected her."

"Speaking of her mother, how long will Manami's mom be out?" Harusuke asked.

"Unfortunately, she won't be ready to go home for at least three days," Ami spoke. "And that's going to be a big problem."

"Why is that?" asked Mamoru.

"I've been told that Manami's father has gone overseas on work, so no one's been able to get in touch with him," Ami explained sadly. "They have no family, no relatives, and no one else to call for help, so there's no one can take care of Manami while her mother is recovering in the hospital."

Usagi, Mamoru, and Harusuke were dismayed. There was also a long silence no one sure what to do, but wanted to help Manami and her mother. Until at last, Mamoru spoke up.

"I'll take care of her," he said.

Usagi, Ami, and Harusuke looked at Mamoru feeling surprised.

"What?!" Harusuke and Usagi gasped.

"I said, I'll take care of her," repeated Mamoru. "I mean someone has to take care of her. It might as well be me."

"But... you really think can take her home just like that?" asked Ami. "Caring for a baby isn't easy, you know. They have a lot of needs, and they're still discovering themselves, but they can't communicate yet, so it's tough to tell exactly why they're crying."

At that moment, Manami accidentally dropped her pacifier from her mouth. Feeling a bit upset, she began to cry. Usagi then picked up her pacifier, trying to give it back to her, but Manami spat it back out continuing to cry. Usagi then picked her up.

"Well, it is going to be difficult taking care of a baby," the odango blonde said. "But I can help you, Mamoru, and Ami and Harusuke can help too."

"I think I'll have to take a pass on that," Ami said. "It wouldn't fee right to get in your way, Usagi. Besides, you and Mamoru will do just fine."

Harusuke looked at Ami in surprise as Usagi and Mamoru played with Manami.

* * *

A little after that, the group split up. Harusuke and Ami were walking home, while Usagi and Mamoru went to Mamoru's apartment. Harusuke was still feeling a little bit worried about Usagi helping Mamoru watch Manami.

"Ami, are you sure that this was a good idea?" Harusuke asked.

"Of course it was," replied Ami. "Are you worried?"

"Of course, I am. I mean, I know Usagi's my sister and all, but she hasn't exactly been the most responsible as of late," said Harusuke. "Not to mention she's about as much of a disaster as disasters can get when it comes to things like this. And if I know her, she'll probably use this as a way of getting close to Mamoru."

"I know, but look at it this way, Harusuke. This is Usagi's opportunity to learn some responsibly, and how to take care of a baby," pointed out Ami. "After all, she is a princess, and maybe she'll want to have kids in the future with Mamoru when he gets his memories back."

Harusuke then pondered. "Well, I suppose you've got a point when you put it like that. Still, I just hope that Usagi doesn't cause too much trouble for Mamoru."

"I'm sure, she'll be fine," reassured Ami. "Besides, we really should be focusing on finding that Cardian." Ami spoke, scowling in anger. "The way that she just took the energy from all those babies is unforgivable! We have to track down that thing and destroy it before it attacks any other babies!"

Harusuke gulped, a bit surprised to see Ami so upset. "Wow, Ami. I've never seen you that angry before," he spoke. "But try not to let your anger get the better of you. I mean it happened to me, remember?"

Ami's cheeks then flushed from embarrassment. "Y-yeah. You're right," she apologized. "Forgive me."

Harusuke couldn't help but laugh. "No need to apologize," he said. "Just remind me not to mess with you whenever you get angry."

* * *

Back at his apartment, Mamoru and Usagi were tending to Manami who had once again started to cry again. Mamoru was shaking a rattle hoping to entertain her, while Usagi of looking through a book trying to find some piece of info to help the two in this situation. However, nothing worked as Manami continued to cry.

Mamoru then tried a different approach by making a couple of funny faces. Upon seeing Mamoru's strange expressions, Manami stopped crying.

"It worked! You got her to stop crying!" Usagi said happily.

She then joined in too, making funny faces while using her hair. Manami then burst into laughter thinking that both Usagi and Mamoru were very funny. Mamoru then stopped.

"Okay, Bun-head. You can go on home now," Mamoru spoke sternly. "I volunteered to take care of Manami, so I can handle it from here."

He then lied on his back picking up Manami and went on lifting her up and down making the baby squeal with laughter.

Usagi, however, couldn't help but sulk, feeling a bit cross with Mamoru for telling her to go home.

 _"Come on! I thought we both agreed to look after her at my place!"_ Usagi huffily thought. But as she continued to watch Mamoru play with Manami, she couldn't help but smile. _"But Mamoru's so caring and kind!"_

She then sat next to Mamoru not wanting to leave leaning on his shoulder in an attempt to get close, but Mamoru gave her one cold look, and she immediately got off of him, blushing sheepishly.

"Well, Mamoru, your room isn't as messy as I expected it to be," she said, laughing awkwardly.

At that moment, Manami suddenly burst into tears, crying again much to Usagi's and Mamoru's startlement.

"Uh-oh! I wonder what's wrong with her, this time?" Usagi asked worriedly.

"Maybe she's crying because she's hungry," suggested Mamoru.

Mamoru then went over to a bag which contianed all of the supplies need to take care of the baby. He had just taken out a themos as well as some baby formula, when Usagi suddenly appeared.

"Don't worry! I'll take care of it!" she said.

Before Mamoru could even respond, Usagi had already taken the items from his hand and dashed straight into the kitchen. However, things would only get worse from there. For Usagi, being the clumsy girl that she was, had some difficulty making the formula. She poured too much formula in the bottle making her cough, burned her hand when filling it up using the dispenser, and she even sprayed water everywhere when she tried to clean up.

Eventually, Usagi staggered out of the kitchen, her clothes, he hair, and even her face stained with baby formula, but had a full bottle for Manami ready to go. Mamoru was shocked as well as unnerved to see Usagi in such a state, but he didn't dare get in her way as the odango blonde went over to Manami. She gently picked her up and tried to feed him as he cried, but Manami kept turning her head away, refusing to eat as she wailed.

"What's the matter, Manami? Why won't you eat?" Usagi asked, more confused than ever.

"Maybe the milk's too warm for her?" puzzled Mamoru.

Usagi then started to drink the milk, testing it to see if Mamoru was correct. It was not only the right temperature, but it also tasted pretty good, at least to her.

"This is not that bad," Usagi said. "Pretty yummy, actually."

Mamoru then took Manami from Usagi and lied him down, taking a look at her bottom. He then understood what was wrong.

"Now I understand," Mamoru said. "Just as I thought."

"What do you mean? What is it?" wondered a worried Usagi. "Could she be sick? Has she got the measles or something?! Or Chickenpox?! Maybe whooping cough?!"

"Of course not, Bun-Head. She just has a wet diaper," replied Mamoru. "Go check and see if there are disposable diapers in the bad for me, would you?"

Usagi gently pushed Mamoru aside. "Not so fast, Mamoru. This is no job for guys," she spoke with confidence. "Leave this to a lady."

She then pulled down Manami's diaper and was about to change her, but then she let out a surprised shriek, her cheeks flushing red with shock and embarrassment, for she had seen something unexpected. Mamoru then looked up, having to have gotten a diaper from the bag.

"What's wrong, Bun-Head?" asked Mamoru.

Usagi then pointed at Manami stammering. "I-I - - There's well-uh... It's a girl, but... she has a wee-wee!" she squeaked.

Mamoru looked, and sure enough, Usagi was right. Despite her along with the others assuming that Manami was a girl, she was in truth a he, having the parts to prove it.

Mamoru then chuckled. "Come on, Bun-Head. His folks may have given him a feminine name like Manami, but he's a boy."

"But still, who would have thought that he'd be a boy," Usagi spoke. "But, we should probably get him a fresh diaper before he catches a cold."

Soon enough, Manami now had a fresh diaper on, however no sooner than it was put on, he began to wail and cry once again.

"Oh no, now why's he crying? We just changed his diaper! Don't tell me he wet himself again?" Usagi said. She then checked his diaper. "No, he's dry as a desert. I wonder what's wrong?"

Mamoru then held up the bottle. "This time, he's probably hungry," he said. "You might want to feed him."

Usagi then took the bottle and held it to Manami. He immediately stopped crying, taking the bottle and started to suckle, drinking it. She couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Mamoru, you seem to understand babies so well, it's amazing!" Usagi grinned. Then she gulped. "Did... you have any babies before this?"

"Of course I haven't, Bun-head!" Mamoru groaned, deapanned. "Have you lost it or something?"

Usagi now felt awkward and also a little silly. _"Why do I ask such stupid questions?"_ she cursed in her head.

As Manami continued to drink from his bottle, Mamoru refocused his attention on him, sitting him up. "Wow, look at you go, little guy," he said. "Drink plenty of milk, and you'll grow big and strong when you grow up." He then pointed to the bottle. "This is "milk." Can you say "Milk?" "

Manami stopped drinking and stared at Mamoru blankly in response.

"Come on, Mamoru. Manami's still a baby," said Usagi. "He won't be able to say anything yet, since he's too young." She then gently picked up Manami from the bed, and placed him on the ground making him stand on his feet while she sat a couple feet away. "Alright, Manami. Let's try to walk."

But all Manami did was stand there unsure of what to do, and after a few seconds of standing, he ended up sitting on the floor. Usagi tried again helping Manami to his feet, but the same result ended up happening.

"Manami can't stand on his little legs yet - all he can do at the moment is crawl," chuckled Mamoru. "Asking him to walk is completely out of the question."

Usagi felt insulted. "Well, then I guess when it comes to babysitting, I'm just plain useless, is that it?!" she snapped.

Mamoru didn't say anything and turn away in a huff as did Usagi, while Manami looked curiously at the two appearing to wonder what was with them.

* * *

A little later, Usagi was walking out of the apartments still fuming.

"I can't believe how rude Mamoru is! I mean what's with him?!" she grumbled huffily. "He always finds something wrong with everything I do! I didn't think he was that full of himself!"

She soon came to a bridge over a canal and stopped just in the middle of it. She then leaned over the railing stared into the water, her anger dissipating and replaced with sadness causing her eyes to fill with tears..

"Could it be... that Mamoru and I aren't compatable?" she wondered. "And we can't even get along at all?"

* * *

The next day, Luna woke up to a beautiful Sunday morning. She let out a big yawn as stretched getting herself out of bed. She sleepily went over to Usagi's bed expecting her to be sleeping in, but was surprised to see that Usagi's bed was empty.

"Looks like Usagi's gone, but I wonder where she went?" wondered Luna. "She usually sleeps in on Sundays."

* * *

Usagi had gotten up early. You see, she wanted to put a little more extra effort into helping Mamoru with Manami, so she could get into his good graces. The two of them were in the middle of town just finishing some shopping. Mamoru was carrying a couple boxes of formula and diapers while Usagi pushed Manami along in a stroller.

"Do you think we got enough milk and disposable diapers?" asked Usagi.

"That's an understatement!" complained Mamoru. "It's only going to be for two more days!"

At that moment, Minako, Makoto, Harusuke, and Ami came up to the two. When Minako saw them, she couldn't help but give Usagi a teasing grin.

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe it, Usagi!" Minako laughed. "When did you have Mamoru's baby?"

Usagi went beet red in the face with embarrassment. "Are you crazy, Minako?!" she shrieked. "What makes you think I'd be stupid enough to do that?!"

"One thing's for sure, you two seem to be like actual parents now," smiled Ami. "You sure nothing's happened between you two?"

"Hey! That's not funny, Ami!" snapped Usagi. "Cut it out!"

"Sure it is," grinned Harusuke. "If you and Mamoru didn't look cute enough as a couple before, you sure do now."

"Harusuke! Not you too!" groaned Usagi. "Would everyone just knock it off?!"

"Calm down, Usagi. There's no reason to get so worked up," soothed Makoto. "Did you honestly think that the four of us would believe that you and Mamoru had a baby since the last time we saw you?"

"Yeah. We were just teasing you," added Minako.

Usagi then relaxed, her flushed face returning to normal. Ami then whispered to her, so that only Usagi could hear her.

"Usagi, we're all heading over to Rei's place so we can all discuss how to stop that latest Cardian attack," Ami whispered. "Can you come with us?"

"Of course," Usagi whispered back. "I'll stop by after we drop off Manami."

* * *

Inside of the Hikawa Shrine, in front of the sacred flame, Rei sat in the front, saying her usual chant and using her shrine maiden powers, while everyone else sat behind her.

"Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

The flames suddenly flared spring to life as they revealed an image of Amaderasu inside them.

"That's her!" cried Usagi. "That's the Cardian that attacked those babies at the nursery school!"

"She looks very similar to a Sun Tarot card image I saw before," said Rei. "It signifies a happy marriage and love according to Tarot."

"Well, that's a wonderful meaning," commented Ami.

"When it's reversed, it signifies a different outcome," Rei continued, ominously. "A broken marriage, lonlieness, marital woes, and failure."

"Tha's awful!" gasped Makoto.

"Gee, why aren't I not surprised?" sighed Harusuke. "There always has to be a bad side to every good thing in the world."

"So I wonder which outcome will happen for Usagi and Mamoru?" Minako asked teasingly.

"Aw, come on, Minkao! Mamoru and I aren't even a real couple yet!" Usagi said, shyly.

"Well, you better be careful someone else doesn't steal him away," Makoto joined in. "Other wise, you'll end up in a one-sided love that's destined to fail."

Usagi then shot up to her feet, feeling worried. "No! I don't want that to happen!" she wailed. "I'm going back to Manami, right now!"

She then raced out of the temple heading for Mamoru's appartment.

Harusuke then sighed shaking his head chuckling. "Seriously, do you guys get off on teasing her that much? Give the girl a break."

"Come on, Harusuke. We were only teasing her," chuckled Minako. "It's nothing personal."

Harusuke then got up. "I know. Anyway, I was going to head for Juuban Park to search for the Cardian. Say Ami, you want to come with me?"

"Sure. I go," agreed Ami, as she stood up.

As the two were about to leave, Makoto and Minako went on teasing.

"Oh my, Harusuke. Are you and Ami going to have a secret rendezvous?" asked Minako cheekily.

"Maybe even have a kid together?" Makoto teased.

Ami then blushed a bright shade of pink while Harusuke rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yes. I'm going to whisk Ami away, so we can elope and have a baby together," Harusuke spoke with slight sarcasm. "Right, Ami?"

Ami then blushed bright red as the two of them left. "Harusuke! This isn't the time to be making jokes like that!"

* * *

Natsumi was walking around town aimlessly, searching around for any other nurseries to steal energy from. Then as she turned around a corner, she saw Harusuke and Ami walking together as they headed towards Mamoru's place.

"Man, I know that we just saw him earlier, but I'm actually wanting see Manami again, considering that I've been worried how he'll be with Usagi and Mamoru," said Harusuke. "Not to mention, that he's a cute little fella."

"I'll have to agree with you on that one," said Ami. "And I'm sure that Usagi and Mamoru have been taking excellent care of him, however, I'm looking forward to seeing him home with his mother again."

"Yeah, I'll say," agreed Harusuke. "It sure is going to be worth the wait for Manami though, the little tyke's going to be so happy."

Naturally, Harusuke and Ami were talking about Manami being reuinted with his mother, but Natsumi took this from another perspective. She thought that Ami and Harusuke were talking about something else which made her deeply shocked.

"I don't believe it! Harusuke and that girl and a baby?!" Natsumi gasped to herself. "Did those two have a secret affair and consumate their love for each other, and are forcing Mamoru and Tsukino to take care of him or her?! Unforgivable!"

Natsumi's face flushed with jealously and anger from the mere thought, and not wasting another second, raced away to Mamoru's apartment hoping to see this supposed baby for herself.

* * *

Mamoru was just in the middle of making some milk for Manami while the baby was having fun pulling out tissues from the box. Mamoru soon finished pouring the hot water into the bottle and was just putting it under cold water to cool it down, when the doorbell rang.

"Come in!" Mamoru called.

The door opened and Natsumi walked in.

"Hi Mamoru. I heard that you're working hard by taking care of baby," said Natsumi. "That in of itself seems hard, so I figured I'd come over and see if there was any way that I could help you." She then saw Manami playing with the tissues and went over to him. "Naughty boy. Look at the mess you made. I'll soon stop that."

She then picked up Manami in her arms and the boy immediately began to cry.

"Now, now. Stop your crying," soothed Natsumi. "Mamoru is making you a warm bottle for you, so you need to calm down like a good baby and wait, okay?"

Natsumi had hoped that she would be able to calm Manami down all by herself, but unfortunately for her, Manami did not like the look of her and continued to cry if not a little louder.

Mamoru then peeked into the room. "He might have just wet his diaper," he said to Natsumi. "Could you go ahead and check it for me?"

"Oh, yes! Of course!" Natsumi said.

Natsumi then set Manami down on the bed and got a fresh diaper from the bag. She then pulled down Manami's diaper to see if he needed changing, but she was surprised to see that his diaper wasn't wet at all. At first, she didn't know why but then came trouble, for her that is. Manami didn't like Natsumi so much, that as soon as his diaper was down, he shot a stream of urine directly into her face. Natsumi let out a shriek of disgust and immediately raced past Mamoru who almost dropped his bottle, and into the bathroom to wash her face.

When she was sure her face was clean, Manami came back into the room regaining her composure just as Mamoru gave Manami his bottle which made him stop crying.

"Mamoru, feel free to ask me to help you with anything you need," Natsumi said sweetly. "I will stay with you forever to help you and this darling child if you have to."

She then picked up Manami again hoping that she would be able to win him over now that he was quiet, but Manami was not having it, nor was he falling for her little facade, as he once again shot a stream of urine at her face once again. Natsumi shrieked with disgust again practically almost dropping Manami only for Mamoru to catch him.

Natsumi was now fed up. "That's it! I'm going home!" she yelled. "There is no way a horrid baby like that could ever be Harusuke's!"

Mamoru tried to stop Natsum hoping to calm her down, but Natsumi was too cross to listen.

At that time, Usagi had just walked into the door in time to see an angry Natsumi stomp right past her, slamming the door behind her. When she did, she looked back at Mamoru who was surprised to see her. She felt the flames of jealously start to burn in her heard as she remembered what Makoto and Minako said about her and Mamoru dropping her for another woman. That alone made her angry as well as hurt.

"So, I guess you'll let anyone help out with Manami," Usagi spoke bitterly biting her lip.

She turned on her heel and was about to leave, when Mamoru stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Wait a minute, Bun-Head! It's not what you think!" Mamoru tried to explain as he Manami down. "Natsumi just came here because she wanted to help!"

"I don't care!" Usagi snapped. "If you want her help so bad, then I'm going home!"

"What are you so mad about, Usagi?" demanded Mamoru, now more confused than ever. "What's gotten into you?!"

"You want to know why?!" Usagi burst out. "It's because I hate guys who don't understand a girl's feelings!"

Now Mamoru was shocked as well as feel bad causing him to let go of Usagi's arm, and Usagi was just about to leave when she saw something that made her freeze in place and her eyes go wide. Mamoru was confused, but then Usagi pointed causing him to turn around, he couldn't believe his eyes either.

Manami was now standing on his own two feet trying his best not to fall. Then Mamoru and Usagi watched as Manami took a little baby step forward, and then another, and then another, and then another.

"I don't believe it..." murmured Mamoru. "Manami's..."

"Walking!" finished Usagi.

Usagi and Mamoru then watched in amazement and wonder as Manami continued to walk until he got to the box of tissues. When he did, he sat down and started to play with it again, ripping out the tissues and throwing them around. Mamoru and Usagi then began to jump and cheer with joy while holding each others hands.

"He did it! He did it! He did it!" they both cheered.

As they celebrated, Ami and Harusuke came into the room. When they saw Usagi and Mamoru overcome with joy, they were surprised.

"What's going on in here?" wondered Ami.

"And are we interrupting something?" asked Harusuke.

Usagi and Mamoru immediately stopped, and immediately let go of each other's hands.

"You've got this all wrong!" Usagi wailed with embarrassment. "It's Manami! It's Manami!"

"What about Manami?" wondered Harusuke.

"You both just missed it!" Mamoru spoke, as he picked up the baby. "Manami just took his very first steps!"

Ami and Harusuke gasped.

"Oh, really?! That's wonderful!" said Ami.

"Aw, man! I wish we could have seen it!" complained Harusuke. "We should have gotten the whole thing on video!"

Mamoru then placed Manami back on the ground trying to get Manami to walk again. "Come on, Manami! Walk again and show them for us!"

"Yeah! You can do it, Manami!" cheered Usagi eagerly. "You're a natural!"

Ami then suddenly remembered and whispered into Usagi's ear. "Usagi, there's trouble! That Cardian's back again!"

Harusuke whispered too. "Rei sensed its prescense not too long ago. It should be somewhere close by!"

Usagi nodded in understanding as she spoke to Mamoru. "Um, sorry, Mamoru, but something urgent's come up! I'll be right back!"

And before Mamoru could even ask what this urgent matter was, Usagi, Ami, and Harusuke had already raced out of the room leaving him alone with Manami.

* * *

At the Nakayoshi Koyoshi Nursery School, Amaderasu had just arrived preparing to steal the energy from the babies and adults that were there. She was preparing to use the same method she used before, when Sailor Mars, Jupiter, and Venus arrived.

"Hold it right there, you monster!" cried Sailor Mars. "We can't allow you to prey on the young, nor will we forgive you for taking the life energy of babies!"

"Out of all the monster's we fought, you're the worst we've had yet!" Sailor Jupiter adde, defiantly. "Leave them alone!"

Sailor Venus then went on the attack firing a powerful beam from her finger.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!"

Amaderasu immediately floated backwards to dodge the incoming attack. Knowing that the Sailor Guardians were going to give her trouble, she created a strange bubble in her hand and blew on it, making several other bubbles bubble forth from it swelling to larger sizes. Then to the Sailor Guardians' disbelief, one by one, they swallowed up babies as well as the caretakers trapping them inside, and floated over to Amaderasu protecting her from harm.

"That rotten coward!" growled Sailor Mars grimly.

"She's using the babies as a shield!" cried Sailor Jupiter. "We can't attack her like this!"

Amaderasu cackled with triumph seeing that her foes were unable to attack. Not only to waste an opportunity, she unleashed a powerful blast which immediately took out all three of them at once. At that time, Usagi, Ami, and Harusuke arrived and wasted no time transforming.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed in a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does this a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons came out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappear as more pink ribbons wrap around her arms and hands, forming her white gloves and her red boots around her calves and feet._ _As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Amaderasu saw the three new guardians that had arrived and went on the attack firing multiple beams. The three heroes jumped managing to avoid the beams, but like the others, they couldn't attack due to Amaderasu using the babies as hostages. The Cardian then unleashed its blue hairs entangling the three and began to drain all of their energy.

"Wh-what is this?!" cried Sailor Moon.

"I'm... losing my strength!" gasped Solaris.

"It's draining our energies!" Sailor Merucry moaned.

Then just when Amaderasu thought that victory was hers, a white rose shot past her, it's petals barely grazing past her eyes, causing her to immediately cover them. Due to her losing her concentration, the hairs entangling the guardians dissipating setting them free and the bubbles that trapped the babies slowly fell to the ground and popped setting them free too.

"Weekends are when families should be enjoying their time together!" said a voice. "I can't allow monsters like you to ruin that special moment!"

The Guardians looked up and they saw a certain white Arabian clad warrior standing on the roof of the nursery.

"It's the Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon gasped with glee.

"Babies are life's treasures as well as cute!" continued the Moonlight Knight. "They will respond to your love with a smile that is to die for!"

Amaderasu growled in anger now able to see again. She then saw the babies on the ground who were crying from being scared, and fired a beam right at them. Sailor Moon and Mercury gasped and tried to rush over to save them, but there was someone who reacted a bit faster than them, and he jumped right in front of the beam shielding the babies from harm as the beam hit him square in the back. That someone was Solaris, who grit his teeth in pain as his back was hit.

"Solaris! Are you okay?!" cried Sailor Moon.

Solaris winced as he looked at his friends. "Don't worry! I'm fine! As long as these babies are safe!"

Sailor Mercury stared at Solaris shocked. Then she looked towards Amaderasu, scowling in anger for what she did.

"How dare you, you monster?!" the guardian of Mercury yelled. "Not only did you use these babies as shields to protect yourself, but you also used them to hurt my friend! That is unforgivable, and it stops right now!"

She then began to glow in a bright blue light as she unleashed a brand new attack.

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY FREEZING!"

Sailor Mercury unleashed a powerful flurry of bubbles. However, instead of creating a fog like they usually did, the blast of bubbles encased Amaderasuin a prison of ice freezing her. Sailor Moon and Solaris were amazed as well as surprised.

"Whoa! Sailor Mercury! When did you acquire such an amazing and new technique?!" Sailor Moon gasped in wonder.

"Yeah! You froze that Cardian solid like it was nothing!" added Solaris.

Sailor Mercury stopped and looked at her hands, surprised as well. "I... I don't know," she replied. "It's most likely because I was angry at that Cardian for threatening those babies and using them to hurt Solaris. But never mind that! Sailor Moon, hurry and finish her off! She'll return to normal with the warmth of the sun!"

"Right! I'm on it!" said Sailor Moon as she summoned forth the Cutie Moon Rod. "Get ready, you monster! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you! MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

She then took aim at the Cardian and unleashed a powerful stream of light and sparkles. Thanks to her being frozen solid unable to move, the attack obliterated Amaderasu instantly reverting her back into a card, its image going black as it emitted smoke. The babies were saved, but now they were so frightened that all of them started crying at once. The Guardians could only try to calm them down as the Moonlight Knight watched from afar.

"A child understands a while lifetime of caring, and dear mother's love," he said himself, as he disappeared into the air.

* * *

Soon after that, Usagi, Mamoru, Harusuke, and Ami received word that Manami's mother had been released from the hospital, and was ready to take him home. Harusuke and Ami went to pick her up while Usagi and Mamoru prepared to see Manami off.

Soon enough, Manami's mother, Harusuke, and Ami arrived and met up with Usagi and Mamoru at the entrance with Manami in tow. As soon as Manami's mother saw her baby, she immediately scooped him up from his stroller and hugged him warmly.

"Thank goodness, my little boy's alright," she spoke with relief. "I'm was so glad that the hospital decided to let me leave a day early. Thank you all for taking care of Manami."

"You should thank Usagi and Mamoru," said Ami. "They're the ones that did the real work."

"Please, it was no big deal," said Mamoru.

"Yeah, we didn't do that much," added Usagi feeling embarrassed. "Besides, it was a lot of fun."

Manami's mother than put Manami back into the stroller and Mamoru and Usagi then shared one more goodbye with him.

"I'm sure going to miss you, Manami," Usagi said. "It's not going to be the same without you."

"But nothing's better than being loved and raised by your own mother," smiled Mamoru. "Right, Manami?"

Usagi was just about to disagree when an unexpected surprise happened. As Manami's mother pushed him along, Manami spoke saying three little words.

"Mamoru. Usagi. Bye-Bye!"

As Manami and his mother left, Usagi and Mamoru watched them leave, dumbfounded at what had just happened as was Ami and Harusuke.

"Did... Manami just..." began Mamoru.

"Say our names?" finished Usagi.

The two then looked at each other and a smile crept onto both of their faces. The two then burst out in excitement holding each others hands as they cheered.

"He spoke! He spoke! He said our names!" the two cheered as they jumped with joy.

Harusuke and Ami watched as the two cheered, amused and proud.

"Well, what do you know. I suppose you were right after all, Ami," said Harusuke. "Taking care of Manami did make Usagi and Mamoru closer."

"And it seems they made a very strong impact on Manami himself," chuckled Ami. "I'm so proud of them."

"Speaking of being proud, you really went Mama Bear on that Cardian back there," Harusuke smiled. "That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen, Ami."

"Not as cool as you when you protected those babies, Harusuke" Ami said. "You reacted just like a father would when protecting his children."

"Aw, come on, Ami. You're making me embarrassed," Harusuke spoke scratching his cheek. "It was not that big a deal."

"I disagree," said Ami. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what might have happened to those babies, so you should be proud."

She then spoke to quietly herself so Harusuke wouldn't hear. "Personally, I would love to have someone like that protecting my kids."

"Did you say something, Ami?" asked Harusuke. "I couldn't hear what you were saying."

Ami's cheeks then flushed bright pink as she turned away in embarrassment. "It's nothing! I was just mumbling!" she squeaked.

Harusuke rose a brow in confusion wondering what Ami said, not realizing that a glow went across his necklace again. This time it was a bright shade of blue.


	58. Chapter 57

It was a busy day over at the Hikawa Shrine. There were lots of people gathered around at the gift shop as Makoto stood outside dressed in shrine maiden clothes attracting the crowd, while Minako and Rei's Grandfather operated the register.

"Gather around, everyone! I have something to show you!" Makoto called out to the people. "The amulets from the Hikawa Shrine work wonders on lovesickness!" She then held up the charm in question, making everyone gaze at it. "How well does it work you ask? Well, let me tell you based on my own experience. No matter how many times I got my heartbroken, I've always found a new love with this," she said with a wink.

Rei's grandfather bit back a comment as he joined in on the advertising. "You'll never be heartbroken again with our amulets," he said. "Our amulets are the best cure when it comes to problems of the heart."

The people couldn't help but be amazed growing excited.

"I could sure use one of those!" said one girl.

"Me too!" said another.

Minako and Rei's Grandfather were now selling charms like crazy as they handled out one after the other.

"Here you go and come again soon," Minako spoke as she gave a girl a charm. "Come back if things don't go well."

"Weren't you listening, Minako?" Rei's grandfather spoke, groaning. "Those amulets are supposed to fix problems like that!"

Minako then stuck out her tongue while bopping herself on the head innocently. "Oh, that's right. I forgot."

Soon the rush was over, and the three were now taking a break.

"Whew! Being a shrine maiden wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be," sighed Minako. "Makes me wonder how Rei does it all the time."

"Thank you for all your hard work, girls," Rei's grandfather said gratefully.

Just then, Usagi, Harusuke, and Ami arrived.

"Heya, Gramps," greeted Usagi. "How's it going?"

"Ah, if it isn't Usagi and her friends," Rei's Grandfather said, greeting them warmly. "I'm doing fine, thanks."

Ami then took notice of Makoto and Minako in their shrine maiden outfits. "So, how come the two of you are here?" she asked.

"And where's Rei?" wondered Harusuke. "Usually she's the one that's doing the charm selling business, right?"

"Normally, yes, but it's because Rei's busy at her school," explained Rei's Grandfather. "She's the chairwoman of the school festival, so she'll be coming home late for a few days, so I asked Minako and Makoto if they could give me a hand. Hey, since the three of you are here, would you all like to be shrine maidens too?"

"Well, that would be cool and all, but I'm going to have to pass," Usagi spoke, scratching her cheek shyly. "Besides, I don't want to memorize sutras."

Rei's Grandfather's eyebrow twitched feeling a bit insulted. "This is a Shinto Shrine," he said flatly. "Only Buddhists use sutras."

* * *

At the T·A Academy for Girls school, inside of the auditorium, the girls inside were busily at work making the final preparations for the school festival. Among them, Rei was busy at work giving orders to the girls making sure that everything was in place and perfect.

"A little up and to the left!" she called to one student as she adjusted the banner. "Up a bit more! Perfect! Okay!"

Then two students came up to her much to her annoyance. "What is it?" she asked huffily.

"Well, Miss Rei, we have a question about our class exhibition," said one student. "If you don't mind answering it."

Rei then groaned. "How many times do we have to go over this?!" she snapped. "I already told you everything you needed to know about it yesterday! Can't you see that I'm busy getting the stage ready?!"

She then turned on her heel and was just about to get back to work when she heard the other student timid call out to her.

"But we've got a problem, and we're afraid to proceed without your permission," she said.

Rei sighed exasperatedly. "Alright, then. I'll stop by later and come help." Then she took notice of some boomboxes in her path, which made her cross. "Who left this equipment here?! Somebody could bump it, so put it away!"

Two other students watched as Rei continued ranting and barking orders and couldn't help but blush with admiration.

"Wow~! Miss Rei is so wonderful and efficient!" one girl gushed.

"She sure is! Without her putting everything together, we wouldn't be able to have a successful festival this year," agreed the second.

Rei then noticed the two girls staring at her. "Hey, you two! Stop standing around gabbing!" she barked. "If you got time to fool around, then you got time to work!"

But the two girls squealed in delight as if they liked Rei yelling at them.

"Miss Rei actually spoke to us for the first time!" cried the first with glee.

"I know! We're so lucky!" sighed the second.

Rei could only sigh pinching the bridge of her nose, clearly irritated. "Jeez, I have so much to do, I would even ask a cat for help," she moaned.

At that moment, she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Rei!"

Rei then looked up and saw Usagi, Harusuke, and Ami walking up to her with Artemis and Luna on Usagi's shoulders. Usagi then proudly showed Rei Luna and Artemis.

"Here you go, Rei!" she chirped. "Luna and Artemis, ready to help!"

Rei felt puzzled. "Why... would I need those two?" she asked.

"Well, you said that you were so busy that you would ask a cat for help," replied Usagi. "So, here they are."

"Um... Something's telling me that Rei didn't mean that literally, Usagi," Ami deadpanned.

"Did you all come here just to make me totally insane?" Rei asked, trying her best not to yell.

"Don't worry, it isn't anything like that at all, Rei," smiled Harusuke. "We came here to support you."

Ami then held up a small pink bag. "Here. Mako made you some lunch in case you were hungry."

Rei took the bag feeling very grateful. "Thank you very much, you guys," she said. "I appreciate it."

"Say, you don't mind if we stay here for rehearsal, do you?" asked Usagi. "We would love to watch."

"Not at all," smiled Rei. "We were just getting everything ready to run it."

Rei then got onto the stage as the music began to play while spotlights shone on her. Rei lifted the microphone to her lips and started to sing.

 _"I'm not about to ignore you. I will save you! After all-"_

Then the color of the spotlights changed into a deep red color causing Rei to stop immediately. She looked up towards the girls who of course operating the spotlight feeling a little cross.

"Hey! You two on the spotlight!" Rei snapped into the microphone. "This isn't a cabaret! Choose a better color instead of that one!"

The girls at the spotlight then looked at each other feeling a bit puzzled not having the slightest clue what Rei was talking about.

"We have no idea what a cabaret is!" called down a black-haired girl. "So we have no idea what color you want us to use and not use!"

Rei then groaned in defeat. "Never mind. Just take five," she sighed as she walked off the stage, rejoining her friends. "Honestly, what's with those girls? It seems that the only one who cares about this is me."

"It's too bad, though," said Harusuke. "I wish I could have heard more."

"Yeah, that was a pretty good song, Rei," agreed Usagi. "Which makes me wonder, who was it that wrote the lyrics?"

"Oh, you have good taste in music, Usagi!" Rei grinned as she presented a few sheets of music to her friends. "As it just so happens, I wrote every single song for the school festival myself!"

Usagi, Ami, Harusuke, Luna, and Artemis all stared at Rei deeply shocked at a loss for words, which made Rei feel a bit cross.

"What is it? Do you all have a problem with the fact that I wrote the songs myself?" Rei asked coldly.

"It's no problem at all," Usagi babbled.

"We're just surprised is all," added Harusuke.

"But it makes it sound like you're using the School Festival to show off your talent," pointed out Ami.

"Of course, I am. Why do you think that I became the Festival chairman and on-site manager?" Rei said snootily. "I have a lot invested in this, you know!"

"You had us going there, Rei," Artemis chuckled. "But you're still just the same as you always were."

"I'll say. Thank goodness!" laughed Usagi.

* * *

Outside of the school sitting in a tree from above, Seijuuro and Natsumi were observing having to have heard all about what was happening there.

"The school festival, eh?" mused Seijuuro. "And it's happening tomorrow."

"And you know what that means," smirked Natsumi. "Come tomorrow; the whole place will be brimming with youthful energy. The Makai Tree will surely be pleased."

"I can almost taste that energy," Seijuuro purred, while licking his lips. "We cannot and will not miss our chance."

* * *

Later that night, the gang all met up at the Hikawa Shrine feeling a bit excited.

"Well, Rei, tomorrow's the big day," Usagi grinned.

"We're going to take the day off from our shrine maiden jobs to come watch the show," said Makoto.

"Oh? Does that mean that my grandpa's coming too?" asked Rei.

"Yup. Yuichiro's said he's going to cover for us," added Makoto.

"That's a surprise. I would have thought that Yuichiro of all people would have loved to see Rei sing," said Harusuke. "But I suppose he decided that helping out the shrine would more important."

"By the way, it's amazing that you wrote all those songs by yourself, Rei," praised Minako.

"I'll say it is. That must have been a lot of work," added Ami.

Rei then thought back to when she was writing the songs. She could well remember how difficult it was, the frustration she went through, and a lot of thought into writing those songs. However, not wanting to mention it and feeling a bit too proud, she puffed out her chest with pride.

"No, not at all. The lyrics came to me rather easily," Rei said with confidence. "And the melody just seemed to flow right off of my fingertips. I didn't even break a sweat. Yup, it was a piece of cake that had talent as its main flavor."

"Rei, you're so awesome!" gushed Usagi with admiration.

Everyone else agreed along with her.

"Isn't it a bit too inappropriate for the Guardians to get so excited about these things?" wondered Artemis.

"I think it's alright," soothed Luna. "Once and while should be alright."

After a while, everyone then started for home and Rei was just about to turn in for the night when Harusuke came walking up to her.

"Say, Rei. You said that you wrote the songs for the festival yourself, correct?" asked Harusuke.

"Yeah. That's right," said Rei. "Do you still not believe it or something?"

"No, I believe you. I just wanted you to know that you're an incredible person to write your own songs," said Harusuke. "A handwritten song is pretty much like a treasure, so I was going to suggest that you make sure that you keep it in a safe spot should anything happen to it."

Rei then smiled. "Look, it's sweet of you to say, Harusuke, but don't worry. It's in capable hands," she said. "I mean it's not like someone's going to try and take it or something."

"Whatever you say, Rei," chuckled Harusuke. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow at the festival. And by the way, break a leg."

Harusuke then went on his way home, and Rei got ready for bed, feeling excited about the festival come tomorrow.

* * *

The day had arrived, and the festival was in full swing. Everyone that was attending, student or nonstudent was having a good time trying out the many foods from different stands as well as the games. Among them, were Sejuuro and Natsumi who were eying their hunting ground from beneath a tree.

"This place is overflowing with energy!" said Natsumi.

"Yes, so why don't we enjoy ourselves by making the energy overflow inside us?" Seijuuro smirked ominously.

They were just about to set off, when they were suddenly interrupted by three students who belonged to the school coming up to them blocking their path.

"We found him!" cried one girl with long brown hair. "I just know it!"

"He's the guy we've been looking for!" squealed another girl with short brown hair. "Junko! Take his measurements right now!"

The third girl who had short brown hair with a red brow then took out a roll of tape measure and then started measuring Juuro's sides as well as his legs which made him puzzled as was Natsumi when the long-haired brunette came over to her taking her measurements as well.

"What's... going on here?" Seijuuro asked.

"I'll explain later," said Junko. "But right now, I need you to hold out your arms, and I'll need you to squat too. Like this."

She then demonstrated by spreading out her arms and bent down, which made Seijuuro even more confused, but he complied anyway. As he did, Junko measured his arms as well as his chest using the tape measure much to Seijuuro's discomfort. He was just about to ask what was going on when Junko gasped with joy, her eyes twinkling.

"Yes! You're absolutely perfect!" Junko cried.

Junko's friend then called out too, just finishing measuring Natsumi. "We're good here, too! She's just right!"

"I'm glad we kept looking until the last minute, but we have to hurry!" said the long brunette girl. "Come on! Let's hurry!"

"Now just a minute!" Seijuuro spoke indignantly. "Just who the heck are you girls anyway?!"

"Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself," said the long brunette girl. "I'm Sakurako Ougi, and me along with my friends are members of the Fashion Design Club, and we've been searching for you two because you're perfect for modeling the outfits we've designed for today's show!"

"Model?" puzzled Natsumi.

"Yes, and our theme as you may have guessed is aliens from outer space!" added Sakurako.

Seijuuro and Natsumi then gulped, their blood going cold upon hearing the world alien. They were afraid that Sakurako had figured out their true identities.

"How did they know, Ail?!" Natsumi whispered harshly to Seijuuro.

"I don't know," Seijuuro whispered back. "I never would have expected that we'd be found out so quickly! These three aren't normal girls!"

Sakurako noticed their reaction. "Hey, are you two, alright? You both look scared like we'll hurt you or something," She then smiled laughing. "Don't tell me that you believe in aliens and are afraid if you dress up like one; we'll likely to grab you and run experiments on you?

"N-No! Of course not!" Seijuuro laughed nervously. "I mean, who would believe something like that?"

"Now come along with us, now," said Junko taking Seijuuro's arm. "We've got to get you two dressed up for the show!"

And much to Seijuuro's and Natsumi's reluctance, the group then went off towards the auditorium to get ready for the show.

* * *

Usagi and the gang soon arrived at the school. Everywhere they looked, they could see all the female students either busy at work operating the games while others were there to attend the festival themselves along with the people.

"Whoa... I guess Rei wasn't kidding when she said that this was an all-girls school," commented Makoto.

Rei's Grandfather immediately went up to two of the girls who were standing nearby. "Hey there, cute ladies! How would you like to work part-time at my shrine?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but this school doesn't allow us to take part-time jobs," said one of the girls politely.

"But thank you anyway," said the other. "Have a nice day."

And the two girls went on their day leaving Rei's Grandfather feeling defeated.

"Man, I'm no match for talking to girls these days," he said. "I better brush up on talking to girls, so I don't scare them off."

Usagi, on the other hand, was feeling very hungry. "Where's the takoyaki? The Yakisoba? The curried rice?" she complained.

"Chill out, we'll get them," said Makoto. "Let's just enjoy the festival for now."

Luna then noticed that two members of the group were missing. "Where are Harusuke and Ami?" she wondered.

"I think Ami's attending a research presentation," said Minako. "As for Harusuke, I think that he's looking for Rei, so that she could wish her good luck."

* * *

Harusuke was wandering down the hall looking around for Rei's classroom as he passed the many food stalls and exhibits. He looked around, trying to see where Rei was, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

 _"Maybe she's busy preparing for the show or something?"_ Harusuke thought to himself. _"I wonder where she could be."_

Then he came across a classroom whose door was open. Feeling a bit curious, Harusuke peered into the classroom to find it was pretty much empty, when something caught his eye. Lying on top of the teacher's desk was a stack of paper. Harusuke then entered the classroom and walked over to it wanting to know what the papers were. Upon inspecting them, he gasped, for they weren't any ordinary papers. They were the music notes to Rei's songs.

"I wonder why these are doing here?" wondered Harusuke to himself. "Rei probably must have left them behind by mistake."

He then picked up the music and began reading through it. As he did, his eyes slowly grew wide with wonder and amazement.

 _"These songs... did Rei honesty write these herself?"_ he thought. _"These look like they were written by a professional!"_ He also began to think back to when Rei was talking about having talent and such and that alone made him smile. _"Despite her saying that she had talent, she must have been working hard, putting every ounce of time and heart into these songs."_

Then after a few minutes, Harusuke decided to leave the classroom not wanting to get into trouble with Rei or the other students shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Soon after that, everyone excluding Rei all met up in time to hear a girl's voice coming from the P.A. system.

 ** _"Attention, please! In just a few minutes, this year's queen of T.A. Girl's Academy, Rei Hino will begin her musical performance in the_ _auditorium,"_** the voice said. ** _"We invite you to please bring your guests and enjoy the show."_**

"Wow, so Rei is a queen, after all," Makoto spoke with a light chuckle.

"That's right," smiled Ami. "Everyone is counting on her for this festival to be a huge success."

"And she has good leadership qualities," added Artemis.

"Unlike a certain someone we know who should follow her example," Luna spoke cheekily.

Usagi then gave Luna a hard pop to the noggin, making a small lump swell upon it.

"Keep your trap shut, Luna," Usagi growled. "Otherwise, I'm going to hit you."

"Hey, tell me first before you hit me," whimpered Luna.

"Now, now. Let's not get angry with each other," Harusuke said. "Let's go to the auditorium already."

"Yeah, otherwise there won't be any seats left for us," said Minako.

And so the party headed towards the auditorium eager to see Rei's performance.

* * *

The auditorium was crowded with people, students, and people alike as Rei's concert was about to begin. Backstage, Sakurako and her friends were there along with Seijuuro and Natsumi who were now dressed in strange, ridiculous, alien-like clothes much to their embarrassment.

"Are you guys ready to go on?" asked Sakurako.

"But what is all of this?!" demanded Seijuuro crossly, gesturing his outfit.

"It's a fashion show, of course," said Junko. "You're the opening act for Miss Rei."

"We're opening for the show?" repeated Seijuuro, as he turned to Natsumi. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't know," replied Natsumi.

Then before the three had a chance to react, Sakurako and her friends had already pushed them onto the stage as the spotlights flashed on. As soon as the people in the audience saw them, they all burst into laughter, thinking that the Genko siblings looked very silly. Not realizing this, and thinking that they were praising them as well as sensing the energy from their bodies, Seijuuro and Natsumi who at first felt awkward now felt flattered.

"It seems as though they like us," Seijuuro spoke to Natsumi as he waved.

"Well, I suppose it's not so bad after all," Natsumi said with a small smile. "And can you feel their energy rising?"

"Yes, this indeed the perfect place to steal that energy," Seijuuro said, smirking to himself. "This auditorium is brimming with it, and I think now would be a good time to gather some. Don't you think, my sweet?"

"Indeed," Natsumi agreed, as she continued to wave at the audience. "Just you wait, Earthlings, you're in for an exciting show."

* * *

As the fashion show went on, Usagi and her friends were watching as well and were surprised to see the Ginko twins on stage.

"Hey! It's Natsumi and Seijuuro," pointed out Usagi. "What are they doing here?"

"I don't know, but I could care less about that," Harusuke spoke snickering. "I mean, do you see the outfits they have on?"

"Looks like he decided to abandon his Mr. cool-guy image," Makoto chuckled.

Soon the fashion show was over, and everyone gave Seijuuro and Natsumi a round of applause as the curtains went down. They then heard a girl from the P..A. system again.

 _ **"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your generous** **applause,"**_ she said. _**"Next, we present a musical performance by Rei Hino."**_

"Finally! It's Rei's turn to perform!" Minako spoke excitedly.

"I feel so nervous!" Usagi gushed.

"But you're not the one performing, Usagi," Ami pointed out. "So why would you feel nervous?"

Usagi's face flushed as her cheeks puffed up in a pout. "Just because, okay?!" she replied huffily.

"She's just hoping that Rei will do great without anything going wrong," said Harusuke. "I feel the same way too."

"Come on, guys. Be quiet!" shushed Makoto. "It's about to start."

The curtain then rose up and standing in the middle of the stage was Rei. She was now wearing am outfit comprised of a beautiful red dress with pink ruffles underneath the skirt, a yellow ribbon bow tied around her waist, red boots, white gloves on her hands, and a red choker around her neck. She even had a yellow rose with a white cloth tied on the left side of her head.

When they saw her, the crowd began to cheer as Rei greeted them warmly.

"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Rei Hino, but I'd prefer it if you call me Rei," the raven-haired girl spoke via microphone. "Thank you all for coming out to see me today. I'm pleased to have such a large, and enthusiastic turnout."

Luna and Artemis couldn't help but roll their eyes in annoyance.

"Good grief, she's totally into it," sighed Luna.

"It's like she's some kind of rock star," said Artemis.

"Looking good, Rei!" whooped Rei's Grandfather. "Knock em dead, sweetheart!"

"Yeah! You're totally awesome, Rei!" yelled Usagi. "Break a leg!"

The others couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as they cheered, but cheered along with them as Rei bowed politely.

"This song is from my heart just for all of you," Rei went on. "Please, enjoy!"

The music began to play playing a beautiful yet excellent beat as Rei started to sing. However, they were all utterly oblivious to the two dangers just on top of the stage, whose names were Ail and An, both of which were ready to attack.

"Now An, it's time for you to pick a cardian," said Ail, presenting her with a hand of cards.

An then picked a card which revealing an image of a cardian that looked just like a mermaid that had pink hair tied in a small ponytail tied by white pearls, with a blue tailfin as well as a dorsal fin, and shoulder-length blue hide which covered her arms up her chest like it was a bikini top.

"Now come forth! Cardian Siren!" commanded Ail, as he took out his flute beginning to play.

At his command, while he played, the card began to glow as Cardian Siren burst forth from the card letting out a fierce cry, hungry for energy.

Rei immediately stopped singing, sensing the monster's presence. _"This evil aura!"_ she thought. _"It can't be!"_

At that moment, Siren then appeared flying high above releasing a wave of sparkles on the audience.

"Be careful!" yelled Artemis. "Don't let that that dust touch you!"

Heeding Artemis' warning, Usagi and the others immediately took cover by hiding under the chairs to avoid the dust. The other people in the audience weren't so lucky. They, along with Rei's Grandfather, were hit by the sparkles with full force causing them all to fall fast asleep and unconscious.

Knowing that her victims were asleep, Siren turned her attention towards Rei and immediately shot towards her. The pearls in her hair which held it in place snapped allowing her hair to extend and flow free like they were tentacles. Rei tried to escape, but Siren's hair had already wrapped around her tightly trapping her and had begun to drain her energy.

"Let... me go!" choked Rei, as she struggled to get free. "Stop... draining my energy!"

Usagi and the others came out from under the chairs and saw what was happening.

"Rei's trouble!" cried Usagi. "That monster's draining her energy!"

"We have to help her!" yelled Makoto. "Before it sucks her dry!"

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Harusuke shouted. "It's hero time, girls!"

Everyone then transformed.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

"VENUS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed in a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does this a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons came out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappear as more pink ribbons wrap around her arms and hands, forming her white gloves and her red boots around her calves and feet._ _As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
__

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Minako._

 _ _The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as streams of yellow stars begin to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the stream of stars forms a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground forming a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were orange and her bow being bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she strikes her signature pose.__

* * *

"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"

"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"

Sailor Jupiter and Sailor combined their attacks, and in a powerful blast of lightning and bubbles, they were able to cut through Siren's hair setting Rei free. Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Solaris immediately rushed over to Rei to see if she was alright. But Siren, seizing her chance for new victims made her hair shot towards the Guardians.

"Look out!" yelled Luna.

Solaris immediately picked up Rei and jumped out of the way, but the Guardians weren't so lucky as the hair wrapped around their necks not only choking them, but also draining their energy.

"Her hair's stealing all of our energy!" groaned Sailor Jupiter.

"I can't... free myself!" squeaked Sailor Moon, her voice sounding weaker.

"Me... either!" whimpered Sailor Venus.

As Solaris landed back on the ground with Rei, he saw that his friends were in trouble. "Hang on, girls! I'm coming!" he yelled.

He was just about to do so, when he felt someone grab him by his hand, stopping him. He looked down and saw that the very person who halted him was Rei. She was still feeling weak due to having her energy drained, but she was not about to back down.

"Solaris! Hold on! I'm fighting with you!" Rei spoke. "We have to save the others!"

"But Rei, you can't fight in your condition!" protested Solaris. "You're too weak to fight, let alone stand up! Just let me handle this!"

Rei, using Solaris for support, pulled herself up and stood bravely on her feet. "No way...! I'm not going to sit by while my friends in danger!"

"No, Rei! Don't do it!" yelled Artemis.

"It's too risky!" Luna shouted.

But, Rei didn't listen, nor did she care as she whipped out her transformation pen.

"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Rei_

 _The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a red light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long tongues of flame erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The rings of flame tighten around her body and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

"Listen up, you monster!" Sailor Mars spoke crossly. "You ruined my concert, stole energy from my fans, and are even stealing energy from my friends! Those crimes themselves are unforgivable, and in the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"

Sailor Mars then felt a wave of vertigo hit her, causing her to stumble, but she remained standing.

"You OK, Sailor Mars?" asked Solaris.

"I'm fine," snapped Sailor Mars. "Let's just combine our attacks and take this thing down!"

Solaris was still reluctant about letting Sailor Mars fight, but he wasn't about to let Siren run amok. Sailor Mars then put her fingers together, creating a ball of fire, while Solaris clapped his hands together, creating a ball of light and aiming with his fist.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

"SUNSHINE METEOR!"

Both Guardians unleashed their attacks at Siren, both of them exploding into a pillar of fire and light. The intensity from the flames and light were able to burn through Siren's hair setting Sailor Moon and the others free falling to the floor, but Siren, who was unfazed by the attack let loose a jet of water from her mouth, making it shower all over her, dousing the flames as well as the light entirely.

"No way! That thing put out my Fire Soul attack as well as your Sunshine Meteor!" gasped Sailor Mars, clearly alarmed.

"I know!" Solaris spoke grimly. "Not only that, but they didn't even faze her! The only thing that suffered any damage was her hair!"

"Sailor Mars! Solaris! Run!" gasped Sailor Moon, as she tried to get up. "Leave us here! Save yourselves!"

But Sailor Moon's strength failed her as she collapsed to the floor. Siren then hissed menacingly and then lunged straight for the two wanting revenge for her destroyed hair, but then something shot down from above stopping causing her to stop. Upon inspection, the thing that shot down, was a familiar white rose.

"In the corner of a silent universe, there's a planet that plays a lovely melody," said a voice from up above. "That planet is none other than Earth. But the song created there belongs to every person living on it, and you trample over this everlasting melody, I, the Moonlight Knight, will make you sorry!"

Sailor Mars, Solaris, and Siren looked up and standing on the balcony above them, was the Moonlight Knight.

"Moonlight Knight!" gasped Sailor Mars. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"Once again having perfect timing as always," smiled Solaris. "You mind giving us a hand fighting this thing?"

"It would be my honor," said Moonlight Knight, as he drew his sword.

Siren then shot towards Moonlight Knight with a mighty roar, and Moonlight Knight jumped up from his standing place, his sword poised and at the ready. The Arabian Clad warrior stabbed thrusting his sword forward, but Siren knocked his sword away with a fwip of her tail and then pounced on Moonlight Knight forcing him back into the balcony. Siren then took off into the air once again thinking that she dispatched Moonlight Knight and turned her attention back towards the two heroes. Sailor Mars was feeling scared and didn't know what to do, but Solaris bravely stood in front of her, shielding her from harm, ready to protect her.

"Solaris, what are you doing?" asked Sailor Mars.

"You stay back, Sailor Mars," ordered Solaris. "I'll take care of this Cardian on my own!"

"Solaris, you can't!" Sailor Mars objected. "If the two of us couldn't beat her, how do you expect to take that thing on your own?!"

"I don't know, but I have to try," Solaris spoke. "Besides, we may be comrades in arms, but I have to protect you, Sailor Mars." He then looked back towards Sailor Mars. "As my friend as well as the Guardian of the Sun, I swear I'll protect you!"

Sailor Mars was taken aback, her cheeks blushing in bright pink as Solaris shot straight towards Siren letting out a brave yell as he swung, but Siren dodged and then countered with a quick whip of her tail. Solaris jumped dodging just in time and then fired a beam of light at her.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

He managed to get it around Siren's midsection hoping that he would keep her in place, but to his shock, Siren broke free and shot up towards him nailing him with a downward swipe of her tail sending him crashing into the floor. Sailor Mars gasped as Solaris struggled trying to pick himself up, as Siren then saw Sailor Mars and shot towards her again.

Sailor Mars desperately tried to use her Fire Soul attack, but she felt a wave vertigo come on again, causing her to almost faint as Siren swung her tail, hoping to end her in one blow. But at the last minute, Solaris jumped into Sailor Mars as Siren's tail smacked into him hard, making him take the full force of the blow.

As the two were sent flying and falling to the ground, they happened to crash right into the stand that held Rei's music sheets. Papers flew everywhere as they were ripped to shred from the force of the attack.

Sailor Mars opened her eyes, wondering why the attack didn't hit her, but then she realized that she was in the arms of a battered and beaten Solaris much to her shock.

"Sailor Mars... are you okay?" he asked, wincing.

"Solaris! Wh-Why did you-" began Sailor Mars before trailing off.

The Guardian of the Sun then smiled. "Because... I wanted to. Besides, I couldn't... let you get hit."

He then went limp on Sailor Mars falling unconscious. Sailor Mars then rolled over so that Solaris was lying down. Then she saw something that made her gasp. The destroyed music sheets that littered on the floor as Siren growled menacingly. She remembered all the hard work she put into writing those songs, not to mention she looked back at Solaris who risked his life to save her. She felt overwhelmed with anger as her body began to glow in a red aura, her eyes filled with tears of rage.

"Unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!" Sailor Mars yelled.

She whipped out an ofuda and after a few chanting threw it into the air, as she unleashed a fireball in the form of a new attack.

"MARS FIRE SOUL BIRD!"

The fireball enveloped the ofuda, and the fire changed shape, taking the appearance of a large bird which let out a mighty shriek as it went straight towards Siren. The Cardian seeing the incoming attack, unleashed another blast of water from her mouth hoping to douse the flames again. However, the Fire Soul Bird dipped to the side dodging the blow continuing its course towards Siren until it hit her right on her stomach causing the Cardian to shriek in agony as the energy it absorbed leaked out of her body and went back into Sailor Moon and the others causing them to wake up, returning to normal.

"Way to go, Sailor Mars!" cheered Luna. "Not only did your hidden powers awaken, but you were able to restore everyone else's energy!"

"Sailor Moon, now!" yelled Sailor Mars. "Finish her off!"

"You got it!" acknowledged Sailor Moon, who was now back to full strength and had her Cutie Moon Rod at the ready.

The Cutie Moon Rod glowed as it charged up power, and Sailor Moon after aiming, unleashed her signature attack in a blast of light and sparkles.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

Siren took the blast in full force shrieking in agony, her body blackened and exploded, reverting back into a card, its image turning black. Siren was now no more. The Moonlight Knight, who had reappeared just above the stage then looked down from above, filled with pride.

"Good work, Guardians," Moonlight Knight said. "Don't ever forget the light that shines in your hearts. Adieu."

He then disappeared with a wave of his cape.

Sailor Mars then rushed over to Solaris feeling worried as the Guardian of the Sun regained consciousness.

"Solaris! Are you okay?!" she asked.

"I'm okay," replied Solaris shaking the confusion from his head. "More or less." He then took notice of Rei's destroyed music on the floor. "Sailor Mars... Your music."

Sailor Mars then frowned looked back at the music and frowned biting her lip. "It's alright," she said, trying to smile. "It's nothing for you to worry about, Solaris. I'm just happy that you're okay. Even though it sucks that my music was destroyed."

Solaris then straightened up, pulling out his spandex digging into it. "Then it's a good thing I have this," he said brightly. "Otherwise, you'd really be screwed."

He then whipped out something that made Sailor Mars' eyes go wide with disbelief, for in his hand was Rei's music sheets.

"M-my music!" Sailor Mars gasped stammering. "W-When did you-"

"I saw your music a while back in a classroom while I was looking for you," explained Solaris. "When I did, I thought it would have been a pity if something happened to it, so I used some of the equipment in the classroom to make an extra copy just in case. Like I said before, the music you write is a treasure and it should be kept safe should anything happen to it."

Sailor Mars took the music sheets with shaking hands feeling relieved, as her eyes began to well up in tears hugging her precious songs close to her chest.

"Solaris... Thank you. Thank you," Sailor Mars whispered, her voice cracking a bit. "Thank you so much..."

Solaris then kindly placed a hand on Sailor Mars' shaking shoulders smiling under his mouthguard. "No problem. What are friends for?"

The other Guardians as well as Luna and Artemis all watched the two all smiles feeling happy for their friend.

* * *

After that, everything settled down, and Rei was back on stage once again ready to sing as the audience cheered, just as excited as before.

"In the corner of a silent universe, there's a planet that plays a lovely melody," Rei spoke. "And that planet is our Earth. My final song is called "Oh, Starry Night." I hope you all enjoy it."

Everyone then listened as Rei began to sing.

 _I've waited all of my life_  
 _For the day when love appears_  
 _Like a fairy tale in days of old_  
 _He will rescue me from my fears_

 _And now suddenly he walks in like a dream_  
 _And how can I tell him what he means to me_  
 _My heart stands still - has he come?_

 _Oh starry night_  
 _Is he the one that I dream of?_  
 _Oh starry night_  
 _Tell me, is he my own true love?_

 _Oh starry night_  
 _Is he the one that I dream of?_  
 _Oh starry night_  
 _How will I know_  
 _Will his love show_  
 _Is he my own true love?_

As Rei continued to sing, everyone listened intently gazing at her with wonder and amazement, stupified and awestruck by her voice.

* * *

Later that evening, the students gathered around a bonfire outside of the school looking at the stars in the night sky. Makoto, Minako, and Ami sat at one area, while Harusuke, Usagi, and Rei sat in another. Usagi then turned towards Rei.

"You know, Rei, you were something today," the odango blonde said. "That was such a lovely song you sang."

Rei then blushed. "Y-You think so?"

"We know so," agreed Harusuke. "And not only that, but you're a hard worker too. You should be proud."

Rei then giggled. "Thank you very much. Perhaps I should teach Usagi a thing or two about hard work."

"No, thanks! That's the one trait I wish I didn't have!" Usagi yelped nervously. "I don't need to be like you!"

"Fine then. You're the one who's going to regret later then, Meatball Head," Rei snapped. "Besides, my good traits would be wasted on you!"

"Who cares?! I'm happy the way I am!" Usagi snapped back. "I don't want your stupid traits anyway!"

"Now, now. Can't you two go through one day without fighting?" groaned Harusuke. "Honestly, you're both acting like a bunch of five-year-olds who just ruined a good moment."

"But Rei started it!" protested Usagi.

As Harusuke tried to calm his sister down, Rei couldn't help but look at Harusuke and started to remember back to when he saved her from the Cardian and saved her music when the first copy was destroyed. She felt very grateful, but at the same time, she felt something else too. Something that she couldn't quite figure out, but she chose to ignore it.

Rei then tugged on Harusuke's sleeve which made him turn to look at her.

"Harusuke? Can I say something?" asked Rei.

"What's up, Rei?" asked Harusuke.

"I know I said it before, but... I wanted to thank you again for today," said Rei. "You really saved the day. So... thank you."

Harusuke then smiled. "It's no big deal, Rei. As I said before, what are friends for?"

As the two smiled at each other, a glow ran across Harusuke's bracelet once again giving off a different color, this time being red.

* * *

 _I was going to go for the Viz Dub version of the song used, but I then decided that Starry Night would be better._

 _Not to mention, I tweaked a bit, but probably too much. ^^.  
_

 _Anyway, if you liked what you read, leave a review and feel free to give me some pointers!_

 _Dragoman, signing off!_


	59. Chapter 58

Harusuke was busy in the kitchen making some food, while humming a little tune. The kitchen was filled with a smell as he chopped, cooked, and even spiced his food. Luna then came into the kitchen, her nose catching a whiff of the delicious aroma.

"Hey there, Harusuke. What are you up to?" the black cat asked. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

"Oh, hey, Luna. I was just making myself some lunch for today," replied Harusuke. "It's been a while, so I figured I'd brush up on my cooking skills."

Luna then hopped onto the counter and took a whiff of all the yummy food that Harusuke had made. There were pork cutlets, rice, and some vegetables and all of which looked very appealing. Luna was impressed as well as a bit hungry.

"Wow, Harusuke, this is amazing," Luna said. "Your lunches would certainly give Makoto's a run for her money." Then she noticed that there were two lunch boxes on the counter which puzzled her. "Wait a second. Who's this lunch for? Usagi, perhaps?"

"Not really. It's for Makoto," Harusuke replied, as he closed up his box. "I was going to ask her to see if she could critique the lunches I made. You know, so she could give me some pointers on how to improve my cooking. That way she won't have to mooch off food from other people."

"Well, that's a capital idea," smiled Luna. "And this could also serve as part of your training of being a good husband. Truth be told, I thought that you were making a boxed lunch for Mako because of the craze. Apparently, those who love one another make lunches as a way of love."

Harusuke then blushed a bit. "Come on, Luna. You're making me feel a little embarrassed here. It's nothing like that. Speaking of Usagi, I wonder she's up yet? Knowing her, she's probably sleeping in or something."

Harusuke then finished making his lunches and put them in his bag.

"Alright, it's time for me to head for school," said Harusuke. "I'll see you later, Luna."

And Harusuke left as Luna waved goodbye with her paw.

* * *

At the school, Makoto and Ami were at the courtyard waiting for Usagi and Harusuke to show up. They were hoping to meet the Tsukino twins to discuss the Moonlight Knight. However, Makoto had other ideas. She indeed had Moonlight Knight on her mind, but it wasn't for anything important. She was mostly daydreaming about how handsome he was. She even imagined him on a moonlight knight, riding on a camel in the middle of the desert.

"Man... The Moonlight Knight," sighed Makoto. "He sure is a mystery."

"I know what you mean," said Ami. "Whenever we're in trouble, he appears out of nowhere and saves us. I wonder who he is?"

"The way he leaves when he says adieu while doing that pose," Makoto rambled dreamily. "He's just like the guy that broke my heart."

Ami was surprised. "Wait... Your old boyfriend used to say adieu?" she asked incredulously. "Doesn't that mean he was French?"

Makoto then groaned, feeling annoyed. "I just mean that they're both similar."

Just then, Naru happened to walk by, only for Umino to come up to her in high spirits.

"Hey, Naru! There you are, my dear!" Umino spoke merrily.

"Hi, Umino. What's up?" Naru asked.

Umino then whipped out a large object tied and covered by purple cloth with red hearts all over it, much to Naru's surprise.

"Ta-da! I made a special lunch just for you!" Umino spoke proudly. "It's my own super surprise to show how much you mean to me!"

Naru felt a little awkward. "Don't tell me... is it fried shrimp again?" she asked, trying not to be rude.

"Nope, my love. I decided to go for a little more variety," Umino said. "Today, it's bell peppers, okra, and fried shrimp!"

All Naru could do was smile and nod trying not to frown as Umino took her by the hand, and the two then walked off leaving Makoto and Ami a bit awkward themselves having to have seen everything.

"You know, now that I think about it, I've noticed something Mako," Ami said. "Did you know that making a lunch for a girlfriend of a boyfriend is popular these days?"

Makoto then hummed in thought as she looked down at her lunch, which was sitting on her lap. She then started to feel a little melancholy; the more she looked at it. "Yeah, but I guess I haven't made a special lunch... for anyone in a long time," she said.

"Is something wrong, Mako?" asked Ami. "You look a little sad."

Makoto was just about to answer when the two girls heard a familiar voice.

"Yo! Ami! Mako!"

The two then looked up and saw Harusuke running towards them.

"Hey there, Harusuke. Glad you made it," said Ami. "Where's Usagi?"

"Where do you think? She's back at the house counting Zs still," Harusuke spoke with a hint of annoyance. "Honestly, I tried to wake up that girl over and over, and I even told her to get up early to meet up with us, especially since we were going to talk about the Moonlight Knight, but as usual she'd rather sleep in and ignore her brother."

"Come on, Harusuke. This is Usagi we're talking about here," chuckled Makoto. "Did you honestly think that Usagi would wake up early for a meeting?"

"No, I suppose not," Harusuke spoke, smiling a little. "But still... that girl's going to be the death of me one of these days."

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain odango blonde in question had now just woken up and was racing out of the house as fast as she could. While she did, Luna came rushing out of the house chasing after her, dragging along a large pink bag with bunnies on it which was, of course, her lunch bag.

"Usagi! Slow down, would you?!" Luna called with clenched teeth. "You forgot your lunch!"

But Usagi didn't notice nor did she hear her. "I'm late! I'm late!" she shrieked as she continued to run.

Then came trouble. In her haste to catch up with Usagi, Luna stumbled on her paw which in turn caused her to fall flat on her face causing Usagi's lunch bag to go flying into the air. Seeing it descend towards the ground and not wanting it to be spoiled from the fall, Luna shot forward, running as fast as her paws would let and in a diving save while flipping herself over managed to catch the lunch bag before it hit the ground. However, due to the overwhelming weight of it as well as the velocity of its fall, the lunch bag smacked Luna right into her underbelly hard knocking the wind of out of her as well knocking her out as Usagi disappeared from view.

* * *

It was now the lunch period. Usagi managed to make it to school, but like always, she was in trouble Ms. Haruna again

"Ms. Tsukino, not only did you come in late, and also forgot your homework, you were also sleeping in my class?!" Ms. Haruna barked.

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Haruna," apologized Usagi. "Please forgive me. I won't do it again."

Ms. Haruna groaned pinching the bridge of her nose. "I highly doubt that, but... whatever. Just go and eat your lunch, okay?"

Usagi then went on her way, but now she faced another problem. She had just realized that she had forgotten her lunch back at the house and she was starving, and the sight of all the other students, particularly couples, eating their lunches together wasn't helping her much either.

"I wish I could eat my lunch, but I forgot mine," Usagi moaned as she glanced over at the other students. "If I already knew I was going to be late today, why couldn't I have eaten breakfast?"

She soon walked out of the school building and was wandering around the courtyard. She then saw Umino and Naru eating their lunch together. Usagi's mouth began to dribble with drool as she looked at the boxed lunch that Umino made for Naru, which was packed with fried shrimp.

"Here you go, Naru," Umino said as he held up a shrimp to Naru's mouth hoping to feed her. "Open wide."

Naru's cheeks then flushed pink. "Um... please stop that, Umino," she spoke shyly. "It's a little embarrassing."

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that," urged Umino. "Come on, open up, and say ahh."

"I'll pass, thank you," Naru spoke politely. "Besides, I can feed myself."

Umino then smirked while giving Naru an affectionate nudge. "Feeling a little shy, eh? Come on, just one time, and I promise I won't ask you again."

"Geez, you never give up, do you?" Naru sighed.

Usagi wanted to ask Naru and Umino to share their lunches with her, but at the same time, didn't want to interrupt them, thinking that she would look silly. Then she had an idea.

"I got it! I'll just ask Mako to share some of her tasty lunch with me!" she said to herself. "She's always got lots of yummy food! And maybe I can ask Harusuke too!"

She then raced away to search for the two. At the very same time, Makoto, Harusuke, and Ami had just arrived looking for Usagi, but they couldn't find her anywhere.

"I guess Usagi isn't anywhere around," said Makoto. "Wonder where she could be?"

"I just hope we can find her soon," said Ami. "I really want to talk to her about the Moonlight Knight."

"Don't worry, Ami. We've got plenty of time to talk about the Moonlight Knight with Usagi," said Harusuke. "In the meantime, I'd say we go ahead and eat our lunches." He then looked at the ponytailed brunette. "Speaking of which, Mako, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Something regarding our lunches."

"What's up?" wondered Makoto. "Did you make me lunch or something?"

"Well, yeah, but don't get the wrong idea," said Harusuke. "It's not what you're thinking. You see-"

Harusuke was just about to explain, when they heard the sound of a flute playing. Feeling a bit curious, they followed the sound of the flute to back inside of the classrooms and came to the music room. Inside while standing by the piano, was Seijuuro who was playing his pipe with a crowd of girls surrounding him swooning as he continued to play. Harusuke upon seeing Seijuuro couldn't help but frown as he along with Ami and Makoto watched him play.

"It seems that Usagi's not here either," said Ami. "I really thought that she'd be here of all places."

"Thankfully," said Harusuke. "As long that Seijuuro guy stays away from her, I'll be golden."

"That's a beautiful song," commented Makoto, her eyes wide with wonder. "I just love it. I could listen to it forever."

"Looks like you're at it again, Makoto," laughed Ami. "Let me guess: does Seijuuro also remind you of the guy that broke your heart?"

Makoto then sighed wistfully, her eyes sparkling with longing. "No, but he does like music... just like my ex."

"That's the same thing Ami just said, Mako!" Harusuke sighed sweatdropping. "Seriously, do you crush on any boy that reminds you of your ex?!"

Ami then gasped. "Wait a second! I just realized something!" she said. "Didn't the Moonlight Knight start showing up around the same time that Seijuuro transferred here?"

Makoto and Harusuke looked at Ami in surprise and then back at Seijuuro.

"Wait... you don't think that those two are the same person, do you?" asked Makoto.

"No way! Definitely not!" Harusuke objected. "There is no way in heck that Seijuuro guy's the Moonlight Knight. Not in a million years!"

"You never know, Harusuke," said Ami. "At this point, it could be just about anyone."

Makoto didn't say anything more as she processed over Ami's theory.

Seijuuro then finished his song, and all the girls immediately swarmed around him, practically begging him to eat lunch with them, but Seijuuro calmly raised his hand to silence them.

"Please, calm down, girls," Seijuuro said politely. "I appreciate all of your offers, but I usually skip lunch, so I have to decline."

But the girls refused to let up continuing to ask Seijuuro to eat their lunches feeling smitten with the boy. Having no other choice, Seijuuro left the music room walking past Harusuke, Makoto, and Ami as his female fans stampeded out of the classroom following him.

As Makoto watched Seijuuro leave, she couldn't help but think about Ami's theory and wondered if it was true. Her mind then began to wander in a daydream, imagining herself eating lunch with Seijuuro of which he became the Moonlight Knight. The fantasy alone made her heart flutter with excitement, and her cheeks go pink. That was until Harusuke and Ami brought her down to reality.

"Hey, Mako! Snap out of it!" Ami spoke tugging her sleeve. "Mako!"

Mako immediately snapped out of it feeling embarrassed, but at the same time, she felt excited.

"It's been a while since I've fallen in love!" Makoto spoke grinning. "Say, Harusuke, Ami, let me handle this one! I'll find out if there's a connection between Seijuuro and the Moonlight Knight!"

"But, Mako! There was something I wanted to ask you first!" protested Harusuke. "And I-"

"Alright! Let's do this!" Makoto spoke fist-pumping. "I'm going to do this!"

Makoto was so excited that when she slapped Ami on the back as a friendly gesture, she hit her so hard that Ami fell flat on her face much to Harusuke's disbelief. She then marched on her way after Seijuuro feeling determined as well as a bit nervous.

"What's the matter with Mako?" groaned Ami as Harusuke helped her up.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Harusuke spoke, feeling a little cross. "That girls got more crushes than Usagi. Not to mention that Makoto doesn't know that Seijuuro's got a huge crush on Usagi!"

As Harusuke watched Makoto leave, he couldn't help but feel a little upset with the girl, so much so that he decided to follow her and stomped away.

"Where are you going, Harusuke?" Ami called out. "I thought that we were going to discuss-"

"Go on without me!" Harusuke called back interrupting. "And if you see Usagi, tell her that I'll meet up with her later."

Harusuke then went on his way while Ami sat there, stunned and confused.

* * *

Seijuuro was power walking while his fan club of girls chased after him not wanting to give up on the boy. Seijuuro eventually walked out of the building and outside the school, causing everyone who was there to gape in shock and surprise, and even a little jealously from the boys. Then, Seijuuro turned around the corner and having enough of being pursued and using his inhuman abilities, he took a great leap shooting high into the air and landed on top of the school building. At that time, Makoto happened to come by looking for Seijuuro, and when she saw him standing on the roof, she was surprised as was amazed.

 _"How did he get up there?!"_ Makoto thought to herself. _"Is he the Moonlight Knight after all?"_

Her cheeks then flushed pink as she giggled giddily not knowing what to do, however then she decided to see this as an opportunity to find out for herself.

 _"I just got to jump in and go for it!"_ Makoto thought to herself. _"Now that those girls are out of the way, he's all mine! Things will work out somehow!"_

And with a love-sick cackle, she raced back inside of the school building. At that time, Harusuke happened to come by trying to look for Makoto. He had just barely stepped outside when Makoto raced past him, causing the boy to almost fall flat on his bottom.

"That had to have been Makoto!" Harusuke spoke to himself. "Dang that girl runs fast! I've got to go after her!"

He then took off hot on Makoto's trail, but as he ran, he couldn't help but feel confused with himself.

"Wait a second, why am I making such a big deal about this? I mean it's not like what Makoto does is any of my business," Harusuke spoke while looking upwards. He then shook his head rapidly, trying to shake those thoughts away. "This isn't the time to think! It's time to act! Besides, the last thing I want that Seijuuro punk hurting Makoto in some way, and that I need her to eat my lunch!"

He then continued to race down the hall, hoping that he would find Makoto in time.

* * *

Seijuuro continued playing his flute in solitude, happy that he was able to find some peace, but he now felt perplexed about the girl's recent behavior.

"I just don't understand," he said to himself aloud. "Why do all of those girls want me to eat their homemade lunches so badly?"

"It's because... they like you," panted a voice.

Seijuuro feeling a bit startled, turned around and standing below him was a very sweaty Makoto who was happy that she managed to catch Seijuuro.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Ami, she decided to continue the investigation of the Moonlight Knight Siejuuro theory on her own by using her computer in one of the classrooms to calculate the chances while she ate her lunch which was a couple of sandwiches. Soon enough, she got her results, the computer displaying Seijuuro's information as well as the probability of him being Moonlight Knight, which flashed a pretty low number.

"Looks like the probability of Seijuuro of being the Moonlight Knight is point two percent. Not very good odds in my book," Ami spoke to herself between bites. "I guess they aren't the same person after all. I wonder who he really is?"

Ami had just popped her last sandwich into her mouth when she heard a moan coming from the doorway which made her so startled, that she swallowed it immediately. She then turned around to find a very hungry and weak Usagi standing there appearing to be on the brink of collapsing.

"Ami... I finally found you..." Usagi gasped while she leaned on the door.

"U-Usagi?! You startled me!" Ami spoke. "What's the matter with you?"

Usagi didn't answer Ami, for she had caught sight of her lunch box. The odango blonde, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, immediately rushed over to her lunch box hoping to satisfy her hunger, but much too her horror, she found Ami's lunch box to be empty.

"Sorry about that, Usagi. I just finished my lunch," apologized Ami. "I take it you forgot yours?"

Usagi could only respond with a small whimper, her eyes filling with tears as her stomach growled loudly in hunger. She felt so weak with hunger that she practically fell over almost fainting. Ami feeling a bit panicked immediately caught Usagi trying to keep her awake by shaking her wildly.

"Come on, Usagi! Snap out of it!" cried Ami. "I'll get you some juice or something!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Makoto and Seijuuro, the ponytailed brunette finally convinced Seijuuro to eat some of the lunch that she made. Makoto had now given Seijuuro a piece of cooked meat that was in the shape of an octopus with a smiley face much to Seijuuro's surprise.

"Wh-what is this thing?" Seijuuro wondered in bewilderment. "It looks like a sea animal, but it appears its composition is a bit different. Is.. there a reason for making it look like that? It also looks like its staring at me."

Makoto, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention. She was feeling so giddy sitting next to Seijuuro, that she couldn't stop fidgeting while blushing. After a few seconds of plucking up the courage to ask the question that she had wanted to ask.

"Say Seijuuro, do you happen to like white roses?" Makoto asked hurriedly. "And do you sometimes like wearing... I dunno, an Arabian outfit with a headcloth and a cape?"

But Seijuuro didn't reply, for he had popped the meat that Makoto gave him into his mouth. He chewed for a good few seconds or so and then swallowed while Makoto watched with baiting breath, hoping that he wouldn't dislike the food she had made.

"So... do you like it?" asked Makoto. "I mean... is it good?"

Seijuuro looked at Makoto and then gave his response. "May I have some more please?"

Makoto's face lit up like a lightbulb with joy as she presented Seijuuro her lunch. "Of course you can!" she said happily. "Take whatever you want1 I also have some desserts, too!"

Seijuuro eagerly took the box and started to eat savoring every kind of food enjoying the taste of it. "Not bad!" he spoke in between bites. "I've never had anything like this before!"

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Makoto spoke, gazing up towards the sky remembering. "You know, I used to have a special guy that I would make lunches for on a nice day like today. I remember how he used to tell me they were pretty good, too. Well, until he dumped me." She then apologized. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bore you about my past."

"Truth be told, I just don't get it," Seijuuro spoke as he continued to eat. "Why do you want to make lunch for someone that you like? What do they have to do with liking someone?"

Makoto then smiled as she explained. "Well, sometimes girls express their feelings by doing something special for the person that they love. Sometimes they don't think things through, and they try to do things they shouldn't. There are even times when girls like me would give up their lives for love."

"No way... That sounds ridiculous," Seijuuro spoke, feeling fascinated.

Just then, the two were interrupted by Natsumi who had been watching the two the whole time, and while she was smiling, inside she was burning with anger and jealousy.

"Hello, Brother," Natsumi greeted, her voice cold as ice.

"Brother? So you two are brother and sister?" Makoto asked Seijuuro.

"Y-Yeah. More or less," Seijuuro spoke, sensing Natsumi's anger.

"Brother, you really shouldn't consume any objects that you're not familiar with," Natsumi went on, glaring at Makoto. "You might get sick!"

Makoto felt insulted immediately shooting to her feet and getting up in Natsumi's face, while Seijuuro continued eating not wanting to get involved.

"Now you listen here!" Makoto snapped crossly. "You may not think so, but I'm an expert chef! I've been making lunches my whole life, and I've never made anyone sick once, get it?!"

"And I would appreciate it if you didn't hit on my brother anyone," Natsumi countered, not intimidated. "He's off-limits, got it?"

"For just a sister, you're sure are acting jealous," Makoto shot back with a sneer. "And getting that way over your brother is kind of creepy."

Now Natsumi was angry, but before she could say anything else, Seijuuro due to eating much too quickly, began to choke desperately trying to swallow. Makoto and Natsumi noticing this rushed on over to see if he was alright, but when they saw they were too close to one another, they glared grimly at each other.

"Don't touch him!" growled Natsumi.

"What's your problem?!" Makoto growled back.

As the two continued, Seijuuro's face began to blue as he choked temporarily changing into his real form. At that moment, Harusuke opened the door, and when he saw what was going on, his eyes went wide as saucers.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Harusuke cried.

He then saw Seijuuro was choking, and while he didn't like the guy, he couldn't just leave him in that state. He quickly dug into his lunch bag and took out a bottle of tea, opening it and putting it to his lips.

"Seijuuro, here! Drink this!" Harusuke spoke urgently. "It'll help you swallow!"

Seijuuro immediately took the bottle of tea, and gulped it down while Harusuke looked back towards Makoto and Natsumi who were still in a glare down with each other.

"Honestly, what's the matter with those two anyway?" Harusuke muttered to himself.

* * *

A little later after school, Usagi was once again being scolded by Ms. Haruna much to her displeasure.

"Ms. Tsukino! You were tardy, you forgot your homework, slept in Class all morning and afternoon, and your stomach has disrupted the class continuously!" Ms. Haruna lectured crossly. "Honestly, what in the world am I going to do with you?!"

All Usagi could do was bow in repentance. "I'm so sorry, Ma'am. It won't happen again," she said.

"Never mind," Ms. Haruna sighed. "Just go home and get something to eat already."

Usagi then sadly walked out of the school, feeling miserable as well as hungry. As she approached the main gate, she took notice of Ami who was reading a book while waiting for her, which of course was worried when she saw her in such a state.

"Hey, Usagi. Are you all right?" Ami asked.

"Nope, not really," Usagi moaned bitterly. "I'm so hungry that I can't feel anything at all."

"Then maybe this should help you, Usagi," said a familiar voice at their feet.

Usagi then looked down, and a delightful sight met her eyes. Luna had arrived and next to her was Usagi's lunch bag, which made the girl's mouth drool with hunger, and her eyes overflow with tears of joy.

"Please tell me that I'm dreaming right now!" Usagi sobbed happily. "Is that really my lunch?!"

"It seems that Luna was trying to give it to you this morning, but she wasn't able to," explained Ami.

Usagi immediately snatched up her lunch bag and hugged it tight, happy that she was finally going to have a chance to eat at last.

* * *

On their way back home to their apartment, Seikuuro was desperately trying to explain himself to Natsumi for what had happened earlier, but Natsumi was too angry to listen to him nor did she want to.

"Please, Natsumi, listen to me," begged Seijuuro. "I'm telling you it's all a big misunderstanding!"

"I don't care, you liar!" Natsumi snapped. "What you did was disrespectful! How could you eat human food after all the years we've spent together trying to create a world of love and sharing the Makai Tree's energy?!"

"But if you would just listen to me-!"

Seijuuro began to protest, but then Makoto appeared interrupting them.

"Hey there, Seijuuro," Makoto said. "Do you want to walk home together?"

Seijuuro tried to politely turn Makoto down still wanting to smooth things over with Natsumi, but Natsumi who was still feeling angry, had other ideas.

"What are you waiting for? Why don't you go enjoy your new friend?" Natsumi spoke coldly. "Make sure that you take your sweet time!"

And she stomped away leaving a dumbfounded Makoto and a discouraged Seijuuro behind.

"I'm sorry about that," Seijuuro apologized. "I know that she's a bother, but I don't know what her problem is."

"Well... in any case, this will be a good chance to talk about stuff," Makoto spoke a bit shyly. "So... you mind if we talk over at the park?"

Seijuuro was still feeling a bit worried about Natsumi, but he agreed. As the two went on their way, Harusuke was looking around trying to find Makoto and Seijuuro, but they didn't seem to be anywhere.

"Where did those two go?!" Harusuke wondered. "They couldn't have gone far."

 _"I still don't get why I'm following these two like this. It's not like it's any of my business,"_ Harusuke thought to himself. _"But I've got to! The last thing I want is for Mako to have her heart broken again, especially with a creep like Seijuuro, but it has to be done! Besides, it's not like Seijuuro's going to return her feelings. Plus this will be a good opportunity to see if Ami's theory is correct."_

He then continued to look around for the two hoping that he would find them before it was too late.

* * *

Soon enough, Makoto and Seijuuro were at the park all by themselves, Makoto still feeling a bit giddy.

"I could tell that you're close to your sister, aren't you?" Makoto rambled. "If you don't mind me saying so."

"I suppose so," Seijuuro spoke absently, not paying attention.

Makoto then sighed sadly. "It does suck though. For some reason, your sister seems to hate me."

"Don't worry about it too much. An's always like that," reassured Seijuuro. "But since you wanted to talk, there's something that I wanted to ask you about, I... don't understand the logic between liking someone and making lunches for them."

Makoto was surprised. Then she burst into a fit of giggles finding it a bit funny, which in turn puzzled Seijuuro even more.

At the same time, Natsumi, who had followed the two, was watching from afar, just behind some bushes. She was green with envy and red with rage, as her body began to radiate with power while she transformed into her true form.

"Damn you, Ail!" An spoke with a tranquil fury.

* * *

Back at the school, Usagi and shoveling her lunch down her throat as Ami and Luna told her what was going on today. Needless to say, that when Usagi found out about Makoto and Seijuuro hanging out together, her imagination went wild.

"What?! Seijuuro and Makoto are out on a date?!" Usagi cried, as she spat out some food on Ami and Luna.

"It's not really a date, Usagi!" Ami spoke while wiping her cheek. "She just wanted to see if he had anything to do with the Moonlight Knight, and Harusuke's been following her too."

"There's no way that Seijuuro's the Moonlight Knight!" Usagi snapped while chewing. "He looks nothing like him!"

She soon finished her lunch now fully recharged. She immediately shot up to her feet and took off running.

"Usagi?! Where are you going?!" Luna called.

"I'm on a mission to see whether or not it's a date!" Usagi called back. "Seijuuro said that he liked me, so he had better not be lying to me!"

"Now what was all that about?" Luna wondered. "Or a better question would be, why should she care? I thought she said that boy gave her nothing but trouble."

"Not to mention that I think Harusuke reacted the same way as she did," Ami spoke, smiling exasperated. "I guess they are brother and sister after all."

* * *

In the park, Makoto was still trying to explain to Seijuuro about food and love, but the boy didn't seem to be getting it at all.

"So then, you're telling me that love and lunches are just things that you give to someone?" Seijuuro asked. He then looked at his hand, clenching it tightly in determination. "That sounds kind of backward to me. Love should be something you take by force for yourself. Why would you give things to people for love? I just don't get it at all."

"It doesn't seem backward to me," replied Makoto. "And you think that love needs to be taken? That's sounds kind of depressing. I mean, love comes in many different ways, but I don't think it's something that can-"

"Silence!" snapped a voice filled with fury. "You meddlesome earth female! I think it's time that I taught you a lesson!"

Makoto and Seijuuro jumped and saw that just behind them was An. Before the two had a chance to react, An blasted the two with a strange psychic force. Seijuuro managed to stand his ground, but Makoto was blown back, landing hard on the ground, losing her grip on her lunch bag in the process. An saw Makoto's lunch bag and in an act of jealousy as well as revenge, stomped on her bag much to Makoto's shock.

"Who do you think you are anyway?!" An sneered. "A primitive human like you with no experience can't talk about love!"

An then raised her hand preparing to attack again, when Seijuuro stepped in between them trying to calm An down.

"Please, An! Wait!"

But An didn't listen as unleashed another blast of force with a wave of her hand not only hitting Makoto again, but also Seijuuro as well blown both of them back and knocking them to the ground.

At that moment, Usagi, Ami, and Luna arrived and were shocked when they saw An.

"It's that alien again!" gasped Ami.

"Wh-What should we do?!" squeaked Usagi fearfully.

"Ami, you need to look after Mako," ordered Luna. "Usagi, you handle the alien!"

"But do I have to?!" whined Usagi.

"Yes, you do!" snapped Luna. "Now transform already!"

Usagi and Ami then sprang into action on a mission to save their friend.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed in a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does this a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons came out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappear as more pink ribbons wrap around her arms and hands, forming her white gloves and her red boots around her calves and feet._ _As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose._

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Ami__

 _The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body creating a small mist of water that formed the rest of her uniform the exact same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves were blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose._

* * *

Makoto was devastated and angry as she looked at her smushed lunch bag. "My precious lunchbox, you ruined it..." she spoke tearfully. "How could you, you witch?!"

But An didn't care. "What are you blabbering about?!" she scoffed w hand. "It'stime to finish you off!"

"Hold it right there!" shouted a voice. "Leave that girl alone, or you'll pay!"

An looked up and standing on top of the geometric jungle gym, was Sailor Moon.

"How dare you ruin young girl's date with a cute boy?!" the Guardian of the Moon spoke crossly. "That sort of crime is truly unforgivable! Only a big, ginormous, oversized, pest would do that!"

"A lower life form like you calling me a pest? Of all the nerve!" countered An. "You need to learn your place, little girl!"

An was just about to attack Sailor Moon when someone else beat her to the punch, for Seijuuro now transformed into An, created strange dark blue tornadoes appear around Sailor Moon and the others blinding them, but also immobilizing them.

"Ail! You need to stay out of this!" An snapped. "I don't need your help!"

"Yes, you do An," Ail said. "Please trust me."

Then to An's surprise; Ail gave her a kiss on her cheek, which made her anger vanish instantly. An felt so happy, that she felt her heartbeat like a drum in her chest. Ail then presented An a hand of Cardian cards.

"Now, pick a Cardian worthy of this occasion," Ail said.

An did so and threw it upwards making it stop in midair as Ail readied his flute.

"Now, Cardian Utonberino! I summon you forth now!" commanded Ail, as he began to play his flute.

As the sound of his flute and his command, the card glowed as it transformed into the Cardian of An's choosing. She had hair that resembled a mop's head, one side colored red and the other brown, wore skimpy black clothes that resembled a kunoichi, had a fried shrimp for a shoulder guard, and a sushi roll on her arm for a band. She also wielded a single yellow chopstick for a weapon.

Utonberino then attacked Sailor Moon swiping her chopstick with quick precision attempting to stab her, but Sailor Moon with a fearful cry, dodged the incoming attacks albeit barely, while An and Ail watched from afar enjoying the show.

While this was happening, Sailor Mercury managed to carry Makoto to safety from prying eyes.

"You alright, Mako?" asked Sailor Mercury. "You're not hurt too badly, are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine," reassured Makoto as she took out her transformation stick. "Besides, those guys are going to pay for ruining my lunch! It's time to teach those monsters a lesson they won't soon forget! JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"

* * *

 _ _Transformation Sequence: Makoto  
__

 _The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows as Rei is enveloped in a green light. As she held up her pen while spinning around, long whips of lightning erupt from her pen forming several rings around her body. The series of rings of lightning swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, Jupiter finishes with her signature pose._

* * *

As soon as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury arrived, Sailor Moon was thrilled to see them.

"Am I glad to see you two!" she said gratefully.

"Don't worry! Now that I'm here, you can leave it to me!" Sailor Jupiter said brimming with confidence.

"Utonberino! Get rid of those Sailor Guardians!" ordered Ail. "And do so quickly!"

Utonberino let out a roar acknowledging as her right arm transformed into a cannon and then unleashed three individual ropes of seaweed wrap. Two of them were able to bind Sailor Moon as well as Sailor Mercury, but Sailor Jupiter quickly jumped back, dodging it as she prepared to unleash her attack.

"JUPITER SUPREME-"

But before she could, the seaweed rope bounced back and bound her too preventing her from using her attack. Ail and An were pleased.

"Excellent work, Utonberino!" praised Ail.

"Now, roll up Sailor Moon and her friend into a sushi ball!" laughed An.

Utonberino did so, by firing another rope of seaweed wrap and wrapped it around Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury dozens of times until the two guardians were bound tightly in a giant ball of seaweed wrap. The Cardian launched the trapped Sailors high into the air until they fell onto a fountain with only the jet of water, making them levitate. Ail and An thought this was very funny and couldn't help but laugh.

"Now that's what I call entertainment!" cackled Ail.

"You could say, they're having a ball!" giggled An.

Sailor Jupiter struggled against the seaweed trying to break loose to help her friends, but she couldn't. "If only I could get my arms free!" she said as she continued to try to get free.

At that moment, Harusuke arrived on the scene hearing the commotion. When he saw his friends were in trouble, he immediately took action.

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

"Hang on, you guys!" Solaris yelled as he ran up. "I'm here!"

Sailor Jupiter looked up as did Ail, An, and Utonberino, and saw Solaris running towards them.

"Solaris! You're here!" Sailor Jupiter gasped gratefully.

"Don't worry; I'll get you out of there, Sailor Jupiter!" Solaris spoke. "Just let me take care of this jerk!"

"Utonberino! Don't let him free the Guardians!" ordered An. "Make him into a sushi roll too!"

Utonberino roared, and she shot towards Solaris going on the attack.

"Solaris! Be careful!" yelled Luna. "Don't let her wrap you in that seaweed!"

Solaris hearing Luna's warning dodged the seaweed and leaped back in a backflip and jumped into the air towards Utonberino, only to have the seaweed wrap bounce back and go back towards him.

"Behind you!" yelled Sailor Jupiter.

Solaris immediately moved his body to the right, and as the seaweed went past him, he grabbed the wrap as he fell to the ground dragging Utonberino with him. With a mighty heave as he landed on his feet, Solaris using the seaweed swung Utonberino downwards slamming her to the ground stunning her, much to Ail and An's disbelief.

The Guardian of the Sun seeing his chance was about to free his friends, but then he saw something lying on the ground that caught his eye, which was Makoto's crushed lunch bag. As soon as he saw it, he went over to it and picked it up.

"This is Makoto's," he spoke with bewilderment. "It looks like someone stomped on it. Who could have done this?"

He then heard An who laughed in a mocking tone. "I wouldn't pick that stuff up if I were you, Solaris," she spoke snootily. "The Earthling girl made that garbage. She claimed to be a good cook and knew about love, so I put her in her place by smashing that bag full of junk."

Solaris looked at Sailor Jupiter who glared at An; then he looked at An and Ail glaring fiercely in anger.

"So it was you?" he asked, while clenching his fist. "You're the one who did this to Makoto's lunch?"

"Yes. And? What does it matter to you?" An went on in a condescending tone.

"It matters to me because what you did was unforgivable!" Solaris roared angrily. "Mako put her heart and soul into making that lunch, and you had to go and ruin it! When a girl makes a lunch for someone, it's not only considered to be a sign of affection, but it's also the fruit of her hard work and effort to make that person happy! And not only that, but Mako knows a lot more about love than a heartless, shallow, hussy like you ever could!"

Sailor Jupiter gasped feeling a bit surprised as well as moved. An, on the other hand, was now angry at Solaris as was Ail.

"How dare you call her a hussy?!" Ail snarled. "We'll teach you to insult her!"

"Cardian Utonberino! Attack Solaris now!" An shrieked in anger. "Make him pay for sullying An's name with his words!"

Utonberino got up from the ground and shot straight towards Solaris, of which immediately took a stance while putting Mako's lunch bag aside. Utonberino slashed and stabbed using her chopstick, but Solaris dodged and avoided the incoming attacks while countering with some punches and kicks. Utonberino then fired another rope of seaweed, but once again Solaris dodged it while firing binding technique of his own.

"SOLAR BINDING!"

He fired a beam of light that wrapped around the Cardian tightly and then he turned his attention to Ail and An. He jumped up and punched his hands together, conjuring a ball of light in his hands, and prepared to fire.

"You two still feeling hungry?! Then why don't you eat this?!" Solaris yelled. "SUNSHINE METEOR!"

He launched the ball of light by punching it, only to have Ail and An simply raise their hands unleashing a powerful blast of power. It not only dissipated the attack in an instant, but their attack went on to blast Solaris blasting him straight back to the ground so hard making the ground crumble.

"Solaris!" cried Luna and Sailor Jupiter.

Solaris grunted in pain as he tried to get back up on his feet. "Okay... that one hurt," he winced.

"Now, Utonberino! Finish him off!" commanded An. "And make his death a swift one!"

Utonberino also was able to break free from Solaris' Solar Binding and seeing that he was open to attack, she jumped high into and divebombed straight towards Solaris, her chopstick poised.

"Solaris! Look out!" yelled Sailor Jupiter, as she frantically struggled. "She's coming right for you!"

Solaris looked up and just when it was too late, two white roses shot out from out of nowhere. One whizzed by Utonberino's face causing her to shriek as she held her face in agony, and the other broke through the seaweed wrap that bound Sailor Jupiter setting her free. Sailor Jupiter looked up and much to her delight, standing on top of a lamppost was the Moonlight Knight.

"Moonlight Knight! You're here!" Sailor Jupiter gasped. "Thanks for freeing me!"

"The light of the Moon shines upon all, even those who have lost sight of love," the Moonlight Knight spoke. He then looked at Sailor Jupiter, making a rose appear in his hand. "Love that makes one risk their own life for another, is true love. Beautiful and courageous, it shines brightly."

He then pointed to Solaris with his rose who was still struggling to get back up on his feet after taking the recent attack. Sailor Jupiter looked across to Solaris as well as Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.

"Love and courage... I understand now!" Sailor Jupiter spoke, feeling determined. "I'm willing to put my life on the line for my cherished friends!"

Her body began to glow in a bright green light as she began summoning her power, her antenna extending from her tiara and her arms crossed.

"Jupiter, my guardian planet! Bring forth a storm!" Sailor Jupiter commanded. "Summon the clouds and bring down your mighty thunder! JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!"

Sailor Jupiter then unleashed a powerful lightning bolt, but unlike before, the lightning bolt took the shape of a dragon that roared while shooting towards Utonberino. The lightning dragon opened its jaws and before the Cardian could react, swallowed her whole as the powerful bolt electrocuted her entire body making her shriek with agony before falling to the ground in a smoking heap, severely weakened. Ail and An were shocked as was Solaris and Luna.

"Unbelievable!" Solaris gasped. "Sailor Jupiter's unlocked a hidden power too!"

"How impudent!" An snapped, as she prepared to attack.

However, a familiar voice shouted out.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"

Ail immediately teleported An out of the way as Sailor Venus's shower of beams shoot right past them.

"MARS FIRE SOUL!"

Sailor Mars' fireball burned straight through the seaweed entrapping Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury. However, the two were mildly burned as they splashed down into the fountain.

"Mars... Next time could you give a warning?" Sailor Moon coughed. "And maybe a little less heat?"

"I saved you, didn't I? Quit your complaining," Sailor Mars said.

"Be thankful that there was some water for you to fall in," laughed Sailor Venus.

"Never mind that!" Sailor Jupiter cried. "Sailor Moon, hurry and finish her!"

Sailor Moon saw that Utonberino was getting back up on her feet and was still ready to fight, so she quickly got out of the fountain and wielded the Cutie Moon Rod.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

The Guardian of the Moon unleashed a powerful blast of sparkles and light. Having to have taken the full blast of the attack, Utonberino was cleansed and reverted into a card, and seeing that their Cardian was defeated, Ail and An immediately teleported away fleeing.

"Excellent work, Guardians," Moonlight Knight praised. "Another job well done."

"Moonlight Knight, hold on a minute," Sailor Jupiter called out. "Who exactly are you? Please tell us!"

"One day you will all find out the truth," the Arabian clad warrior spoke. "All you need to know for now is that I'm a true ally to the Guardians. Until then... Adieu."

Sailor Jupiter and the other guardians then watched as the Moonlight Knight disappeared into the treetops with a giant leap.

Jupiter couldn't help but be amazed. "He knows about the true meaning of love, and that says a lot about him," she said. "There's no way that guy could be Seijuuro."

"Of course Seijuuro wasn't!" Sailor Moon spoke huffily. "That's what I've been saying!"

"I know. In fact, Moonlight Knight looks much more like that guy that broke my heart," Sailor Jupiter spoke dreamily. "The next time I see him, I'm going to make him a special lunch filled with delicious food and love!"

Everyone immediately facefalted, not believing how lovesick their comrade was. Then Sailor Jupiter took notice of someone sitting by himself eating out of her lunch bag. Much to her surprise, it was Solaris who was enjoying the food enormously.

"Man! This is so delicious!" Solaris moaned as he continued to eat. "Even when it's smashed."

"Solaris?! What the heck are you doing?!" Sailor Jupiter cried as she ran up to him.

Solaris then looked up as he swallowed. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm eating," he spoke as he popped a mushed-up riceball in his mouth.

"I can see that, but why are you eating it?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "It's pretty much ruined, and I doubt its even eatable."

"Doesn't seem that way to me," Solaris spoke between chews. "And besides, no sense in letting food go to waste. Especially food that's filled with so much love in it."

Sailor Jupiter stared at Solaris as did the other Guardians while Solaris continued to enjoy his meal.

* * *

Back at the apartments, Ail was now trying his hand at giving food to An, by presenting her with a mishmash of foods and other things mixed onto one plate as a gesture of apologizing.

"Here you go, An!" Ail spoke proudly. "This is for you! This is one of the ways Earthlings express their love to one another."

An was surprised but at the same time happy. "Aw, Ail! You did this for me?" she cooed while hugging him affectionately. "I'm so happy!" But then she was puzzled. "But... what exactly am I suppose to do with this?"

"Yeah... that's what I still don't understand," Ail said. "Earthlings have strange customs."

* * *

Meanwhile, Makoto had just returned to her apartment after having a hectic day. She had just stepped into her apartment shutting the door behind her, looking forward to getting a good night's rest when there was a knock on her balcony window. Feeling a bit startled Makoto jumped and she was immediately on guard.

"What was that?!" she wondered to herself. "An enemy of some kind?"

She quietly walked over to the window while taking out her transformation pen and grabbed the curtain ready to attack, but when she ripped the curtains away, she saw who it was. It was Harusuke.

"Harusuke?" she gasped as she opened the window. "What are you doing here? Or rather... how did you get up here?"

"Easy, I jumped up here as Solaris," Harusuke replied as he took out a particular lunch bag. "Sorry to bug you, but I came to give your bag back so that I wouldn't forget."

Makoto then took the bag into her hands, but as she did, she could feel a strange weight inside which made her curious. She opened the bag and inside was a bento box which made her pinks slightly pink.

"I wanted to give you that earlier today, but you were so busy trying to get Seijuuro's attention, I couldn't," Harusuke explained. "And before you ask, it wasn't because of anything... lovey-dovey. I was hoping... you would critique my food and give me some pointers, so I can make better lunches and get Usagi off of your back."

Makoto stared at the bento and then looked up at Harusuke in silence.

"So... what do you say?" asked Harusuke. "You... mind being my food tutor?"

Makoto smiled. "Sure. I'd love to. It's the least I could do after what you did today," Makoto said. "But I'll eat it tomorrow and then give you some pointers during the lunch period, okay?"

Harusuke's face lit up as he smiled too. "Thank you very much, Mako!"

"That's my line, Harusuke," Makoto laughed.

Harusuke then turned around and transformed into Solaris as he prepared to take off. "I hope you enjoy the food, Mako," he said. "And make sure you return the box."

And with a giant leap, Solaris jumped off the balcony, a green-colored light going across his bracelet as he disappeared into the night.

Makoto watched him leave and couldn't help but watch as he left. _"You know Harusuke; you may not be as cool as the Moonlight Knight,"_ she thought. _"But you're plenty cool in my book."_


	60. Chapter 59

One night in the Tsukino household, Luna found Usagi at her desk with her book open on a particular page which surprised her.

"Well, this is a surprise," the black cat spoke as he hopped up on the desk. "You're studying on your own, Usagi. Are you brushing up on your English?"

Usagi didn't reply. At first, Luna was puzzled, but she was quick to find out why with the sound of a snore escaping Usagi's lips.

"I should have known," Luna sighed. "Usagi's the same as always."

Then she looked at the page that Usagi left off feeling a little curious. It was from the story Snow White at a page where the handsome prince was about to kiss the main heroine herself.

"I wonder if this story is making her have romantic dreams?" wondered Luna. She then began to daydream herself. "You know, even I hope that someday that I will meet a handsome and wonderful male cat and share a passionate kiss with him!"

As she daydreamed, Luna stood on her rear paws like she was a human and hugged herself while puckering her lips. However, as she di,d, she happened to step on Usagi's pen, which made her stumble and bump straight into Usagi's nose, waking her up.

"Hey! I was having a great dream about eating a huge meat bun, Luna!" pouted Usagi. "What'd you do that for?!"

Luna stared at Usagi. She could not believe what she had just heard. _"A meat bun?! She was having a dream about a meat bun?!"_ she cried internally. _"Where did the girl with romantic dreams go?!"_

* * *

Around that same time, Harusuke was reading as well and was also reading Snow White and was on the same page Usagi was on. He then stopped and stood up, letting out a small grunt as he stretched his limbs.

"Man, that felt good," Harusuke said to himself. "Must have been stuck to that chair all day." He then looked back on the page where he left off. "Snow White, huh? Of all the stories we had to study our English on, I wonder why I had to start reading about this one? It seems like this would be something that Usagi would be interested in considering that she constantly thinks about romance all the time."

He then began to let his mind wander into his imagination as he pictured himself as a handsome prince with an unknown princess who was sleeping peacefully. Harusuke grew closer to the princess while holding her hand gently. His face grew closer to the princess, his lips about to touch hers.

At that moment, Harusuke snapped back to reality and shook his head, trying to get the daydream out of his head, while his face was a bright shade of pink.

"What the heck am I doing?!" he snapped at himself. "Why the heck would I even think about something like that?! Besides, it's not like it's going to happen."

Harusuke then glanced over at the page again, and then looked away sighing. "I think I need to take a shower," he said as he walked out of his room.

* * *

At her apartment, An and Ail was sitting in the room. Ail was inspecting his Cardian cards while An was reading a book, which of course was Snow White. As she read, An couldn't help but feel deeply emersed into the book while Ail wasn't as interested.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Ail. "If we have time to study English, then shouldn't we be thinking up ways to gather energy instead?"

An didn't answer as she continued to read. Ail seeing that there was no use trying any further, stood up from his couch and left the room going into the Makai Tree's dimension.

An then sighed wistfully as she hugged the book close to her chest. _"Love is something you reach out and take! Like kissing a girl in a deep sleep to capture her love!"_ she thought. She then made a plan. _"That's it! I will win Harusuke's heart by stealing a kiss from him!"_

* * *

The next day, Usagi and the others all met up at the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi and Harusuke being the last to arrive.

"Sorry, we're late!" Usagi panted.

"It's no surprise to us," said Rei. "We're pretty much used to it by now when it comes to you."

"But, why would you call for a meeting on such short notice, Rei?" asked Harusuke. "It is a Cardian or something?"

"No, not really," replied Rei. "Mamoru's the one who's in trouble right now."

Usagi's face immediately paled as she burst into tears with worry. "No way?! Mamoru's in trouble?!" she shrieked. "Oh, no! Is he seriously hurt or something?! Poor Mamoru! That's awful!"

"That's not what happened, Usagi!" Rei groaned. "Get a grip, would you?!"

"Usagi, please calm down," soothed Harusuke as he squeezed her shoulders gently. "Trust me, that was what was going on, everyone would be a little more panicked."

" He's right, Usagi," said Ami. "Mamoru just has to appear in a play at Juuban Hall, that's all."

"A play?" Usagi and Harusuke asked.

"Yeah. I guess some of Mamoru's friends were supposed to be in the play along with him, but they dropped out," explained Minako. "They got into an argument about the casting, and their troupe was disbanded."

"Now he's having a hard time finding new people to take the roles in the play," added Minako. "So naturally, this is making him worried."

"And you know how responsible a person Mamoru is," said Rei. "He doesn't want to cancel the play." She then showed Usagi and Harusuke a small board that read: "Please let this play go off without a hitch" with his name on it. "He left that prayer earlier in the shrine," she added.

Usagi's face immediately brightened. "In that case, we better go lend him a hand!"

"And I can call Umino and Naru, and see if they can help too," said Harusuke.

* * *

A little later, the gang arranged a meeting with Mamoru at Juuban Middle, and all soon met up.

"So, you guys are interested in taking part in my play?" asked Mamoru.

"Of course. Rei came up with the idea," explained Usagi. "And we also thought that all of us could put up a performance of Snow White."

"Snow White, huh?" Mamoru repeated with interest.

"That's right," Rei said brightly. "And since that I was the one that came up with the idea, I should be the one to play the part of Snow White."

"What?! Get real! You'd be better as one of the dwarves!" Usagi scoffed. "Besides, I should be Snow White because I'm so cute and adorable."

"Not so fast, I should be the one who gets to play Snow White," interjected Makoto. "After all, I do have the biggest breasts out of all of you."

Rei and Usagi scowled crossly. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Makoto smirked snootily as she puffed up her chest. "You want to compare?"

Minako then cut in. "Wait a second! I think I would be a better choice for Snow White!" she said. "Not only because I look like her, but also because I'm elegant and graceful."

"Well, I'm busy with cram school and homework, but maybe I could play Snow White," spoke Ami. "After all, she only has a few lines because she's asleep almost the entire time."

"You know, there are a lot of other roles besides Snow White girls," Mamoru pointed out. "Like the wicked queen and the prince..."

"And even the dwarfs too," added Harusuke. "And they're the most important in the play."

"Well, it's obvious that you should be the prince Mamoru," said Minako. "As for Harusuke, maybe he can be a dwarf."

"So that leaves the only real problem!" Usagi spoke indignantly. "Who's going to play Snow White?!"

"I came up with the idea, so it should be me!" Rei spoke.

"Yeah, but I have the best figure!" protested Makoto.

"I should do it because I have elegance!" Minako cut in again.

"I'll study the part really well! So please let me have the part?" Ami begged.

The five girls then continued to argue while Mamoru and Harusuke stood there, not believing what they were seeing. Umino and Naru then tried to intervene.

"Come on, girls! This insanity's got to stop!" Umino cried. "You're all acting so conceited!"

"He's right!" agreed Naru. "Stop being so selfish!"

The five then glared at the two. "You shut up! No one asked you for anything!" they all snapped.

"Good grief. This is the exactly why I'm in this spot in the first place," groaned Mamoru. "My friends had the exact kind of same fight; everyone had to play the lead or nothing at all."

The five girls continued to argue with each other, each one having their reasons for wanting to play Snow White. At that moment, Harusuke felt cross and walked over to the girls taking a deep breath and let out a booming yell.

"ENOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGH! ! ! ! ! !"

This made the girls immediately stop arguing as they all stopped to look at Harusuke.

"What's the matter with you girls?! Every single one of you should be ashamed!" Harusuke scolded crossly. "This was the exact thing that caused Mamoru's first trope to disband in the first place! Not only that, but you're all best friends and yet here you all are arguing or a lousy role! I understand that Snow White's a big part of the play, but that's not what should matter. What should matter is helping Mamoru make this play a big success, but he can't do it if you're all acting selfish and arguing."

Usagi and the others now felt a little guilty, while Mamoru, Umino, and Naru were somewhat amazed.

"We're sorry, Harusuke," apologized Usagi.

"We didn't mean to sound selfish," added Minako.

"That's fine, but it seems to me that we need to settle this matter fairly," said Harusuke. "Now exactly how to decide this fairly is the real question."

"Perhaps, I can be of some help, Harusuke dear," said a female voice.

Harusuke jumped in surprise and turned around to find that Natsumi had suddenly appeared behind him.

"N-Natsumi!" gasped Harusuke. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear about your problem," Natsumi smiled. "And not only do I want to take part in this play, but I know exactly how to decide who gets to draw Snow White." She then presented seven pieces of paper twisted into long strings. "We'll draw straws!"

"Just what are you talking about?" asked Rei.

"We can decide by randomly drawing straws, or pieces of paper in this case," explained Natsumi. "If the end on your paper is white, then you're Snow White. If it's red, you're the queen. Finally, if it's blue, then you're one of the dwarves."

"That... actually sounds like a good idea," said Harusuke. "And it's fair too. Not a bad idea Natsumi."

"Thank you, Harusuke dear," Natsumi spoke sweety as she presented the papers Usagi and the others. "Now, who's going to go first?"

There was a brief silence. Then Usagi stepped up.

"I'll go first," the ordango blonde said. "I'm sure I'll get the white one."

Usagi carefully hovered her hand on the ends of the strings until she finally pulled one out. Much to her horror, the end of the one she picked was red.

"No! I'm the evil queen?!" Usagi wailed.

"Sorry, Ms. Tsukino. That's just the luck of the draw," Natsumi spoke. "Better luck next time."

The others all looked at the strings in Natsumi's determined to pick the right one. They all reached out, and each grabbed one and pulled it out. Each one of them all had blue tips on the end, much to their disappointment.

"No... all of us got blue tips," moaned Makoto.

"Looks like all of you have such terrible luck at straws," said Natsumi. "If that's the case, then I guess I'm going to play Snow White."

And to prove it. Natsumi showed the last remaining string on her hand, which was a white-tipped string much to everyone's shock and disbelief.

"All right then. Now that we've gotten those roles settled, that leaves one more person to fill the role of the prince," said Harusuke. He turned to Mamoru. "I take it that you're going to be playing that role, Mamoru?"

"Actually, Harusuke, I had someone in mind," Natsumi spoke. "Someone that's perfect for playing the role of the prince."

"Really? Who is it?" asked Naru. "Is it someone that we know?"

"Actually, yes," Natsumi said. "It's someone that may not realize, but he's actually more deserving, and he's standing right here."

Natsumi then looked at Harusuke, causing everyone else to look at him, which made him puzzled.

"Um... why is everyone looking at me?" Harusuke asked.

"Come on, Harusuke, dear. Isn't it obvious?" laughed Natsumi. "I'm talking about you, silly. You should be the one to play the prince."

Harusuke's eyes went wide as saucers. "Say what?! But why me?!" he screeched with surprise. "I'm not the prince type! Mamoru would be way more suited than me!"

"That may be so, but you've shown that you're way more suited," said Natsumi. "You not only got the girls to stop fighting, but you also reminded them of what was important, and that's why you deserve the role of the prince."

"You know what? I second that!" Mamoru agreed. "I say Harusuke's the perfect prince for this play!"

"Yeah! Go for it, Big Bro!" Usagi cheered. "You'd be perfect for the prince!"

Everyone else agreed, but Harusuke was still not sure. Not only that, but he realized something that made his face turn bright red. "Now hold on just a second!" he cried. "If I end up playing the prince and Natsumi's playing Snow White then... that must mean that I have to... k-k-k-k-"

"That's right. You'll have to kiss her," Mamoru finished.

Usagi and the other girls all stared dumbly at Mamoru. "WHAT?!" they all screamed.

"OK! That is a definite no!" Harusuke cried indignantly. "There is no way in hell I'm going to play the prince now!"

"It's not that big a deal, Harusuke," said Umino. "Besides, it's just a play. You can always fake kiss and stuff."

"That's not the issue, Umino!" Harusuke snapped hysterically. "There is no way I'm going through with this! No way! I'd rather be dwarf!"

"Come on, Harusuke. Just do it, please?" Natsumi begged. "You'd be perfect for the role!"

"But Natsumi, if Harusuke doesn't want to do it, I don't see any reason why we have to force him," Ami spoke.

"You keep out of this!" Natsumi snapped. "This is Harusuke's decision, not yours!"

Harusuke was still insistent on not going through with taking the role, but then Mamoru spoke in his ear. "Harusuke, I didn't want to say this, but you still owe me for that favor a while back, and you said you'd do whatever I'd ask, remember?"

Harusuke then gulped remembering back the VR gaming incident, which made him scowl a bit in embarrassment. "Hey, that's guilt-tripping!" he objected.

"Just go for it, Harusuke," said Mamoru. "As you said before, it's for the play. Besides, something's telling me that Natsumi will only do Snow White if you're the prince. Please, just do it for me?"

Harusuke was silent for a few seconds, while Usagi and the others all were silent, not sure how to respond. After taking a few seconds, and being the man to never go back on his word, he slumped in resignation.

"Oh, alright. I'll do it," Harusuke sighed. "But only because I have to pay you back, Mamoru."

Usagi and the girls gawked at Harusuke in shock while Natsumi squealed in delight.

"Alright! I'd just knew you'd do it, Harusuke!" said Natsumi. "You'll be great as the prince, and you'll have lots of fun being him! Just you wait and see!"

"I think that I'd rather be fighting a Cardian, right now!" Harusuke muttered miserably to himself.

While this was happening, Natsumi took her opportunity to take her leave heading back to the apartments. She was feeling very pleased with herself as she flicked away a piece of one of the strings.

 _"None of those fools noticed that I rigged it, so that I'd win and get to be Snow White,"_ Natsumi thought, sniggering. _"Now Harusuke's mine for sure."_

* * *

At the Makai Tree, An was telling Ail about the play hoping to recruit him as a dwarf, but Ail was cross.

"So your play's cast is one short, and you need someone to play the seventh dwarf?" Ail asked huffily. "No thanks! I would rather play the role of the prince."

"Sorry, but that part's already been decided," said An. "By Harusuke I might add."

Ail then turned away in a huff, fuming. "Then, never mind."

An then stood up feeling a bit cross too. "Very well, then. Perhaps Mamoru can fill the role of the seventh dwarf instead."

She then disappeared, leaving Ail by himself. No sooner than she left, Ail then had a thought.

 _"The play's going to be at Juuban Hall, right?"_ Ail thought. _"This could be a good opportunity."_

He then took out a Cardian card and threw it up into the air, making it stay hovering above him as he took out his flute.

"Now, come forth! Cardian Bipierrot!" Ail commanded.

Ail put the flute to his lips and then began to play his sweet melody. At his command, the card began to shine until it exploded with light as the Cardian emerged. She basically looked like a clown mixed with a jester that had pink skin, wore a green clown outfit that only had one pant leg with red jester shoes as well as a red bow in the middle of her chest, long puffy and curly purple hair, and a gold helmet with three long spikes jutting upwards. She even had red face paint and a red nose.

"Next week, a large number of people will gather at Juuban Hall," Ail told Bipierrot. "As soon as they're there, I want you to steal all of their energy!"

Bipierrot cackled evilly in response, acknowledging her orders.

* * *

At the Juuban Community Center, the first day of rehearsal had just begun, and everyone was working hard. However, there was already some problems starting to arise. Natsumi had her mind focused on rehearsing the kissing scene, and Harusuke couldn't help but feel incredibly embarrassed every time they had to repeat it. He did his lines very well, but he always ended up pulling away from Natsumi. This process repeated for about eleven times and was about to go on twelve.

"What?! You want to go through with the scene again?" everyone exclaimed.

"Yes. Now, as you all know, Snow White is still asleep, and the prince gives her a passionate kiss," said Natsumi. "This is the big climax of the whole play as well as the biggest scene, so we need to practice it as many times as we can." She then lied on her back on the bench and closed her eyes. "Now Harusuke, let's go over it with me one more time, please."

"Well, if you say so, Natsumi," Harusuke spoke doubtfully. "Let's do this one more time, and I'll try my best not to mess up."

Mamoru then gave then signal. "And... Action!" he yelled.

Harusuke then got into character and began saying his lines as he approached Natsumi as she slept. "Oh, my princess, Snow White! My true love, accept this kiss with your sweet lips and awaken at last from your eternal slumber."

He then began to lean in close about to kiss her, while everyone else watched. Umino and Naru watched with expectant and blushing expressions, while Mamoru remained neutral. Usagi and the others, on the other hand, weren't so keen.

Usagi, being the overprotective sister she was biting her nails praying for Harusuke not to kiss her, and she wasn't the only one. As Harusuke leaned closer, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako all couldn't help but feel a slight lousy feeling in the pit of their stomachs. However, they didn't say anything.

Natsumi could feel Harusuke getting closer to her and knowing this; she saw a chance to get a real kiss from him rather than a fake one. When he was close enough to her face, Natsumi immediately wrapped her arms around his back, attempting to embrace him, but Harusuke was quick to react as he pulled away, blushing beet red.

"Hey! Natsumi! What do you think you're doing?!" Mamoru scolded. "Snow White's supposed to be asleep, so you need to stay still."

Natsumi bit back a curse as she while smiled innocently. "I'm so sorry, Mamoru. Could we do it one more time?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm ready to go again if you guys are willing," said Harusuke. "I'll try not to pull away this time."

"I think we've done this scene enough," Rei snapped immediately.

"Yeah, we've got the whole rest of the play to rehearse," Makoto added. "So I say that we should get started practicing the other parts now."

"What are you two talking about? This is a crucial scene," protested Natsumi. "We can't afford to cut any corners, and we need to have Harusuke get used to this scene, so why don't you stop being so selfish?"

"Hah! Selfish? Like you have room to talk," scoffed Makoto. "You're acting the most selfish of us all."

 _"This is getting ridiculous!"_ Usagi thought to herself. _"Just what the heck is that Natsumi up to?"_

* * *

Soon rehearsal was over, and it was now evening. Everyone was now packing up to go home. Umino and Naru had taken off home together, and Mamoru went home by himself. As Usagi and the others got ready to leave, Natsumi came up to Harusuke being her bubbly and flirty self.

"Say, Harusuke dear? You want to walk home together?" Natsumi asked sweetly. "After all, since we're playing the part of lovers, we should spend some time together so we can get to know each other better~"

Harusuke then gulped. "Maybe... some other time, Natsumi," he spoke politely. "Besides, I'm feeling a little tired, and I would like to get as much rest as possible so that I can be ready for rehearsal tomorrow."

Natsumi pouted in disappointment. "Oh, alright. If you say so, Harusuke, make sure you get plenty of sleep, so that we can be ready for the show, OK?"

Harusuke answered in an awkward wave as Natsumi left. When he was sure that she was gone and it was just him, Usagi, and the girls, Harusuke let out an exhausted sigh.

"Geez. I thought that I'd never get a break from her," Harusuke groaned. "I swear that girl's out to get me!"

"Seriously, what's her problem? She kept going on and on about that stupid kissing scene," complained Rei. "If she keeps this up, the play's going to end up a total flop!"

"Personally, I think she should step down as Snow White for acting so selfishly," agreed Makoto. "Not to mention, she keeps on making a pass on Harusuke too!"

"I agree too!" said Minako. "I mean, after all, the only reason that she got the part in the first place was that she cheated to get it."

Harusuke and Usagi looked up at Minako, Harusuke being a little surprised, while Usagi was scowling.

"Hold on. Natsumi cheated?" Harusuke repeated.

"Yeah, just how exactly do you know that, Minako?" asked Usagi.

Minako then gulped looking away, not saying a word. Usagi and Harusuke looked at Makoto, Rei, and Ami for answers, but they looked away too.

"Girls, come on! Start talking!" demanded Harusuke. "Tell us what's going on!"

"Yeah! What do you mean cheating?!" interrogated Usagi. "You all know something, don't you?!"

None of the girls still didn't answer. Harusuke then glared sternly at them.

"Alright then, you're going to make me do this the hard way," he spoke. He turned to Usagi. "You hear that, Usagi? The girls seem to be keeping a secret from us, and they won't even tell us a thing about it? Isn't that unfair?"

Usagi's eyes began to fill up with tears as her lip trembled. "Yeah! I can't believe this!" she whimpered miserably. "They knew something all this time, and they didn't bother to say anything!"

Usagi then started to wail, her eyes bursting into tears, but then Rei stopped her.

"OK! Alright! We'll tell you two!" Rei conceded. "Just no more crying!"

"Natsumi scammed us by rigging the straws so that she could get the role of Snow White," explained Minako.

Makoto then took out one of the strings that Natsumi made. "Every one of these strings had a colored part on the end," she said. "When she drew hers, she pulled the color off, so it looked like hers was white."

And to prove it, Makoto tore the colored end of the string off as the string on her hand was now a white tip. The Tsukino siblings were surprised, but Usagi was angrier than she was shocked.

"I... I don't believe it," murmured Harusuke. "And now that you mention it, Natsumi did come out of nowhere when she made that suggestion to draw straws, not to mention that it was her idea to make me the prince in the first place."

"I knew that sneaky little witch was up to something! That's totally not fair!" Usagi spoke crossly. "If you all knew about this, then why didn't you say anything to her, huh?!"

"Because we would have all continued to fight no matter which one of us got the role," said Minako. "Besides, we couldn't exactly prove it after Harusuke got us all to stop fighting."

"I'm so sorry, girls," Harusuke apologized. "I had no idea that Natsumi would do something like this. If I had known what she was up to, then..."

"It's alright, Harusuke. You couldn't have known. You had good intentions and just wanted to help Mamoru," Ami said. "Besides, Natsumi hasn't exactly made close friends ever since she moved here with her brother. She's still new, and she always been by herself and seems so lonely."

"She also wanted to be Snow White as much as we did. So much so that was willing to cheat," said Rei smiling a little. "In a weird way, I'm impressed by her determination and moxie."

Harusuke couldn't help but feel a little impressed. "Wow, girls. That's very kind of all of you to say," he said. "I never would have expected to hear that come out of your mouths."

"But is it friendship to ignore what she did?!" Usagi burst out crossly. "Cheating is still cheating, and I say we should call her out on it! If we ignore this-"

"Usagi! Calm down!" interrupted Harusuke. "There's no sense going off half-cocked pointing the guilty finger at Natsumi. Rather than "calling her out," I say we try and talk to her. That sound about fair to everyone?"

The girls all gave a single nod in response while Usagi puffed her cheeks in a pout. "Fine, but I want to be the one to talk to her," she said. "At least tell her to stop trying to kiss my brother."

"Are you sure that you should handle this on your own, Usagi?" asked Rei.

"Sure I'm sure," Usagi said. "As soon as I see her tomorrow, I'll talk to her. Just leave it to me."

Harusuke then rolled his eyes sighing. "Why is it when she says not to worry, that's when I start to worry?"

* * *

Usagi and her group were now walking home stopping by at the Hikawa Shrine first to drop off Rei. However, as they turned around the corner of where the steps were, they noticed someone who was walking up the steps a few feet away, which turned out to be Natsumi.

"Hey guys, look! It's Natsumi!" Usagi gasped pointing.

"But why is she going to the Hikawa Shrine?" wondered Ami.

"I don't know," said Harusuke. "It does seem a bit strange."

Feeling a little bit curious, Usagi and the other girls decided to follow Natsumi to see what she was up to. They quietly tiptoed up the steps making sure they wouldn't be seen, and soon reach the top of the stairs as did Natsumi. As they hid behind some bushes and trees, they watched as Natsumi went over to the Shrine and rang the bell, clapping her hands as she prayed.

"Oh, please, let this play be successful!" Natsumi whispered.

 _"And also allow me to steal Harusuke's lips,"_ she thought to herself.

She then gave one more ring of the bell, and she went on her way. Usagi and the others then came out of their hiding place feeling impressed as well as moved.

"Did you see how serious Natsumi looked?" asked Ami. "She must feel very passionate about this play."

"She's still a bit selfish, but then again most actresses are," said Rei. "Everyone knows that, right?"

"I've even heard that the more selfish the actress, the better her acting is," Minako agreed.

"Yeah. Kind of makes it hard to believe, huh?" Harusuke spoke.

"You know what? I think I'm fine with Natsumi being Snow White," said Makoto. "And who knows? Maybe it'll help improve her attitude a bit."

"So let's all do our best to make this play a success for Natsumi's sake," said Ami smiling. "Anyone with me?"

Everyone heartily agreed, except for Usagi who was still feeling a bit overprotective.

"I don't like the idea of her kissing Harusuke, but I guess it can't be helped,"Usagi muttered.

"Did you say something, Usagi?" asked Harusuke. "You sound like you're mumbling over there."

Usagi jumped. "What? Who? Me? Nothing! Don't mind me!" she squeaked while laughing nervously. "Nothing going on over here!"

* * *

But the next day, things weren't any better. You see, Umino managed to rent out some costumes for the play, but some of them were a little less to be desired. Natsumi's was an elegant gown befitting of Snow White, Usagi's was a codled black cloak with a big crooked nose as well as a staff and a basket of apples, and Harusuke donned a silver tunic with white spandex pants, black boots, and a black cape with red lining.

As for everyone else that were extras, they were all wearing full-bodied animal suits. Rei was a purple bear with a yellow crescent mark on the chest, Makoto a brown gorilla, Mamoru a light black lion, Ami a brown bear, Umino a pink elephant, Minako an orange-brown fox, and Naru a bright blue bunny.

They were now rehearsing the scene where Snow White was put into a deep sleep by the witch. However, those who were wearing the animal costumes were feeling a little hot and sweaty and found it a little challenging to rehearse. At last, Rei ripped off the top of her costume, her face flushed and scowling.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Rei sputtered angrily. "What is this, a show for preschoolers?! Why the heck do, I have to wear this ridiculous thing?!"

Makoto then took off her head too feeling just as cross. "Yeah, and why do I have to wear the gorilla one?!"

Umino then took off the head of his costume, explaining. "W-Well, I'm told that entertainment has to be original. So I got us some adorable animal costumes and-"

But before Umino could finish, Makoto and Rei took the head of Makoto's gorilla costume and shoved it on top of poor Umino's head shutting him up.

"And this what you think of when you thought of adorable?!" the two girls snapped crossly.

"But you all do look cute in them," Natsumi said innocently. "And Ms. Tsukino looks very great as the witch too."

Makoto and Rei turned away in a huff while Usagi was fuming.

"Alright, alright. Let's try to take it easy," soothed Harusuke. "I know these costumes are a little... less than stellar, but we should be grateful that Umino brought us these costumes and make the best of it. If it's any consolation, I'm not particularly fond of my costume either."

"But Harusuke dear, you look very dashing right now!" Natsumi spoke blushing. "You look like the perfect prince!"

"Yeah, but it feels a little bit tight," Harusuke spoke, looking at himself. "Especially around the butt."

Minako and Ami couldn't help but instinctively look towards Harusuke's bottom which made their cheeks immediately flush pink.

"Come on, you guys. This isn't the time to be fooling around," Mamoru cut in. "Let's continue rehearsing, OK?"

But Usagi was still fuming feeling jealous at Natsumi. _"I wanted to wear a dress like hers and have a romantic scene with the prince..."_ she thought.

* * *

Later that night at her apartment, An was feeling very excited for the opening night. So much so, that as she lied on her bed while wearing her dress, she held a pillow above her head and began to fantasize about Harusuke.

"Oh, princess! My true love!" An recited wistfully. "Accept this kiss with your sweet lips, and awaken at last from your eternal slumber."

She then pressed and hugged the pillow against her face pretending that she was kissing Harusuke. At that moment, Ail appeared in her doorway.

"An, what are you doing?" Ail asked a bit unnerved.

An jumped shooting up from her bed. "OH! Well um... I was just rehearsing for the play!"

Ail then glanced over at the table in An's room noticing the script for the play on top of it. As he did, he began to fantasize too. He pictured himself as the prince and Usagi the princess gazing into each other's eyes as they leaned in for a kiss. The thought alone made him blush bright red as a goofy grin spread on his cheeks.

"Ail? Ail?! Ail?!"

But An's voice soon snapped Ail out of his daydream, forcing him to regain his composure.

"Tomorrow's the big day, An," Ail said. "Break a leg, okay?"

As Ail left the room, An couldn't help but watch him leave feeling a bit puzzled by his behavior. Ail stood outside of An's door feeling a little bit jealous.

 _"Why couldn't I be the prince and Usagi my princess?"_ Ail thought to himself.

* * *

Back at the Tsukino house, Usagi was practicing her lines where the evil queen is speaking to the magic mirror.

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" she said. "What?! I'm the second fairest?! Snow White is the most beautiful in all the land?! How vexing!"

Then Shingo opened the door peering in, while snickering. "You are such a ham, Usagi!"

Usagi glared. "How dare you, Shingo?! You don't need to be rude!"

"Look, I'm coming to see your play tomorrow, so try to make your performance somewhat decent, okay?" Shingo said snootily. "The last thing I want to see is seeing you screw up and making yourself look like a fool."

And with that, Shingo shut the door leaving Usagi seething with anger.

"You could just stay home for all I care!" Usagi yelled, crossly.

* * *

Back in his room, Harusuke was rehearsing his lines for the play too. He knew most of his lines by heart by now, and he was more than ready to go, but there was one thing that made him very nervous; the kissing scene.

"Man... I can't stop thinking about that stupid scene," Harusuke sighed as he set down his script. "I really, really don't want to kiss Natsumi, but... I don't want to let anyone down since we've come this far. I don't know what to do."

Then there was a scratching at the door. Harusuke walked over and opened it, and Luna walked inside.

"Hey there, Harusuke," greeted Luna. "I heard you and Usagi have a big day tomorrow. Something about a play?"

"Yeah. More or less, Luna," replied Harusuke.

"Is something the matter?" asked Luna. "You look like something is bothering you."

"Well, yeah. I suppose you could say that, Luna," Harusuke said, looking to the floor. "You see, you know the scene where the prince has to kiss Snow White? Well, I'm the prince and Natsumi's Snow White and... you can pretty much see the rest in your head."

"So I take it you're feeling nervous about kissing this Natsumi person?" asked Luna. "Wasn't she the one that has a huge crush on you for some reason?"

"Yup. That's her," said Harusuke. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate her and it's not that I like her either. I just... I just don't want to kiss her because... I've never kissed anyone before, and I want to save my first kiss with someone I like, but I also want to make this play a success too." He then sighed plopping on his bed, lying on his back. "I don't know what I'm thinking. Am I acting selfishly?"

"I don't seem to think so," said Luna. "If you're not comfortable of kissing that girl, then it's your right to not to, Harusuke."

"You really think so?" asked Harusuke.

"I know so," said Luna. "Your first kiss should be treasured, and if you want to share it with a special person you love, then you should save it, and if you're that worried about the play, then just fake kiss or at least make it convincing. Just do your best like you always do."

Harusuke then looked up at Luna and smiled a little giving the black cat a few scratches behind the ears. "Thanks, Luna. I needed that," said Harusuke. "I feel a lot less nervous now."

"Glad I could help you," Luna smiled. "However, I am curious. Who exactly is this special someone you're saving your first kiss for?"

Harusuke then blushed. "W-Well, I haven't exactly had anyone in mind just yet, Luna. Plus, now's not the time to be thinking of stuff like that. I have to get ready for the play."

"Whatever you say, Harusuke," said Luna. "I'll leave you to it, and by the way, break a leg."

Luna then left the room, leaving Harusuke by himself. As he picked up the script to start rehearsing, he couldn't help but think about what Luna asked him. However, he quickly put it out of his mind as he began to rehearse his lines.

* * *

The great day soon came. The Juuban Hall was packed with dozens of people who came from all around town to see the play. Usagi and the cast, who were behind the curtains, were excited, but also felt a little nervous.

"Oh, wow! There sure are a lot of people out there!" Usagi whispered.

"Yeah. I'm actually starting to get a little nervous," said Rei.

"Don't worry, Rei. We'll be fine," Harusuke whispered back. "In fact, we'll be great because this play's going to be a knockout!"

At that moment, they heard the sound of a buzzer, which meant that it was nearly time for the show to begin.

"That's the first bell, everyone!" Mamoru spoke. "Everyone get into your positions!"

"Right!" everyone replied.

 _"And once the second bell rings, it'll be showtime!"_ Natsumi thought eagerly. _"And Harusuke will finally kiss me today!"_

The second buzzer rang out, and the curtain slowly began to rise, prompting the audience to applaud. When the curtain fully arose, and the spotlight shone, there was already someone standing on the stage just on top of the castle. However, it wasn't any of the cast members; it was Cardian Bipierrot much to everyone's surprise.

"What's going on?" Usagi wondered.

"A clown?!" gasped Makoto.

"No one said anything about a clown in this play!" Rei and Minako exclaimed.

"I wonder if they changed the script," pondered Ami.

Bipierrot began to spin around and around until a unicycle appeared underneath her. She then jumped down while riding the unicycle and used it to ride violently around the stage, hitting the set of the castle causing it to fall and crumble.

Natsumi then rushed towards the Cardian, trying to stop her. "Stop it!" Natsumi shrieked. "Don't ruin our play after we worked so hard on it!"

"Natsumi! Don't get near that thing!" Harusuke yelled. "It's dangerous!"

Bipierrot then saw Natsumi and wanting her out of the way as soon as possible, took out a small red ball and threw it at her. The ball swelled into a large size and knocked straight into Natsumi, blasting her off the stage. Seeing that she was heading towards him, Harusuke immediately moved out of the way only for Natsumi to crash straight into Mamoru knocking both to the floor, unconscious. The audience thinking that the Cardian was a part of the play all applauded liking what they were seeing.

"That thing's a monster!" cried Umino. "Let's get out of here, Naru!"

Umino and Naru took off trying to get away, but in his haste, Umino tripped and bumped into Naru hard sending her flying straight into the other girls excluding Usagi causing them all to end up in an entangled heap. The girls struggled as they desperately tried to get out, but that only made things worse.

"You're so heavy, Mako!" complained Minako.

"Get off of me!" yelled Rei.

"You got to get off of me first!" Makoto cried.

"Knock it off! I can't breathe!" Naru whimpered loudly.

"Calm down and climb out one at a time!" Ami gasped.

Bipierrot seizing her chance then whipped out an umbrella opening it and then spinning it around, starting to drain the energy from the audience.

"That's no clown at all!" Harusuke cried grimly. "That's a Cardian! We gotta do something fast!"

"How dare that monster try to ruin our play?!" Usagi barked crossly. "That monster's going to pay!"

Usagi and Harusuke then transformed.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"

* * *

 _Transformation Sequence: Usagi_

 _Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed in a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does this a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons came out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappear as more pink ribbons wrap around her arms and hands, forming her white gloves and her red boots around her calves and feet._ _As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose._

 _Transformation sequence: Harusuke._

 _Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. The symbol of the sun begins to glow on Harusuke's head as his body is enveloped in golden yellow and silver light. The sun appears right above him shining its light upon him. As Harusuke is bathed in its light a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. The light shone on his legs and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appear on his legs with silver hexagon knee-pads. The light shone on his arms and then golden gauntlets appear on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him and it crashes into his chest making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers head exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Harusuke's eyes open his eyes and then strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him._

* * *

As Bipierrot continued to drain the energy from the audience, a spotlight shone just behind her causing the monster to turn around as two certain hero now stood standing back to back, rising via a stage lift.

"After long hours of tough rehearsals, all of those hard-working actors finally got a chance to perform!" the Guardian of the Moon said.

"This is the fruit of their sweat and friendship, which was spoiled the moment you decided to come along and wreck it!" the Guardian of the Sun spoke. "How dare you commit such a crime?!"

"I am the pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior, who also fight for love and justice! I am Solaris! And by the power of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

Bipierrot immediately went on the attack pointing her umbrella at the two heroes making a strange rope-like tendril shoot out and wrap around the two tightly. A powerful electrical current went through the rope and began to shock Solaris and Sailor Moon as their energy was being drained. Then suddenly from above, a particular white rose shot down and pierced through the rope setting our two heroes free.

The spotlight shone from up above, revealing a certain masked man in white Arabian clothing. "I don't know who you are, but all the young girls know who I am! The Moonlight Knight has arrived!" the white knight proclaimed.

Sailor Moon's eyes immediately turned into hearts as she swooned in delight. "Wow! It's the Moonlight Knight!" she squealed.

"Sailor Moon, can you not be a hopeless fangirl today?!" Solaris complained.

Then four more heroes arrived much to everyone's surprise, including the audience. Four sailor guardians who had managed to get out of the pile they got stuck in.

"Fueled by the flames of passion and the nine mantras! All while destroying all evil with spiritual power and wearing high heels!" the sailor guardian in red proclaimed. "I am Sailor Mars!"

"Born with raw strength and lightning!" announced the green sailor guardian. "I am the Guardian known as Sailor Jupiter!"

"You've met my friends Mars and Jupiter, but I command the power of water, and my most lethal weapon is my brain!" the blue Sailor Guardian spoke heroically. "I'm Sailor Mercury!"

"I was known as the Masked Legend, but the face underneath is just as legendary!" the guardian in orange spoke. "I'm the last Guardian ever to appear, Sailor Venus!"

"And we're on the scene!" all four of them shouted.

Bipierrot went on the attack by firing the spikes on her helmet at the four guardians, only for them to dodge. Sailor Mars then took out an ofuda and charged it with her spiritual powers.

"My red heels are as furious as an inferno of fire! EVIL SPIRIT BE EXERCISED!"

The Mars Guardian then threw the ofuda, making it attach to the middle of the Cardian's forehead paralyzing her. Sailor Mercury then went next.

"I took a lot of my time away from studying to memorize my lines!" she scolded crossly. "I could have read three books in that time, so now you're going to pay for what you did! MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY FREEZING!"

Sailor Mercury released a flurry of bubbles which froze Bipierrot on contact. Sailor Moon then got ready to deliver the finishing blow taking out her Cutie Moon Rod. "We won't forgive you for ruining our play!" she spoke as she pointed her Cutie Moon Rod. "MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

And with a powerful blast of light and sparkles from her Cutie Moon Rod, Bipierrot was no more, and it was the Guardian's victory. The Moonlight Knight gazed downwards proudly as the audience began to cheer wildly.

"The day is saved!" the Moonlight Knight spoke. "Tonight the spotlight falls on the beauty and dashing charm of these guardians. Adieu!"

And with that, the platform that the Moonlight Knight stood on rose up along with him as the curtain closed behind the guardians. The audience continued to cheer wildly for the guardians as they began to chant encore. The Guardians then waved back, all of them taking a bow as they smiled.

* * *

Back at the apartments in her room, An was very upset with Ail for summoning a Cardian which spoiled the play.

"Ail, how could you?! That was just horrible!" An sobbed miserably. "I can't believe after working so hard; you sent a Cardian to spoil it all!"

"Oh, enough, An!" Ail spoke coldly. "Need I remind you that it's our duty to gather as much energy as we can?"

He then left the room, shutting the door leaving An to sob her eyes out on her bed.

"I was so close!" An wailed. "I was so close to stealing Harusuke's kiss!"

"They really should have let me play the prince," Ail muttered as he walked away to leave An alone.


End file.
